n September 5, the University of Bridgeport welcomed Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. In front of more than a hundred students and guest-visitors, Her Excellency was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa.

  Hasina, the daughter of the founder and father of Bangladesh --- Sheikh Mujibur --- is one of the most prominent figures in world peacekeeping today. She has acted as a mediator during the India-Pakistan nuclear crisis and has been an ambassador of peace in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. In her struggle to fight the anti-democratic forces in Bangladesh, she has been persecuted, lived in exile and suffered the murders of several of her family members. She was in the U.S. to attend the United Nations -- Millennium Summit in New York.

Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina and President Neil Salonen

  Her Excellency was welcomed by Provost Laurence Conner and by the President of the Student Congress Jee-Eun Lee. "I can't stress enough how grateful and honored the University's students are to welcome 'the Champion of Peace,' " said Lee, and further commented on Her Excellency's continual dedication to peace.

  Professor Stoyan Ganev, the director of the New England for International and Regional Studies, referred to Bangladesh as one of our most important international partners, and expressed hope that even though there were only two students from Bangladesh in the highly diverse international student body at UB, their number would increase in the coming years.

  After the conferring of the Honorary Degree by President Neil Salonen and its presentation by Conner, Hasina thanked everyone for the honor that, according to her," is a tribute not only to me, but also to all my people."

  The New England Center, which was founded five years ago, has been a driving force for international development and an important leading forum for addressing global issues. Last year, the Center awarded honorary degrees to a number of distinguished political figures, among which were Victor Chernomyrdin, the then Russian Prime Minister; Ibrahim Gambari, the Under Secretary General of the United Nations; and Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, the President of the 54th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

  Its activities have been extended to the recently renamed International College at UB, which offers one of the few modernized programs in International Political Economy and Diplomacy and World Religions, in the nation.