“We need leaders like you to make the intellectual case, with rigor and conviction, that the benefits of global engagement far outweigh the cost,” Joe Biden told students during his visit in September. Photo: Wayne Armstrong
Vice President Joe Biden delivered the keynote address at the 19th annual Korbel Dinner on Sept. 15. The yearly event benefits programs, scholarships and centers at the University’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies and honors individuals whose leadership and commitment embody the goals established by school founder Josef Korbel.
Biden discussed a wide variety of issues, both international and domestic, at the dinner. He said the U.S. cannot move forward in the eyes of the world without the support of the American people. “Sometimes those of us who focus on international relations and foreign policy lose sight of the need for a broad consensus among the American people for success around the world,” Biden said.
The vice president also had a message to students about the role they will play in making sure the country continues to engage with the international community. “We need leaders like you to make the intellectual case, with rigor and conviction, that the benefits of global engagement far outweigh the cost,” he said.
After addressing the audience in Magness Arena on campus, Biden spent about 15 minutes in nearby Hamilton Gymnasium, visiting with more than 200 students who had gathered there for a watch party of the vice president’s address.
The evening also honored Carrie and John Morgridge, of the Morgridge Family Foundation, as well as Kent Thiry, chairman and CEO of Denver-based DaVita HealthCare Partners.
The Morgridges were presented with the Josef Korbel Humanitarian Award for their longstanding philanthropy and the work they have done around global education, health and wellness, poverty, and the arts. The couple has supported numerous programs and initiatives at DU, including the college of education, which was renamed the Morgridge College of Education in 2007.
Thiry received the University’s International Bridge Builders Award, which recognizes a local community member for achievements in building ties between Colorado and the international community.