UK Undersecretary of State Visits U of S
As part of the first UK parliamentary minister visit in Saskatchewan, MP Alistair Burt visited the University of Saskatchewan to have a round table discussion with students and faculty in the Roy Romanow Room on May 24th 2013.
Burt is the current Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs Office of the United Kingdom. Educated at Bury Grammar School, he went on to St. John’s College Oxford before entering British Parliament in 1983. He is now the Conservative MP for northeast Bedfordshire.
Accompanied by Consul-General Tony Kay and his consular team from the UK Consulate-General to Canada in Calgary, Burt’s visit to Saskatchewan focused on the Canadian and United Kingdom partnership involving global security, economics, and culture. He also mentioned where the UK-Saskatchewan relationship is heading in the future.
Brandon Ziola, a SEIDO Student Officer Student charged with helping organize the foreign delegation’s campus visit, was thrilled at the chance to host such a high-level dignitary. He worked closely with Harley Dickinson, the university’s Strategic Advisor, International, and Dickinson’s International Office staff to ensure a smooth day of activities and meetings for the British foreign government guests. Ziola also planned a student lecture with Burt as guest speaker. “He gave examples of the impact that past events had on the international system,” says Ziola. “His predictions of the future ramifications of these events was impressively accurate.”
The lecture allowed Burt to speak for scores of students eager to learn more about Canada-British commercial relations. Ziola added, “Minister Burt's speech was an impressive analysis of how important global politics and business are to any government, but especially to a major international player such as the United Kingdom. It was a genuine pleasure to welcome him to the University of Saskatchewan, as well as to hear him share his insights with students and faculty.”
* Please note this article has been updated to reflect the new name change of the “Saskatchewan Economic & International Development Officer Program” (“SEIDO”), from its former program name as the “Saskatchewan International Trade Officer Program” (“SITO”).
The Saskatchewan Economic & International Development Officer Program (SEIDO) allows university/college and high schools throughout Saskatchewan the opportunity build global business knowledge, related skills development, and training opportunities for a career in global business, international trade and development. For more information, please contact Nicholas Kokkastamapoulos (SEIDO Program Coordinator) at the Haultain Institute for Global Business Studies at nick.kokkas@seidoprogram.org or nkokkas@haultaininstitute.org or by telephone at (306) 715-2260. Thank you.
