After 100 years of opening the doors of opportunity for residents of the Paso del Norte region and serving as a model for educational innovation and cultural exchange, The University of Texas at El Paso begins our second 100 years as a recognized leader in redefining higher education for a 21st century student demographic. The University’s Centennial Lecture Series invites noteworthy speakers to the UTEP campus to share their perspectives on a broad range of contemporary issues that are likely to impact our society, culture, and lives in the years ahead. We invite you to join us in exploring important and timely topics and expanding our thinking about how they may help shape UTEP’s next 100 years.
Stephen A. Briganti is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, the most successful public/private partnership in the history of the United States. The Foundation raised nearly $700 million from the private sector – corporate America, national civic organizations and ordinary citizens – to restore our nation’s two most important monuments, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and to build a museum at Ellis Island, the fourth largest museum in New York City.
In addition to his construction and fundraising activities, Briganti created the American Immigrant Wall of Honor program as a way of paying tribute to the brave men and women who built America. To date, over 700,000 names have been enrolled, making it the largest wall of names in the world. The Foundation recently opened a new museum for Ellis Island which tells the story of all American immigration including current arrivals. The name of the museum has changed to the National Museum of Immigration.
In recent years Briganti has served as a consultant to the late Dr. Armand Hammer, the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC, the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations, the Motown Museum in Detroit, the Civil War Trust, the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian and the American Battle Monuments Commission for the development of the World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington. He served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Butler University from 1998 – 2001 and served as a member of the board from 1992 to 2008.
Born in New York City, Briganti was raised in Indiana. He graduated from Butler University with a degree in history and political science and in 1991 was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University. In 1982 he attended the Harvard University Graduate School of Business’ Executive Training Program. He was also named “Person of the Week” by ABC World News Tonight and received the Friend of History Award from the Order of American Historians.
Briganti has traveled to more than 35 countries worldwide and is an avid sports fan and reader. He currently resides in New York City.
