CSWHT 2004-2005 Keynote Speaker Series Starts Tuesday, Sept. 28 at TAMIU

Texas A&M International University's College of Business Administration's Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade (CSWHT) will present the first lecture in the 2004-2005 Keynote Speaker Series Tuesday, September 28.

Former Secretary of State and State Representative Dr. Henry Cuellar will present "Future Trends in the South Texas Economy from 7:30 - 9:30 p.m. in the Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 116. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Virginia Vincent, CSWHT associate director, said the Series represents an outstanding opportunity for students and the community at large.

"The Western Hemispheric Trade Keynote Speaker Series presents practical and targeted lectures imparted by distinguished leaders, recognized experts and outstanding scholars in the trade and business arenas," she explained.

The remaining schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, October 12, 2004: "International Business and Cross Cultural Management," Jaime Alonso Gómez, Dean, Monterrey Institute of Technology (ITESM) of Monterrey, Mexico.

Thursday, November 11, 2004: "The Case for Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA): Expanding Freedom in our Hemisphere," Daniel T. Griswold, director of Cato Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, Washington, D.C.

Thursday, December 2, 2004: "The Impact of Evolving Trans-Pacific Trade Patterns and Transportation Corridors on NAFTA Economies and Distribution Networks," Leigh B. Boske, associate dean and professor of economics at the Lyndon B. Johnson School at University of Texas at Austin.

Tuesday, January 25, 2005: "Lessons from NAFTA," Daniel Lederman, senior economist in the World's Bank Office of the Chief Economist of the Latin America and Caribbean region, Washington, D.C.

Thursday, February 10, 2005: "Mexico-U.S. Migration: Challenges and Opportunities," Philip Martin, professor of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California Davis.

Saturday, March 5, 2005: "Western Hemispheric Economic Integration: Status of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA)," William C. Gruben, vice president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Thursday, April 14, 2005: "Why Does Immigration Divide America? Public Finance and Political Opposition to Open Borders," Gordon H. Hanson, professor of economics at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

All lectures are free and open to the public.

For more information about any of the lectures in the Series, please contact Vincent at 326.2827, visit offices at the Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 222D, or e-mail vvincent@tamiu.edu.

University office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

--30--