UB to Offer Free Tickets to Area High Schools, Organizations for Distinguished Speakers Series Lecture with Robert Gates

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- As part the Inaugural Celebration for University at Buffalo President Satish K. Tripathi, UB will offer free tickets to Western New York high schools, as well as local non-profit and community organizations, and veteran and military organizations, to attend the upcoming lecture by former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Robert M. Gates.

Gates will kick off the 25th anniversary season of the UB Distinguished Speakers Series on Wednesday, Sept. 21, at 8 p.m. in Alumni Arena on the UB North Campus. Up to 20 complimentary tickets per school or organization are available while supplies last. Ticket requests will be filled on a first-come, first served basis while the ticket allocation lasts.

UB, through the support of Hodgson Russ LLP, an Affiliate Series Sponsor, has dedicated a minimum of 1,500 complimentary seats for the community to participate in the Gates lecture.

Gates' lecture is part of a series of events celebrating the Sept. 23 inauguration of UB's 15th President, Satish K. Tripathi. The weeklong celebration will include a variety of programs and activities, with each day featuring one or more significant events and a specific theme illustrating UB's global reach and local impact.

Gates served from 2006 until this year as the 22nd U.S. Secretary of Defense, a position he held under Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush, making him the only Secretary of Defense in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected president. President Obama is the eighth president Gates has served.

Gates joined the Central Intelligence Agency in 1966 and spent nearly 27 years as an intelligence professional. During that period, he spent nearly nine years at the National Security Council and The White House, serving four presidents of both political parties. Gates served as director of Central Intelligence from 1991 until 1993. He is the only career officer in the CIA's history to rise from entry-level employee to director. He served as deputy director of Central Intelligence from 1986 until 1989 and as assistant to the president and deputy national security advisor at the White House from 1989 until 1991, for President George H.W. Bush.

Gates has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, and the National Security Medal. He is the author of the memoir, From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War, published in 1996.

Requests for tickets for high schools should be made by the school's principal or one faculty/staff member; for community, veteran and military organizations, one representative should act as the sole liaison. To register your school or organization's ticket request, visit http://www.specialevents.buffalo.edu. Deadline for Gates ticket requests is noon on Friday, Sept. 9.