Arnold Schwarzenegger is Undergraduate Student Choice Speaker at UB

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Politician, businessman and Hollywood icon Arnold Schwarzenegger will join the University at Buffalo Distinguished Speakers Series lineup at 8 p.m. on Jan. 27 as the series' Undergraduate Student Choice speaker.

Beloved by many as an athlete and actor, Schwarzenegger is California's 38th governor, as well as a successful businessman and philanthropist. His political and personal interests include humanitarian work, environmental initiatives and education.

In office, Schwarzenegger spearheaded the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, established the California Hydrogen Highway to support a rapid transition to a clean, hydrogen transportation economy in the state, the Million Solar Roofs Plan to help make California the nation's leader in solar energy and implemented a strategic growth plan to invest in the state's transportation, education, water, public safety and public service infrastructure.

Nischal Vasant, president of the UB Undergraduate Student Association called Schwarzenegger "a cultural icon," who has been in the news "for everything from politics to onscreen performances, and who harbors interesting views on immigration, policy reforms and the United States as a whole."

"Over the past several years, the Student Association has had the privilege to bring to UB giants such as The Dalai Lama, Vice President Al Gore, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and many, many other great minds of our times," Vasant said. "Gov. Schwarzenegger embodies a multitude of characteristics and qualities from outside and inside the United States, which compelled us to choose him as our Student Choice speaker. We feel that he embodies everything that we want in a distinguished speaker."

Schwarzenegger's lecture will take place in Alumni Arena on the UB North Campus. The Undergraduate Student Association is the series sponsor and selected Schwarzenegger as its student choice speaker. Hodgson Russ is the exclusive lecture sponsor.

The UB Distinguished Speakers Series will begin Sept. 16 when Arianna Huffington and Mary Matalin will kick things off with a timely exchange that is sure to touch on the mid-term elections. Oceanographer Sylvia Earle (Oct. 13), authors Greg Mortenson (Nov. 10) and Jhumpa Lahiri (March 2), Newark Mayor Cory Booker (March 30) and genomics researcher Craig Venter (April 27) are the other speakers in the series.

Tickets for the Schwarzenegger lecture may be purchased at the Alumni Arena Box Office or through TicketMaster. Students represented by the Undergraduate Student Association (SA) and the Graduate Student Association (GSA) will be provided free tickets to the lecture. UB community members are eligible for discounted tickets.

For more information on the speakers, subscription and ticket orders and our sponsors, visit http://www.specialevents.buffalo.edu.