Jim Thompson, the director of the U.S. State Department’s Global Partnership Center, spoke on March 2nd about the importance of public-private partnerships in revolutionizing the way public aid is administered. As a veteran of many different US public aid initiatives, Mr. Thompson engaged the audience directly and spoke fluently on recent developments at the agency and the course of public aid in the years to come.
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On February 26th, 2009, Professors Kuehlwein, Chincarini and Cutter of the Pomona Economics Department shared their insights on what the stimulus package passed by Congress contained and what its consequences might be. Students participated in the discussion and a detailed handout was circulated.
On February 25th, 2009, a panel of three speakers discussed the role that technological innovation in their own fields plays a role in bringing development to underserved parts of the globe. Speakers included:
Dr. Andy Lux, VP of Worldwide Operations and R&D at WaterHealth International, Inc. Dr. Cynthia Selassie, Associate Dean of Pomona College and Professor in the Pomona College Chemistry Department Dr. Samir Chatterjee, Professor at the School of Information Systems and Technology at CGU A panel in Edmunds Ballroom on February 17th consisting of Mark Hanis, director of the Genocide Intervention Network, Jeannette Ndhlovu, South African Consul-General, and Michael Bazyler, a prominent Holocaust and human rights scholar, discussed humanitarian crises in nations from Sudan to Zimbabwe to Burma and the future of human rights in a globalized world. Mark Hanis described in detail the growing influence of non-state actors–from NGO’s to individual activists–in promoting human rights in the U.S., and Michael Bazyler criticized the international community, from China to South Africa, for failing to intervene in crises in nations such as Zimbabwe. For her part, Jeannette Ndhlovu discussed her personal experiences in representing South Africa at the UN and the “culture of impunity” surrounding human rights abuses by powerful nations such as China and the U.S. Five questions were posed to the panel, followed by a audience questions.
In front of 200 people in Edmunds Ballroom on February 12th, 2009, former ACLU President Nadine Strossen and prominent legal scholar and critical race theorist Mari Matsuda discussed the tension between free speech and hate speech, addressing the issues presented by inflammatory statements and those who call for creating a safer environment for targets. The two scholars drew nuanced and careful distinctions between speech that should be protected and speech that targets individuals or racial groups that should be removed from the public discourse.
How does the West ‘view’ China? As a threat? An ally? A competitor? A faceless mob or the new horizon? The media and conventional wisdom relay these and other often contradictory images/identities of China. This event sought to explore these representations and analyze their effects on the future. The event examined the historical representations of China in the West and traced it right up to the 2008 Olympics. Topics also included national Chinese identity/ethnicity, Tibet, and Chinese-Americans. Professors Angelina Chin (Pomona – History), Dru Gladney (Director of PBI & Anthropology), and Emily Chao (Pitzer – Anthropology) discussed these issues in front of 50 people in Frank Blue Room on December 8th.
Economics Professors Slavi Slavov and Stephen Marks joined students for a snackussion on the impact of the current economic crisis on emerging markets.
A November 18th snackussion with Professor Ken Wolf discussed several short pieces shown on Youtube that depict the Islamic community under a negative light and their broader impact. It included a discussion of the DVD “Obsession: Radical Islam’s War against the West” and also several other shorts.
On November 18th in Rose Hills, professors from a wide range of disciplines shared their thoughts on what the economic crisis meant for the country. While an economic lens contributed a share of the discussion, we wanted to expand our analysis by discussing the significance of this historical moment and the diverse social and political issues that are embedded within it. Professors Darryl Smith, Stephen Erickson, Cecilia Conrad, Char Miller, Christopher Clement, and Rick Hazlett each brought a different perspective to a enlightening discussion.
Paul Menzel, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Philosophy at Pacific Lutheran University, spoke on November 11th, 2008, about the moral and economic challenges of providing health care in America during the transition from the Bush to the Obama administration. Touching on a number of important questions that both Republican and Democratic plans must answer, Prof. Menzel offered insight into what the next few years may hold in store for American health care.
During his visit on campus, Prof. Menzel also visited two classes: Professor Seligman’s Critical Inquiry Seminar as well as Professors Eleanor Brown and Michael Green’s “Health, Markets, and Wellbeing” course. Furthermore, he gave a lunch seminar for the Philosophy Department. |
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