Oakland University to present honorary degree to former president of India

Press Release

Contact: Dave Groves
(248) 370-2759
groves@oakland.edu  


For Immediate Release
Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009


Oakland University to present honorary degree to former president of India

Rochester, Mich. – Oakland University will have the distinct honor of welcoming former Indian President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to deliver this year’s Varner Vitality Lecture on Thursday, Sept. 17. Following his presentation, Kalam will be invited to a VIP reception, where he will receive an honorary degree from Oakland.

While serving as India’s 11th president from 2002-07, Kalam became known as the “People’s President” and was dubbed “India’s Best President” by a CNN-IBN poll. He was prominently known even before reaching this post, having worked as an aeronautical engineer with India’s Defense Research and Development Organization. It was there he became known as the Missile Man of India, given the work he did to help develop the country’s ballistic missile and space rocket technology.

Kalam also served as chairman of the Technology Information, Forecasting and Assessment Council, during which time he tapped the expertise of some 500 colleagues in order to develop Technology Vision 2020, a road map for transforming India into a developed nation.

Also to his credit, Kalam has received honorary doctorate degrees from 30 universities and institutions, and has been awarded the coveted Padma Bhusdan and Padma Vibhushan awards, the highest honors the Indian government presents to civilians.

The Varner Vitality Lecture Series is designed to sustain the scholarly aspirations of the university community while enhancing, invigorating and uniting university life.

Attendance at the event is free of charge and open to the public. Seating is limited, however. The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the O’rena on the campus of Oakland University.The event is free and open to the campus community and the public. Seating is limited. Those interested in attending can RSVP at aaevent2@oakland.edu. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. E-mail to english@oakland.edu or call (248) 370-2190 for more information.

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