UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA) and Penn State Law in University Park are co-hosting a panel of experts to discuss Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine. The event takes place noon to 1:30 p.m. Friday, March 4 in the Katz Auditorium, Lewis Katz Building, and livestreamed via Zoom. A question-and-answer session will follow the panelists’ discussion.

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is required for virtual attendance. Visit the event page online for more information.

Expert panelists include:

• Vice Admiral (Ret.) James W. Houck, JAG Corps, U.S. Navy, interim dean of Penn State Law in University Park and the School of International Affairs. Houck is a former judge advocate general of the Navy and an expert in national security law, international law, and law of armed conflict;
• The Honorable Mary Beth Long, SIA professor of practice and former assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Long served as chair of NATO’s High Level Group, responsible for NATO’s nuclear policy;
• Rick Roush, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences. Roush is stewarding a 30-year Penn State-Ukraine partnership in research, training, and education;
• Catherine Wanner, professor of history, anthropology, and religious studies at Penn State, and an area expert on Ukraine and Russia.

The panel event takes a cue from President Barron’s message to the Penn State community on the conflict in Ukraine, in which he wrote that “As a community of higher learning, and as citizens of the world, we have the opportunity to learn from and explore this troubling time together. In the coming days and weeks, Penn Staters from all backgrounds are encouraged to engage in conversations with their peers, mentors and faculty.”