KEARNEY – Gov. Pete Ricketts is the keynote speaker for a Geography Awareness Week event at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
Ricketts will present “The Impacts of International Trade on Nebraskans: Observations from the Recent Nebraska Trade Mission to Vietnam” at 3:30 p.m. Nov. 5 in Copeland Hall Room 142. The event, sponsored by UNK’s departments of geography and political science, is free and open to the public.
Ricketts led a trade mission last month to Vietnam and Japan to promote Nebraska’s agricultural products and pitch the state as a top destination for international investment.
During the trip, the governor and other members of the delegation met with officials from the Vietnamese government and urged them to work with the U.S. to expand trade and open new markets for Nebraska’s ag products. They also hosted a business forum and dinner for representatives from Vietnamese companies, where Ricketts highlighted Nebraska’s pro-growth climate, hardworking people and central location.
Ricketts, who has participated in four trade missions to Asia in the last five years, was joined on the trip by representatives from the state departments of agriculture and economic development, University of Nebraska, Nebraska Farm Bureau, major state and national commodity organizations and ag businesses.
Geography Awareness Week was created in 1987 to encourage geographic awareness and literacy among students and the general public. As part of its observance, UNK’s Department of Geography hosts scholars and practitioners to highlight the application of geography or geographic information.
