Westminster to host first Global Leader in Residence Thursday

Westminster College's 2011 Global Leaders in Residence Program will kick off Thursday with a visit from Russian international peacemaker Marina Shishova.

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Ben Taliaferro and Tracy Thibodeaux

Shishova - the president of the Interchurch Partnership of St. Petersburg, a researcher at the Orthodox Institute for Missiology and Ecumenism and a former member of the Executive Committee of Pax Christi International - will be on campus for two days speaking to and meeting with students. She also will give a formal presentation on her work, entitled "My Life as a Peacemaker" from 4-5 p.m. Thursday in the lecture hall at Coulter Science Center that will be open to the public.

"Marina is a major leader in peacemaking efforts in Russia and will offer great insight into the challenges and successes they are experiencing in her country," said Bob Hansen, executive director of the Emerson Center for Leadership and Service, which sponsors the Global Leaders in Residence series. "She'll talk for 20 to 25 minutes and the rest is a question-and-answer session."

To help the tornado-stricken people of Dumas and surroundings, donations can be made to the Delta Area Disaster Relief Fund, care of the Delta Area Community Foundation, P.O. Box 894, Dumas, AR, 71639, or through the Arkansas Community Foundation, 700 S. Rock St., Little Rock, AR, 72202.