Czech and Slovak Cultural Center

By Donald Pafko, Honorary Consul for the Slovak Republic

During the third week of September, the President of the Slovak Republic, Ivan Gasparovic, visited New York for purposes of attending sessions at the United Nations. While at the United Nations, President Gasparovic also attended the General Assembly meeting.

During his visit, a reception for the President was held at the home of the Slovak Ambassador to the United Nations, Milos Koterec. In attendance at this reception were many politicians, Slovak emissaries, diplomats, as well as Honorary Consuls of Slovakia in the US. The reception was hosted by the Ambassador to the UN, Mr. Koterec, as well as the Slovak Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Peter Burian. During the course of this reception President Gasparovic conducted a private audience with the Slovak Honoroary Consuls, of which I am one of twelve. Spouses of the Consuls were also invited to this private audience, so my wife Jeanette was able to attend. During this private audience with the President, he discussed many issues including Slovak/Hungarian relations, dual citizenship, economy, and other issues of interest to the Honorary Consuls. We were all impressed with the President’s candor, his grasp of the issues and his political acumen.

As a finale to his visit the President attended a Slovak festival in New Jersey. This festival is a gala event which is held annually and many Honorary Consuls as well as Slovak delegates accompanied the President to New Jersey.

It was an honor to have President Gasparovic visit the USA and we will be equally honored in November when Prime Minister Iveta Radicova is scheduled to visit Washington, DC. and the Slovak Embassy. Prime Minister Radicova is the first woman to be elected Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic

Shifting Landscapes:  Examining the past, present, and future of the Czech & Slovak Republics

The Czech & Slovak Cultural Center of Minnesota, in co-sponsorship with the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development at the University of Minnesota, is pleased to announce the fall 2010 lecture series, “Shifting Landscapes:  Examining the past, present, and future of the Czech & Slovak Republics.”

This lecture and discussion series provides historical, contemporary, and personal perspectives on critical issues in the Czech and Slovak Republics.  Moreover, the lecture series is intended to enhance knowledge about the Czech and Slovak Republics and their relationships to other European countries and the United States.  Each lecture will be followed by the presentation of a film.

Come join us for a truly outstanding learning opportunity.  Admission for the lecture series is free and open to the public, but contributions are invited to help support this lecture series and other CSCC programs.

Location:  Room 1-149, Carlson School of Management, 321 19th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN.  Parking is available at the 21st Avenue and 19th Avenue ramps.

Time: 9:00 a. m.  – 12:00 noon

Dates, speakers and topics:

September 25, 2010: Dr. Gary Cohen, Chair, Department of History, University of Minnesota
“The Unpredictable Birth of a Nation. Not the Story your Grandmother told you.”

October 23, 2010: Dr. Winston Chrislock, Professor of History, St. Thomas University
“One Country – Seven Regimes”

November 13, 2010: Kenneth Scoug, Retired High Ranking US Diplomat Assigned to US Embassy in Prague during the “Prague Spring events of 1968: The Human Face that Got Bloodied”

Lecture Series Moderators:  Dr. Josef Mestenhauser, Dr. John Moravec, Allyn Johnson (Lecture Series Coordinator)

For information contact moravec@umn.edu; j-mest@umn.edu; or john2023@umn.edu