Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu Setting Sail for Entire Fall 2010 Voyage

"I have had the good fortune to be a small part of a wonderful experiment in education called Semester at Sea," said Archbishop Tutu, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984 for his work to end apartheid. "The mission of this grand experiment has been to foster greater intercultural understanding by exposing its participants—young and old, students and faculty—to people and cultures around the world while providing them with a sea-going classroom in which to study and absorb what they've seen and learned."

Tutu will board the MV Explorer, the 590-foot passenger ship that serves as Semester at Sea's campus, in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Aug. 27 and travel to Cadiz, Spain; Casablanca, Morocco; Takoradi, Ghana; Cape Town, South Africa; Port Louis, Mauritius; Chennai, India; Singapore; Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam; Hong Kong / Shanghai, China; Yokohama / Kobe, Japan; and Honolulu / Hilo, Hawaii before returning to San Diego, Calif. on Dec. 13.

During his more than 100-day journey, Tutu will lecture in the requisite Global Studies course, facilitate a reflection and discussion session after the community's call on South Africa, and introduce the inaugural Distinguished Chair in Global Understanding, Judith A. Mayotte, Ph.D., a colleague and long-time acquaintance of Tutu.

"Given the critical role South Africa has played for years as an important destination on Semester at Seas' voyages of discovery, having Nobel Laureate Tutu onboard the fall voyage represents an unparalleled opportunity for our participants," said Les McCabe, president of the 501(c)(3) non-profit Institute for Shipboard Education (ISE), which administers the Semester at Sea program.

Archbishop Tutu has participated in the Semester at Sea program on numerous occasions in the past. He sailed on the entire spring 2007 voyage, partial voyages in both 1984 and 2005, and met with SAS students in Cape Town on other occasions. This will be the second time he has participated in an entire voyage. He is a member of the ISE/SAS Board of Trustees.

Stay connected with the Fall 2010 voyage and the activities of Archbishop via the Current Voyage website, which will include reports, photos, videos, podcasts, slideshows, and social media.