Chicago newsman Tom Negovan to reflect on experience embedded with U.S. troops in Afghanistan at SXU

"Assignment Afghanistan: A Chicago Reporter's Journey to War and What He Learned There” on Thurs., Feb. 11

Chicago (Feb. 5, 2010) WGN-TV news anchor/reporter Tom Negovan will discuss his experiences while embedded with United States troops in Afghanistan at 6:30 p.m. on Thurs., Feb. 11 at the Butler Reception Room in the Warde Academic Center at Saint Xavier University’s Chicago campus, 3700 W. 103rd St.

Negovan spent time with Illinois National Guard troops in Afghanistan and reported on their lives, their patriotism and their sacrifices in the name of duty and freedom. His presentation, "Assignment Afghanistan: A Chicago Reporter's Journey to War and What He Learned There,” kicks off the 2010 Squeaky Weal Lectures Series. Negovan will focus on the difficulty of the soldiers' dual mission of befriending the local population and discovering and defeating Al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives.

The University and its Student Veterans Association will present Negovan with a University

challenge coin, an American tradition meant in this instance to signal support for a strong commitment to veterans among the nation’s higher education community.

Saint Xavier University participates in the Yellow Ribbon GI Education Enhancement Program, in which institutions of higher learning universities can enter into an agreement with U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to fund tuition expenses that exceed the highest public in-state undergraduate tuition rate for both Undergraduate and Graduate programs.

More information on the Yellow Ribbon Program at Saint Xavier University is available online or by contacting (877) 302-VETS or vets@sxu.edu.

The Squeaky Weal Lecture Series, sponsored by Saint Xavier’s Center for Religion and Public Discourse, provides occasions for thoughtful consideration of issues of public concern, with a focus on religious, moral, and/or ethical implications for the common good. More information is available online or by contacting the Center for Religion and Public Discourse at (773) 298-3981 or mareska@sxu.edu.

-SXU-

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Jay Foot, Executive Director of Media Relations

O: (773) 298-3937

C: (773) 617-3632

foot@sxu.edu