Robinson Professor Tapped to Help Bring FTAA to Atlanta

May 6, 2003 (ATLANTA) - David Bruce, professor of International Business at the Robinson College of Business, has been appointed by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue to the Advisory Council of Hemisphere Inc. The new nonprofit is comprised of business, diplomatic, governmental and academic leaders. The group's main focus is to bring the secretariat of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) to Atlanta. One of the country's leading experts on Latin America and the chairman of the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce of Georgia, Bruce attended a summit on the FTAA in Quito last November. His activities in Latin America include extensive research in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. Additionally, he has served as a lecturer for the United States Information Agency in Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Venezuela, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Bruce has also been honored as a Knight of the Order of May by the Argentine Government. The proposed free-trade area would include 34 countries stretching from Canada to Chile, excluding Cuba. Approval for the FTAA will be voted on in 2005. Atlanta, Miami, Mexico City, Panama City, Panama and Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago are competing to house the organization's headquarters. ____________________________________ >> Watch video clips of Dr. David Bruce talking about Latin America The J. Mack Robinson College of Business is one of the nation's top business schools.  The College's Flex (part-time) MBA program has been listed in the top ten by U.S. News for the past eight years.  Business Week magazine ranked the College's Executive MBA program 20th  in the world and Forbes rated Robinson in the top 20 for return on investment for regional schools.  Success Magazine ranks the College's entrepreneurship program among the top 50 in the nation.  Georgia State University's Robinson College of Business has an enrollment of more than 8000 students and is located in downtown Atlanta.    For more information, contact: Tammy Demel Associate Director, Communications and External Affairs J. Mack Robinson College of Business Robinson College of Business 404/413-7078 404/702-9743 (cell) tdemel@gsu.edu