PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2006

Savannah Council on World Affairs

January 25, 2007

 

 

            The mission statement of the Savannah Council on World Affairs is simply stated but broad in scope:  It is to “foster individual awareness of, broaden community interest in, and promote the study of international issues, and to work with other organizations concerned with similar objectives.”  Our efforts during 2006 were guided by those aims.

 

            Our primary effort has been the presentation of programs, open to the public, in which a range of international issues have been addressed by knowledgeable speakers.  Because of its importance currently and in the future, the Middle East was the subject of three programs. We also heard presentations on Russia, Africa, both Koreas and the partnership between the United States and Great Britain.  Other speakers and panelists examined broader policy issues: the nuclear threat, expanding freedom and democracy, and we heard a clarion call for the development of new strategy options in U. S. foreign policy.  Our programs thus addressed crucial policy issues as well as specific countries or areas of the world that we need to know more about.  Some of our speakers were recommended or provided through our affiliation with the World Affairs Councils of America.

 

            We could not present such programs without the substantial support of several generous sponsors, and we acknowledge and appreciate the financial assistance we have received this past year from Chatham Steel, the Georgia Ports Authority, the Eliza Thompson House, JCB, Inc., Memorial Health University Medical Center, the Savannah Morning News, the Solomons Family, Ron Josey of Sterne Agee on Skidaway Island, SunTrust Bank, Wachovia Bank, and an anonymous donor.

 

            If you have attended previous programs, you know that I like to recognize high school and university students in the audience.  Granted, their teachers strongly encourage them to come and may even offer the incentive of bonus credit, but we believe that tomorrow’s leaders and citizens must be aware of international issues, and that our programs contribute to that aspect of their education.  Continuing what we have done in the past, we sponsored Junior Councils in several public and private high schools, and used a designated grant from the Foreign Policy Association to provide its Great Decisions books for select courses at Armstrong Atlantic and Savannah State Universities.  We encouraged high school students to research a relevant global topic by conducting an essay contest and awarded prizes of $500, $200, and $100 to the top three places, as judged by a committee of our Directors.  In addition, we provided funds for a local team from several high schools to take part in the national WorldQuest competition held in Washington, DC.  We shared one of our speakers with Savannah State University last year and have already been in contact with other organizations about jointly sponsoring programs this year.

 

            None of these efforts could have taken place without our dedicated and hard-working Board of Directors.  I believe you will agree that these programs and activities conform to our mission statement and that we are working on your behalf.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

George B. Pruden, President