When the University announced that the fall 2001 semester would be dedicated to the study of human rights, September 11 was just another square on the calendar. With the start of a new academic year, UConn was introducing a semester-long series of programs to advance a cause already woven deeply into its culture.

In the aftermath of September 11, however, every human rights lecture and conference redoubled in relevance. All 60 events, attended by some 11,000 members of the University community and visitors from the U.S. and abroad, examined issues that seemed more pivotal than ever before.

They included the UConn-African National Congress Partnership's second annual comparative human rights conference as well as a roster of lectures as diverse as the people who led them. The HIV/ AIDS crisis, the Holocaust, capital punishment, racial profiling, Middle East issues, and equality in access to health care were just a few of the vetted issues. Speakers ranged from scientists to ethicists, from attorneys, dignitaries and scholars to peace activists, each with original insights on problems often mired in misconception.

Rhoda Howard-Hassmann, the Gladstein Visiting Professor in Human Rights, examined why human rights is perceived as a western-styled threat in certain nations. Xiao Qiang, a former doctoral student who returned to China in the wake of the Tiananmen Square demonstration, spoke alongside noted Israeli peace activist and government professor Galia Golan.

Naledi Pandor, chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, South African Parliament, discussed why equal access to education must be a key component of human rights. The personal testimony of anti-apartheid activist Lionel Basil Davis resonated with both young and more mature audience members.

The semester culminated in one of the greatest honors ever bestowed on the University -- the first and only UNESCO chair in human rights in the United States. Amii Omara-Otunnu, UConn history professor, was named the first chair holder. Already spearheading UConn's partnership with the ANC, Omara-Otunno's credentials were considered preeminent.

As President Philip E. Austin remarked, the chair is "a mark of distinction for the University as a whole." It says that the University is fully committed to an issue staked on humanity's highest aspirations -- reaching across borders, languages and recent history.