Student audience during Ambassador Tony Hall lecture
On February 24, 2023, the Utah International Mountain Forum (UIMF), a coalition of student clubs at UVU, hosted former Ambassador Tony P. Hall in their second American Founding Lecture. The event was co-hosted by the UVU History and Political Science Department and the Gary Herbert Institute for Public Policy. The event was live streamed via Facebook through the UIMF’s page. The American Founding Lecture was designed, organized, and hosted through the UVU-developed Student-engaged Learning model or SEL. SEL challenges students to work inclusively as a group to address real-world problems with faculty serving mentors. The model is an inexpensive tool which can be used at any academic institution worldwide.
Ambassador Tony Hall during his lecture before UVU students
Through the application of SEL, I was the primary contact with Ambassador Hall. To make the event a success, I gathered student questions, wrote the bio to introduce Ambassador Hall, created a guiding script, and moderated the event. President of the UVU Foreign Affairs Club and UIMF member Alitha Thompson designed the poster, created the Zoom link, and coordinated sending Ambassador Hall a gift in appreciation.
Interviewing Ambassador Hall was highly informative and an excellent educational opportunity. Ambassador Tony Hall was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1979. He represented Ohio’s Third Congressional District during twelve successive two-year terms from 1979-2002. Mr. Hall was a founding member of the House Select Committee on Hunger. He served as the committee’s Chairman from 1989 to 1993 when it was abolished. In response, Mr. Hall fasted for 22 days to bring awareness to domestic and global hunger. He made frequent trips to more than 100 countries where hunger was widespread such as Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Sudan, and North Korea. Mr. Hall served as a U.S. Ambassador to the UN Agencies in Rome, including the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Food Programme, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. Lastly, Mr. Hall was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for 1998, 1999, and 2001 for his humanitarian and hunger-related work.
Natalie Williams moderates the event
In Ambassador Hall’s speech, he expressed appreciation for the kind introduction I wrote and the honor to speak to our UVU students. From the beginning, Ambassador Hall emphasized the impact his family heritage, specifically the influence of his father, had on his career. His father urged him to always admit when he did not know something but to strive to follow up with an answer. Ambassador Hall’s religion is a personal motivating factor to his interest in helping the poor, the sick, the hungry, and the less fortunate. He recalled the powerful impression Mother Teresa left on him which led to his conviction to “do the thing that is in front of you.” Ambassador Hall stressed that we have the tools to solve world hunger, but setbacks such as COVID and a lack of commitment from our political leaders prevents us from doing so.
Alitha Thompson, President of UIMF asks question during the lecture
Many students of Professor Baktybek Abdrisaev POLS 1000 American Heritage class were able to ask Ambassador Hall questions about his experience as a Congress member and an Ambassador, his work in fighting global hunger, and his family history--including myself, Janessa Purcell, Stephan Atkinson, Margaret Wright, Alitha Thompson, Olivia Ellis, and Kea Graham. In all, students submitted over 25 questions.
UVU student Stephan Atkinson asks question during the lecture
Margaret asked about Ambassador’s Hall experience fasting and its results. He shared that fasting helped him learn what it means to be hungry and resulted in the World Bank committing $100 million to his fast which went to providing women microcredit around the world. The money has now accumulated to half a billion dollars. I asked how peace and justice studies concepts could be introduced into Congress to promote reconciliation and bipartisanship. Ambassador Hall was enthused with the idea and encouraged me to make it happen. Alitha asked how we can bring Congress’s attention to the hungry in the U.S. and help moms who struggle to feed their children. Ambassador Hall recommended banding together with other moms to demand their representatives listen and stressed that representatives require our vote to stay in office. He also mentioned that almost all representatives, Republicans and Democrats, are good people who want to listen and lamented that the media instead chooses to focus on more divisive and sensational representatives.
UVU student Janessa - Michelle Purcell asks question during the lecture
At the end, I thanked our guest and offered to send him a gift of appreciation for his time. Overall, this experience was pivotal for my career development and professional interests. Ambassador Hall’s work in humanitarian aid and fighting global hunger is truly inspiring. His advice was empowering and furthered my conviction that addressing these injustices and systemic issues is one of the most important paths a peace and justice student like me could follow. I feel confident that other students on the call felt similarly.
Natalie Williams, Utah Valley University Peace and Justice student, UIMF member
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STUDENT REFLECTIVE ESSAYS
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23-02-20-Stephan Atkinson-Meeting and Chatting with Ambassador Tony Hall
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