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Telephone 609-258-3601; Fax 609-258-1301For immediate release: Jan. 22, 2001
Contact: Marilyn Marks (609) 258-3601
Princeton to honor alumni Lloyd Axworthy, Stapleton Roy
Princeton, N.J. -- Two Princeton graduates who have served their countries with distinction in foreign affairs will receive the University's top alumni honors this year.
Lloyd Axworthy, former Canadian minister of foreign affairs, and Stapleton Roy, a three-time U.S. ambassador, will receive their awards and deliver addresses on campus on Alumni Day Saturday, Feb. 24.
Axworthy, who earned his master’s degree and doctorate in politics in 1963 and 1972, respectively, has been chosen for the James Madison Medal. The medal was established by the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni and is given each year to a Graduate School alumnus or alumna who has had a distinguished career, advanced the cause of education or achieved an outstanding record of public service. James Madison, the fourth president of the United States, is believed to be Princeton’s first graduate student in a field other than theology.
Roy, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history from the University in 1956, will receive the Woodrow Wilson Award, given annually to an undergraduate alumnus or alumna whose career embodies the call to duty in Wilson's famous speech, "Princeton in the Nation's Service." A Princeton graduate, Wilson served as president of the University and as president of the United States.
On Alumni Day, Axworthy will speak on "An Encounter with Emma: The Case for Rethinking Security and State Sovereignty in the New Century" at 9:15 a.m. He will reflect on the story of a 13-year-old child-soldier, the questions it raises for the international community and the challenges it poses to our notions of the rights of nation-states.
Roy will address "Diplomatic Diversions: Reflections on the U.S. Place in the World" at 10:30 a.m. He will draw on his experiences in the foreign service to discuss selected topics in U.S. policy and diplomacy.
Both talks will be held in Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall. They are open to the public.
Following is background information on the honorees:
Lloyd AxworthyAxworthy recently left the Canadian cabinet to accept a position with the University of British Columbia's Liu Centre for the Study of Global Issues. The appointment marked a return to academia for Axworthy, who was a professor of political science at the University of Winnipeg from 1965 to 1967 and from 1969 to 1979.
He was first elected to Parliament in 1979. From 1980 to 1984, he served as minister of employment and immigration, minister responsible for the status of women, and minister of transport. From 1984 to 1992, Axworthy held positions focusing on economic policy, external affairs, national defense and international trade. He was minister of human resources development and minister of Western economic diversification from 1993 to 1996, when he was appointed minister of foreign affairs.
Axworthy is well known for his innovative ideas on foreign policy. He promoted a "human security" agenda that focused on humanitarian crises around the world. He worked to achieve cooperation between governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations. He called for an international criminal court, brokered a ban on landmines and drew international attention to the plight of war-affected children. In December 2000, he received the Sen. Patrick Leahy Humanitarian Award from the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation for his leadership in "the global effort to outlaw the use of child-soldiers, to bring war criminals to justice and to end the human tragedy of landmines."
"Public service is a much maligned occupation," Axworthy recently told the Toronto Star. "I think probably it's the nature of the job to be criticized. But it's also an incredible opportunity to do things. Close to three decades of having the chance to do that is pretty special."
Stapleton RoyRoy has been employed as a foreign service officer in the U.S. State Department since graduating from Princeton. He recently left his post as assistant secretary of state for intelligence and research to become managing director of Kissinger Associates, a consulting firm founded by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He was one of only 38 foreign-service officers to have achieved the rank of "career ambassador."
Roy began his career serving in U.S. embassies and consulates in Bangkok, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Moscow. In 1975, following assignments to the Soviet desk and the National War College, he became deputy director of the Office of Chinese and Mongolian Affairs. He was assigned as deputy chief of the U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing in 1978, and became deputy chief of mission the following year when the U.S. established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. Subsequently, he spent three years as deputy chief of mission in Bangkok.
In 1984, Roy was appointed ambassador to Singapore. Two years later, he became deputy assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs. He then served two years as executive secretary of the department and special assistant to the secretary of state. He was ambassador to the People's Republic of China from 1991 to 1995 and ambassador to Indonesia from 1996 to 1999, when he was named assistant secretary of state.
Roy is well respected for his wide-ranging expertise on Asia, for his astute policy analysis, and for his superb diplomacy skills. From 1979 to 1986, he directed Princeton-in-Asia, a non-profit organization that places recent graduates of Princeton and other institutions in internships in Asian countries.
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