NEW YORK (ABP) — Thomas Corts, executive director of the International Association of Baptist Colleges and Universities and former president of Samford University, has been named to a new position related to President Bush's international education initiatives.
Corts will be responsible for coordinating U.S. foreign aid efforts to support education around the world. The initiatives include a five-year plan to provide education to 4 million children in six countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, Liberia, Mali and Yemen.
Laura Bush announced the appointment Sept. 24 in New York at a luncheon on global health and literacy.
In her remarks, Laura Bush highlighted concern for the education of girls, the need for literacy and the need for improved health and nutrition among the world's children. She said Corts brings a strong background to his new job.
“Dr. Corts has had a distinguished education career in the United States,” she said. “He brings to his new job extraordinary compassion and skill.”
The links between health, education, literacy and quality of life mean the job has real potential to make a difference, Corts, 65, said. He will be coordinating the nearly $1 billion spent annually by the U.S. for education programs in various developing countries.
“This initiative has a lot of consequences for global peace and prosperity,” he said.
The foreign aid education programs are administered through the U.S. Agency for International Development and coordinated with the State Department, the Department of Education, and other agencies.
Corts and his wife, Marla, will move from Birmingham, Ala., to the Washington area, where he will work out of the USAID offices downtown. He said he would be serving at the pleasure of the President, which likely means his term would not extend beyond that of President Bush.
Corts was elected executive director of IABCU in June. He will leave the post Sept. 30.
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