Former Secretary of Defense Cohen to be awarded prestigious GVSU fellowship

Former Secretary of Defense William Cohen will be presented with one of Grand Valley State University’s highest honors following his presentation to the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan on January 19.

Cohen will be awarded the Col. Ralph W. Hauenstein Fellowship by Grand Valley President Thomas Haas and Hauenstein Center director Gleaves Whitney. The fellowship is one of the university’s most prestigious awards, and is periodically awarded to a distinguished public servant whose achievements are consistent with the ethical leadership and public service of Col. Ralph W. Hauenstein, the namesake of the university’s center for presidential studies. 

The award has previously been given to Secretary of State James Baker, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft and President Gerald R. Ford, posthumously. 

“A Conversation with William Cohen” and Hauenstein Center presentation of the Col. Ralph W. Hauenstein Fellowship

Hosted by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan

Monday, January 19

Ambassador Ballroom, Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Grand Rapids

11:30 a.m. networking, noon-1:45 p.m. program and presentation

Cohen served as the U.S. Secretary of Defense under President Bill Clinton from 1997-2001 as part of a 31-year career in public service. He currently serves as the principal in The Cohen Group, a consulting firm with corporate clients around the world. He serves as the chair of the Board of Directors of the Council on Foreign Relations and has chaired and served on several other study groups and committees at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the School for Advanced International Studies and the Brookings Institute.

For more information, visit www.worldmichigan.org.