IMF Chief Discusses Need for Higher Education to Support Advances in Developing World

BALTIMORE, May 12, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Against the backdrop of significant youth unemployment around the world, Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), told Laureate university students in Morocco on Friday, May 9, that education provides a springboard for their own economic advancement as well as the advancement of their communities.

"I encourage you to take advantage of all the opportunities you have as you continue your education, especially those opportunities that allow you to experience new people and new cultures," said Ms. Lagarde. "These international experiences will not only support your personal development, but bring us all closer together. I have found that the key to a successful life is to keep working to enrich yourself at each step throughout your journey."

Ms. Lagarde made her remarks to students, faculty and staff at Laureate's Universite Internationale de Casablanca (UIC) in Morocco.  Her address also was broadcast to students at five Laureate network universities in Europe: the University of Liverpool, the University of Roehampton in London, Glion Institute of Higher Education in Switzerland, European University Cyprus and Universidad Europea de Madrid. 

"Ms. Lagarde is in a position of extraordinary importance and is a remarkable role model for our students," said Douglas L. Becker, chairman and chief executive officer of Laureate Education, Inc. "We are honored that Ms. Lagarde selected UIC as the forum to address the importance of quality higher education, and we are delighted that so many of our students were able to share in this special opportunity."

In 2011, Ms. Lagarde became the first woman to head the IMF. She previously held executive positions in the French government, ultimately ascending to the post of finance minister. Ms. Lagarde was the first woman to serve as finance minister of a G8 country. She served in 2011 as chair of the G20, where she worked to reform the international monetary system amid the global financial crisis. 

Universite Internationale de Casablanca was established in 2010 to meet the growing demand for higher education in Morocco. The multidisciplinary university includes four schools: Health Sciences, Engineering, Business and Law, and Hospitality Management.  UIC provides undergraduate and graduate degree programs in accounting, business, finance, health sciences, hospitality and sports management, information technology, management, law, marketing, physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychology, and industrial, mechanical and civil engineering.

About Laureate Education, Inc.
Laureate Education is the world's leading higher education provider. Laureate's more than 75 universities educate over 800,000 students in 29 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Laureate's universities offer undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree programs in fields such as architecture, business, engineering, hospitality management, law and medicine. In 2014, the Laureate network is celebrating its 15^th anniversary. William J. Clinton, former President of the United States, is Honorary Chancellor of the Laureate International Universities network. To learn more, visit www.laureate.net.

SOURCE Laureate Education, Inc.