Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu to Speak at American International College

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., March 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Local high school students will have the opportunity to hear Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu when he comes to Springfield on Tuesday, April 20. The high school students will join students from American International College for a special meeting with the world leader in the Butova Gymnasium at 9:30 a.m.

The Archbishop will meet with media representatives following the talk to students at 10:45 a.m.

As part of the college's commitment to improving the lives of the children and families in the Greater Springfield area, American International College has partnered with the Medical Knowledge Institute to launch the Desmond Tutu Lecture Series on Public Health Awareness. Archbishop Tutu, a member of MKI's international Board of Advisors, will be the first speaker in the series. He will receive an honorary degree from AIC during a convocation at Symphony Hall at 4:15 p.m. The archbishop will deliver his address following the awarding of honorary degrees.

Also receiving honorary degrees during the ceremony will be Dr. Harold Robles and Dr. Peter Bittel, co founders of the Medical Knowledge Institute, an international non-profit organization based in the Netherlands and U.S. The Medical Knowledge Institute (MKI) is an international non-profit healthcare organization that focuses on education and providing information from the conviction that healthcare is a human right.

Robles said he is excited to join forces with AIC to present this important lecture series. "AIC and MKI both serve populations that are often underserved, overlooked, and underestimated, to meet their needs of education, awareness, and improved public health," he said.

"We have to try make a difference in the lives of young people," Robles said. "We must touch them and show them what life is all about and how they can make a difference."

Dedicated to promoting healthcare education as a human right, Robles co-founded the MKI in 1999, along with Peter Bittel, C.E.O. of Futures HealthCore of Springfield, an AIC Trustee.

The event at Symphony Hall is open to the public, free of charge, but reservations are required. For ticket information, call Tina Toohey, director of auxiliary services at AIC, at (413) 205-3352.

There will also be a reception and dinner for the Archbishop at the Springfield Sheraton from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the event are $200, or $1500 for a table of eight.

For more information, contact the AIC Office of Public Relations at (413) 205-3231, or visit the website, www.aic.edu/tutu.

SOURCE American International College