2009 Headlines
Sergio Fajardo lectures on Colombia's Challenges & Opportunities
Former Mayor and Current Presidential Candidate to speak at Johnson School and Cornell on February 19
February 17, 2009 | Ithaca, NY | Sergio Fajardo served as the mayor of Medellín, Colombia — a city of about two million people — from 2004 to 2007. During his tenure, he is credited with transforming Medellín — once described as the world's deadliest city because of its homicide rate — into a showcase for new educational and architectural projects. For his efforts, he was named Best Mayor by the Colombia Leader Foundation in 2007 and Personality of the Year in Latin America by the Financial Times Business magazine.
A mathematician by training, Fajardo has taught at the National University in Bogota and Medellín, and at the University of the Andes. He has also served as a visiting professor or lecturer at many institutions including the University of Colorado at Boulder, the University of Oslo in Norway, and the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. Fajardo is also an experienced journalist, and has worked as deputy director of the newspaper El Colombiano and as a print media columnist for El Mundo, El Espectador and Money Magazine. Fajardo received his M.S. and Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The New York Times featured an article on his accomplishments: "Medellín's Nonconformist Mayor Turns Blight to Beauty."
Dr. Fajardo will present "Colombia, challenges and opportunities" to Johnson School students in Sage Hall Room 141 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. He will address the Cornell community with "From Fear to Hope" in 233 Plant Science at 4:30 pm. Both talks are free and open to the public.
This lecture is part of the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs Spring 2009 Colloquium Series. It is cosponsored by the Latin American Studies Program, the Johnson Graduate School of Management, the Colombian Student Association, the Cornell Law School, and the International Programs of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
For more information about Fajardo, please go to: www.sergiofajardo.com.
