French ambassador to the US to host lecture at USM Friday

A news release from the University of Southern Mississippi Office of University Communications.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Arts and Sciences and School of Social Science and Global Studies are hosting the French Ambassador to the United States, Philippe Étienne, and Consul General of France in Atlanta, Anne-Laure Desjonquère, for a lecture.

The lecture will be open to the public on Friday, Oct. 7, at 5:30 p.m. in the Joe Paul Theater on the Hattiesburg Campus, and reception will follow.

Étienne, an expert in the European Union and continental Europe, will host a lecture titled, ‘What can the Franco-American Relationship Offer in Times of Uncertainty?’ The conversation will address a range of topics, including transatlantic relationships, the French language and the role of the U.S., France and Europe in current crises.

The ambassador will be accompanied by the recently appointed Consul General of France in Atlanta and career diplomat, Anne-Laure Desjonquère, who prior to this appointment, was head of the division of European Union law and international economic law in the Legal Affairs Department of the MEFA.

“We are honored to host a diplomat of Philippe Étienne’s stature,” said Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Dr. Chris Winstead. “This visit provides an outstanding opportunity for our students to interact with a leader working at the highest level of international relations and diplomacy. We are grateful to our own Madame Keltoum Rowland for inviting Ambassador Étienne, as her engagement with the French Consulate provides great insights for our students.”

As a senior lecturer in the USM’s World Languages program and honorary consul of France in Mississippi, Rowland has spearheaded multiple efforts to promote French culture, including initiatives that help others further discover and understand the culture.

Rowland is also highly engaged as a faculty sponsor of L’Association Française, the French club, and as the director of study abroad programs, including the Château Program: Semester in France and the French in France Summer Program.

“We are delighted to welcome the French Ambassador on his first official visit to Mississippi,” said Rowland. “This will be an outstanding opportunity for our community to meet the official representative of France to the U.S. and his delegation, hear his talk on the Franco-American relationship, and engage in intellectual and thought-provoking conversations.”

At the end of his lecture, Étienne will recognize students who participated in the French in France summer program by bestowing certificates of excellence.

Click HERE to learn more about USM’s World Languages program, housed in the School of Social Science and Global Studies.

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