NEWS RELEASE

Office of External Communications

Houston, TX 77204-5017 Fax: 713.743.8199

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 25, 2006

Contact: Marisa Ramirez
713.743.8152 (office)
713.204.9798 (cell)
mrcannon@uh.edu

NOBEL LAUREATE, JODY WILLIAMS TO ADDRESS UH SOCIAL WORK STUDENTS
Landmine Ban Proponent to Speak at Commencement Ceremonies
for the Graduate College of Social Work

HOUSTON, April 25, 2006—Nobel Peace Laureate Jody Williams, whose work to ban antipersonnel landmines won her the honor in 1997, will be the commencement speaker at ceremonies for the UH Graduate College of Social Work (GCSW). Commencement will begin at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 13 at UH’s Cullen Performance Hall.

Williams has been the GCSW’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar of Social Work and Global Justice since 2003.

“Social work and social workers must be concerned with the issues of our global community. Jody Williams personifies that,” Ira Colby, dean of the college of social work, said. “It’s our great privilege to learn from her.”

Williams is one of only 12 women to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in its more than 100-year history. She is the founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which was launched in October of 1992. Through Williams’ work, the ICBL has grown to include more than 1,300 non-governmental organizations in more than 85 countries. She continues to serve as the group’s chief strategist and spokesperson. Among other recognitions, Williams has been awarded honorary doctorates from 12 universities and colleges in and outside the U.S. She is also a founding member of the international group PeaceJam, which brings high school students and Nobel Laureates together to create community projects that promote peace. PeaceJam held its 2005 conference at UH.

The Graduate College of Social Work is expected to graduate 110 students this year.

The GCSW offers graduate study in five concentrations including children and families, gerontological social work, health care, mental health and political social work. The GCSW maintains more than 400 potential internship sites for student placements in a variety of social work settings.

For more information on the Graduate College of Social Work, please visit www.sw.uh.edu.

About the University of Houston

The University of Houston, Texas’ premier metropolitan research and teaching institution, is home to more than 40 research centers and institutes and sponsors more than 300 partnerships with corporate, civic and governmental entities. UH, the most diverse research university in the country, stands at the forefront of education, research and service with more than 35,000 students.

For more information about UH visit the university’s ‘Newsroom’ at www.uh.edu/admin/media/newsroom.