“Democratic Poland: 25 Years After the Fall of Communism”
Tuesday, October 28th at 5:30 p.m.
Jordan Auditorium, Mendoza College of Business
The lecture is free and open to the public.
The Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame is honored to welcome Hanna Suchocka as the 2014 Nanovic Forum lecturer. Hanna Suchocka became the first female Prime Minister of Poland in 1992 during the presidency of Lech Wałęsa. She subsequently served as the Ambassador of Poland to the Holy See. In addition to her appearance at the Notre Dame campus, Suchocka will also participate in a luncheon and lecture hosted by the Nanovic Institute at Notre Dame’s Chicago Commons in downtown Chicago later in the week.
About Hanna Suchocka
Born in Pleszew, Suchocka studied constitutional law at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. She taught at the Catholic University of Lublin before joining the Polish parliament as a member of the Democratic Party in 1980. After voting against a law banning Solidarność, she was expelled from the party. Suchocka was elected to the post-Communist parliament in 1989 and 1991. In 1992, she was asked to serve as Prime Minister because of her reputation for transcending political divides. As Prime Minister, she encouraged and instituted reforms that helped shape Poland’s economic transition to capitalism. She left office in 1993, and was later appointed the Minister of Justice under Prime Minister Jerzy Buzek. She spent over a decade in Rome serving as Ambassador to the Holy See during the papacies of Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis. She received the Jean Monnet Foundation’s Gold Medal for her work in human rights advocacy and today she serves as a member of the Council of Women World Leaders. In addition to visiting Chicago, Prime Minister Suchocka will be on Notre Dame’s campus to lecture, address an undergraduate class, and meet with a variety of students, faculty members, and leaders.
The Nanovic Forum
The Nanovic Institute for European Studies established the Nanovic Forum through the generosity of Robert and Elizabeth Nanovic to deepen Notre Dame’s rich tradition of connections to Europe by bringing prominent figures to campus in a wide range of fields to explore, discuss, and debate the most pressing questions about Europe today. Past speakers have included Lord Patten of Barnes, Chancellor of the University of Oxford; Horst Koehler, former president of Germany; Bernhard Schlink, a German novelist and constitutional court justice; and Dr. Wolfgang A. Herrmann, president of the Technical University of Munich.
Related Links
View Past Nanovic Forum Lectures
“Her Year of Living Dangerously.” New York Times Magazine. Published September 12, 1993.
“Essay; The Polish Thatcher.” New York Times. Published June 10, 1993.