For the past several decades, the Southern Center has been dedicated to creating public programs, conferences and television productions with a goal to promote awareness and understanding of other countries, international issues and the global environment. Its programs have brought national and world leaders to Atlanta, contributing greatly to its prestige as an international city.
Participants from the left: Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense from 1975 to1977 under President Ford, and from 2001 to 2006 under President Bush; Frank Carlucci, Secretary of Defense from 1987 to 1989 under President Reagan; Moderator David Gergen, Senior Political Analyst for CNN; James Schlesinger, Secretary of Defense from 1973 to 1975 under Presidents Nixon & Ford; and Richard Cheney, Secretary of Defense, 1989 to 1993 under President Bush.
Recent Programs
In April 2013, the Southern Center held its 16th Conference with Former Secretaries of Defense that took place at The Robert Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. The panelists discussed the most pressing security issues in the United States and the world.