The Vietnam War: 50 Years On SEPTEMBER 8-9, 2015 • JAMES A. BAKER III HALL, RICE UNIVERSITY ABOUT THE EVENT

“The Vietnam War: 50 Years On,” a special event co- hosted by the Baker Institute’s young professionals groups and the Rice Veterans in Business Association (VIBA) at the Jones Graduate School of Business, will commemorate one of the most controversial periods in U.S. history. On September 9, four critically acclaimed writers — Philip Caputo, Larry Heinemann, Tim O’Brien, and Tobias Wolff — will participate in a panel discussion at the institute, using literature as a lens to examine the war’s legacy. All four served in Vietnam in the infantry or Special Forces before launching their literary careers. The authors will discuss not only the effect of the war on their writing, but also its relevance in the post-9/11 era The Honorable James A. Baker, III, reflected on his public service and the human cost of policy decisions. under three U.S. presidents and the founding of the Baker Institute at an exclusive Roundtable Young Professionals event.

In addition to the panel discussion, the authors will visit campus for two days, talking informally with members of the institute’s young professionals groups — the Emerging Leaders and Associate Roundtable — and with military veterans enrolled at Rice University. The Baker Institute will host a 5:00 p.m. reception for the authors prior to the 6:00 p.m. panel discussion on September 9. A brief book-signing session will follow.

While the special event observes the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, it is also intended to spotlight the growing presence of veterans at Rice University. Many of these students have found leadership mentors in former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, and Baker Institute director Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian, both military veterans themselves.

Membership in the Baker Institute’s Emerging Leaders and Associate Roundtable has grown significantly in the past year. A number of new members are recent veterans who have undertaken leadership roles in the young professionals groups and the community.

Military veterans attending Rice’s Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Business have similarly spearheaded an initiative to make the school the most “veteran friendly” top 25 business school in the U.S. Because of such efforts, veterans now represent more than 12 percent of the Jones Members of VIBA with Brig. Gen. Pete Dawkins, Army (Ret.) School’s student body, the highest percentage in the country. In 2012, the Jones School under Dean Bill Glick established the Military Scholars Program, which offers the most generous scholarships for veterans in the country. The school has also brought nationally known Vietnam veterans to Rice University to discuss their experiences and how it shaped their lives. Speakers have included former governor Tom Ridge, authors William Broyles and Karl Marlantes, and Brig. Gen. Pete Dawkins. FEATURED SPEAKERS

Philip Caputo has written 15 books, including the recent New York Times bestseller “The Longest Road.” Born in Chicago, Caputo attended Loyola University. After his service in the military, he worked as a journalist for 10 years and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 while at the Chicago Tribune. His memoir, “A Rumor of War,” has been published in 15 languages and sold over two million copies. He is the author of eight novels, including “Horn of Africa,” which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and the recent bestselling “Acts of Faith.” Caputo has also worked as a screenwriter, lectured at universities and published dozens of major magazine articles, reviews and op-ed pieces in publications such as The New York Times and the Washington Post.

Larry Heinemann is an American novelist whose writing is closely identified with the Vietnam War. Two of his major works, “Close Quarters” and “Paco’s Story,” draw on his combat experiences while on tour in Vietnam. “Paco’s Story,” about the sole American survivor of a horrific Viet Cong attack, won the National Book Award for fiction in 1987. Heinemann is also the author of the well-received “Black Virgin Mountain” (2005) and “Cooler by the Lake” (1992). Heinemann’s short stories and nonfiction have appeared in publications including Atlantic Monthly and Harper’s, and he is the recipient of fellowships and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Fulbright Scholarship Program, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Tim O’Brien received the 1979 National Book Award in fiction for his novel “Going After Cacciato,” which follows an AWOL soldier’s journey as he walks from Vietnam to France. In 1994, Time Magazine chose O’Brien’s “In the Lake of the Woods” as the best novel of the year. In 2005, The New York Times named O’Brien’s “The Things They Carried” one of the 22 best books of the last quarter century. The American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2010 presented O’Brien with Katherine Anne Porter Award for a distinguished lifetime body of work. In 2013, he received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Pritzker Military Library. O’Brien’s novels have sold more than 3.5 million copies and have been translated into over 20 languages.

Tobias Wolff’s books include the memoirs “This Boy’s Life” and “In Pharaoh’s Army: Memories of the Lost War”; the novels “The Barracks Thief” and “Old School”; and four collections of short stories including, most recently, “Our Story Begins: New and Selected Stories.” His work has received numerous honors, including the PEN/Faulkner Award, The Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the PEN/Malamud and the Rea Award, and the Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work appears regularly in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Harper’s, and other magazines and literary journals. Wolff lives in California, where he is a professor at Stanford University.