US Ambassador to Austria Victoria Reggie Kennedy delivers video message in celebration of Salzburg Global's 75th anniversary
The US Ambassador to Austria, Victoria Reggie Kennedy, delivered a video message in celebration of Salzburg Global Seminar's 75th anniversary on June 17 at the event New Forces of Leadership: Celebrating 75 Years of Salzburg Global Seminar. The following is a transcript of her address.
"Greetings and congratulations on the 75th anniversary of the Salzburg Global Seminar. Seventy-five years of challenging current and future leaders to shape a better world.
What a brilliant idea those three young Harvard graduates had when they envisioned the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies as a 'Marshall Plan of the Mind.' And what a beautiful setting for creating a place where former enemies could talk and learn from each other over all these years.
Schloss Leopoldskron has been a magnet, bringing the best and the brightest together for meaningful dialog and discussion by fostering human connection and collaboration.
Salzburg Global Seminar has tackled the great challenges facing our world. Forty thousand Fellows from at least 170 countries - your impact truly is global. As we consider the current state of the world, especially the threat to democratic values evidenced by the war in Ukraine, it has become clearer than ever that the work to defend democracy is never-ending. That complacency about the status quo is a luxury we cannot afford. Innovation and collaboration are necessary for progress.
Through your programs that are inclusive, interdisciplinary, international, and intergenerational, you truly meet your mission to be a global lab for innovation and transformation. The Salzburg Global Seminar has made an enormous positive difference in the world for 75 years, and I feel sure you'll continue to make that kind of difference in the next 75 years and beyond.
The US Embassy is proud of our long connection with the Salzburg Global Seminar, and we look forward to our continued partnership and collaboration. Congratulations and happy 75th anniversary."
