During the week of September 9th, Center for Global Learning and Engagement at the University of Central Arkansas presented a series of free public lectures entitled “International Human Rights: A Latin America Perspective” led by Argentinean Federal Judge, Dr. Eduardo Freiler.
“The visit by Argentine Federal Judge, Dr. Eduardo Freiler was important in that it gave our campus community the opportunity to hear from someone with a long record in promoting human rights, and with a distinguished reputation as a prosecutor, judge, and lecturer. Through visiting lecturers and scholars, such as Dr. Freiler, our students have the opportunity to learn more about other cultures, and engage in a discussion of current events in other regions of the world and issues shaping our world today,” said UCA President, Tom Courtway.
UCA Provost and Vice-President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Steven Runge, commented, “The visit of Dr. Eduardo Freiler (…) to the UCA campus was a very unique opportunity for our students, staff, faculty and administration. Dr. Freiler’s experience on the bench encompasses a broad array of cases ranging from corruption to human rights violations. He is extremely knowledgable and his willingness to share his experiences and perspectives with us was an extremely valuable cultural and educational experience for all of us at UCA.”
During his visit, Dr. Freiler presented his lecture at the UCA College of Business and the Clinton School of Public Service and lead a special roundtable discussion for students in UCA’s PhD Leadership (LEAD) program. Dr. Freiler also spoke with students in Dr. Jaime Zambrano’s Business Spanish Class concerning the issue of clean water as a basic human right.
UCA International Student and finance major, Bertita Barrientos attended Dr. Freiler’s lecture at the College of Business. “I think his visit was really interesting and full of knowledge. He allowed us to see how ecology and human rights are interrelated and at the same time how they play a key role in a country’s development. His lecture helped us to understand that human rights and ecology are not just for Latin American countries, but also for the rest of the world where human rights, especially the access to water, are not applied with equality to everyone,” said Barrientos.
This visit is part of UCA Center for Global Learning and Engagement’s ongoing efforts to increase cultural awareness and exchange and to bring worldwide issues front and center to the UCA campus. We look forward to more exciting and culturally enriching events such as this in the future. “We appreciate very much Dr. Freiler’s visit to our university and thank him for taking the time to be with us,” said President Courtway.
