Luis Guillermo Solis Rivera, former president of Costa Rica, will speak at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Nov. 3 as part of the university’s Spanish Teacher Symposium. 

 

Solis Rivera will speak at 10 a.m. in the theater of Windgate Art & Design, located at 535 N. Waldron Road. He will serve as keynote speaker for the symposium, which offers local educators a chance to gather, share ideas and learn new pedagogical methods.

 

The event, which is organized by the World Languages Department, runs from 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m., with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. The symposium includes breakout sessions, a campus tour, and a concert featuring the University of Arkansas Latin American Music Ensemble to end the event. 

 

Solis Rivera served as Costa Rican president from 2014-18, part of a lifetime of political, academic and administrative endeavors. He previously was an official in the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and worked closely in the formulation and negotiation of the peace process for Central America. He has also served for nearly 30 years as a professor both domestically and internationally. 

 

“The need is great, everywhere in the world, for individuals to develop a world-embracing vision,” said Dr. Mary Sobhani, head of the World Languages Department. “As part of our efforts to prepare students to succeed in an ever-changing global world, this event brings together educators, students, and community member who share a common interest and a common purpose.”

 

This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

 

Up to five hours of continuing education units can be earned at the Spanish Teachers Symposium by educators. 

 
For more information regarding the Spanish Teachers Symposium, please contact Sobhani at 479-788-7979 or Mary.Sobhani@uafs.edu. To register, visit https://class.uafs.edu/languages/spanish-teacher-symposium.