Bill Gates to speak on global challenges April 20 at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel

October 8, 2009

Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will discuss global challenges with students at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel, 5850 S. Woodlawn Ave., at 7:15 p.m., Tuesday, April 20, as part of a three-day university tour.

The talk, titled “Giving Back: Finding the Best Way to Make a Difference,” will include a question-and-answer period of 30 minutes or more intended primarily for students and faculty. A University ID will be required for admission to the event.

While on campus, Gates also will meet with University faculty and administrators to learn more about work being done to improve American education, in addition to University initiatives and research on poverty and global health.

Gates is visiting the University as part of a five-campus tour this spring, intended to inspire students and faculty to focus on the world’s biggest problems, including health, hunger and poverty. Gates previously visited the University in February 2008 in his role as head of Microsoft Corp., which he founded in 1975. In 2008 he left his full-time duties at Microsoft to devote his energy to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This will be Gates’ first campus tour on behalf of the foundation.

The Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life.

In addition to the University of Chicago, Gates will also be visiting Stanford University, the University of California at Berkeley, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.