Noted scholar and diplomat currently serves as Polish Ambassador to the U.S.

Piotr Wilczek, Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the United States, will be the 2017 afternoon commencement speaker for Cleveland State University. Wilczek is a noted author, literary translator and expert in comparative literature who has also earned significant notice for his efforts to enhance cultural understanding and educational exchange between Poland and the United States.

“Piotr Wilczek is a leading public intellectual and dedicated international activist who has spent his academic and diplomatic career working to improve relations between the United States and Poland,” says Ronald M. Berkman, President of CSU. “We are honored to have him serve as our 2017 commencement speaker.”

Wilczek, who was appointed Ambassador in 2016 by the President of Poland, has authored or edited 22 books and is considered one of the foremost international experts on Polish literature and culture. Prior to being named Ambassador, he served as professor and director of the doctoral studies program in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Warsaw and previously served as head of the College. He was also an active member of the Warsaw-based non-partisan American Study Group at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, and served as representative in Poland of the New York-based Kosciuszko Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educational, cultural, and artistic exchange between the United States and Poland.

Wilczek served as a visiting professor in CSU’s Polish Studies program in 2012 and has also held visiting faculty appointments at Rice University, the University of Illinois and Boston College.

Cleveland State’s 2017 spring commencement ceremonies will be held Saturday, May 13 at the Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Center on the CSU campus.

###