A capacity crowd filled Baker Hall in the Zoellner Arts Center on Oct. 24 for the inaugural Compelling Perspectives program featuring The Rt. Hon. Theresa May, MP, prime minister of the United Kingdom from 2016 to 2019.
Hosted by President Joseph J. Helble '82 and presented by Lehigh University, Compelling Perspectives is a new program that aims to create a forum for fostering respectful discourse among differing perspectives on issues of critical and societal importance. The topic for the 2023-2024 academic year is national security.
Mrs. May served as prime minister (the second female in history in the U.K. to hold the position) and leader of the Conservative Party, during an extraordinary time in global affairs. She is currently the Member of Parliament for Maidenhead, a position she's held for more than two decades.
May began her political career stuffing envelopes at her local Conservative Association and her extensive political tenure of more than two decades has included roles such as Home Secretary, where she achieved notable reductions in crime and introduced key legislation like the Modern Slavery Act. As prime minister, she led negotiations during the historic Brexit referendum, implemented substantial boosts to the National Health Service and spearheaded initiatives addressing mental health services and environmental sustainability.
Prior to the main program, Mrs. May met with a group of 34 students nominated by their advisors for a private question-and-answer session. Students in attendance were members of various campus groups, including the U.N. Partnership, College Republicans, College Democrats, Student Senate Executive Board, Douglass Dialogues, and journalism and communications, political science and international relations academic departments.