Improving the U.S. Intelligence Community - Lessons from Iraq, Libya, and Elsewhere

Former President of MIT Charles M. Vest will deliver the Harry A. and Margaret D. Towsley Foundation lecture October 12, at 3:30 p.m. in the Michigan Ballroom. The lecture is titled 'Improving the U.S. Intelligence Community – Lessons from Iraq, Libya, and Elsewhere.' The talk is part of Dr. Vest's visit to the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where he is the Towsley Policymaker in Residence.

The Towsley Policymaker in Residence program at the Ford School brings a policymaker to campus for an extended period of time to teach, write, and talk with faculty and students. As part of the fall 2005 Towsley Policymaker Program, Dr. Vest will teach a mini-course on the impact of the September 11 th attacks on U.S. science policy.

Dr. Vest served as a member of the Robb-Silberman Commission on Intelligence and Weapons of Mass Destruction. That commission was appointed by President Bush in February 2004 to examine the capabilities and challenges of the United States intelligence community to collect and process information concerning the activities of foreign powers and their potential for the use of weapons of mass destruction. The commission presented its final report to the President on March 31, 2005.

Dr. Vest was the President of M.I.T. for 14 years, retiring in 2004. He was the Dean of Engineering at U-M from 1986 until 1989, and also served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at U-M from January 1989 until August 1990.

The October 12 lecture is co-sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) at U-M. The talk is free and open to the public.

• Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence
• Charles Vest