Romano Prodi, former prime minister of Italy, has been appointed professor-at-large at the Watson Institute for International Studies, the Corporation confirmed in a press release last Friday. His five-year term will begin this spring.
As professor-at-large, Prodi, who is currently president of the Foundation for Worldwide Cooperation and chairman of the United Nations-African Union Panel for Peacekeeping in Africa, will spend several weeks each year delivering lectures, working with students and partaking in events and research discussions at the institute, according to the press release.
During his time in politics, Prodi founded the Ulivo, the Italian center-left coalition, in 1995. He also served two terms as prime minister of Italy - once from 1996 to 1998, and again from 2006 to 2008 - and was president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2005. While president, he oversaw the introduction of the euro and the addition of 10 countries to the
European Union.
In addition to holding numerous research and teaching positions at prestigious universities worldwide, he has also been awarded many honorary degrees, including a Doctor of Laws degree from Brown in 1999.
Other international luminaries currently serving appointments at Watson include Professor-at-Large Richard Holbrooke '62 - a recently appointed special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan who previously served as U.S. ambassador to the U.N. and to Germany under President Clinton - former President of the Republic of Chile Ricardo Lagos Escobar. also a professor-at-large, and former Chancellor of Austria Alfred Gusenbauer was appointed to a visiting professorship last month.
