Gustavus Adolphus College

Paul Rusesabagina will deliver the keynote address and receive an honorary degree at this year’s Building Bridges Conference.

Gustavus Adolphus College will hold its 13th annual Building Bridges Conference Saturday, March 8. The theme of this year’s conference is “Genocide Awareness: How Will History Judge Us?” Tickets are sold out.

Paul Rusesabagina, the Rwandan who gained international fame when his life story became the basis for the Academy Award-nominated film Hotel Rwanda, will deliver the keynote address. Rusesabagina has been credited with saving more than 1,200 civilian lives during the Rwandan genocide of 1994 when he offered them shelter at the Hotel des Mille Collines where he was assistant manager.

The full schedule for the day is:

• 8:30 a.m.: Registration in the C. Charles Jackson Campus Center
• 10 a.m.: Conference Opening; “I Am…We Are” social justice performance; Keynote address by Paul Rusesabagina followed by Q&A in Christ Chapel
• 12:30 p.m.: Lunch (on your own)
• 1:30-2:30 p.m. and 2:30-3:30 p.m.: Workshop Sessions: “Darfur: Have a Hand in Stopping Genocide” in the Heritage Room; “Healing the Wounds of Torture” in the Board Room; “Preventing Genocide” in Linner Lounge; “Genocide in Your Back Yard” in Alumni Hall
• 3:30-6:00 p.m.: Kids Against Hunger Food Packaging in the Lund Center Forum; A suggested donation of $15 per person, per hour of food packaging

The Building Bridges Conference is a student-led, student-initiated diversity conference dedicated to addressing the pressing social and global issues of today. The conference aims to promote mutual respect and understanding about diversity throughout college campuses and larger communities by addressing global diversity issues in a proactive, social, and informative way.

The conference is open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets are sold out.

For more information and to register for the conference, contact the Gustavus Diversity Center at 507-933-7449, bbregistrations@gustavus.edu, or visit the conference’s website to register online at www.gustavus.edu/diversity/buildingbridges