International Studies speaker April 11

Fitchburg State University will welcome Ambassador Adrian A. Basora – national security strategic and scenario planner, scholar and business leader – to deliver the address at the International and Conflict Studies Keynote Speaker Series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 11, at the Ellis White Lecture Hall in Hammond Hall, 160 Pearl St.

Basoram, pictured, will discuss “the challenges for post-communist democracies surviving a continued Euro-crisis.” Basora is a senior fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and director of its Project on Democratic Transitions. He served in diplomatic posts in the Czech Republic, Spain and France and was also a member of the National Security Council in Washington, D.C., where he shaped the U.S. response to the fall of the Berlin Wall and the first Gulf War.

Prof. Joshua Spero (Economics, History and Political Science), coordinator of the International Studies Minor Program, will introduce the ambassador and moderate the discussion.

“Ambassador Basora offers a unique perspective to our university and greater Fitchburg community on international diplomacy and the great challenges facing the emerging European democracies still transitioning from the post-Communist era and now experiencing the daunting upheaval of the Euro-crisis,” Spero said.

Basora is a recognized expert on political, economic and social transitions of Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union since the fall of communism. He is a trustee of the International Research and Exchanges Board and a director of the National Futures Exchange, and was also independent director of the Quaker Investment Trust and chairman of its audit committee.

Among his diplomatic posts, Basora served as the U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic from 1992 to 1995, where he received the Presidential Performance Award for his overall achievements in Prague and he was director of European Affairs for the National Security Council from 1989 to 1991.

His presentation, free and open to the public, is supported by the Office of Academic Affairs and sponsored and hosted by the university’s International Studies Minor. It is co-sponsored by the Department of Economics, History and Political Science, the Center for Conflict Studies, the Office of International Education, the Office of Career Services, and the Office of Student Development.

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Flagler Forum speaker to address Washington's 'Colossal Mess'

September 15, 2011

The Flagler College Forum on Government and Public Policy continues with a presentation on Oct. 6 from former Scripps Howard News Service editor and writer Dan K. Thomasson. A 47-year veteran of Washington reporting, Thomasson will talk on "The 'Colossal Mess' in Washington."

Thomasson has appeared on "Face the Nation," "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," "Washington Week in Review" and C-Span as a commentator and reporter on national affairs. He is a retired vice president of the E. W. Scripps Co. and retired editor of Scripps Howard News Service. He writes a twice-weekly column syndicated by Scripps Howard.

During the 60s and 70s, Thomasson was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the nation's top investigative reporters, having covered every major scandal from Bobby Baker to Chappaquiddick to Watergate. He covered three presidential campaigns and every political convention from 1960 to 2004. In 1975, he authored a groundbreaking national exposé of fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid.

Thomasson has brought his long and decorated career in investigative reporting into the educational arena, having held positions at colleges and universities across the country. He has been editor-in-residence at West Point, Rhode Island University, William and Mary, Ohio University and the University of Hawaii. He was a presidential fellow at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and a media fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford. He is also a member of the White House Correspondent's Association, the Gridiron Club of Washington (president 1992) and the National Press Club. He was named to the Washington Journalism Hall of Fame in 1993.

For more than 30 years, the Flagler College Forum on Government and Public Policy has invited nationally recognized journalists and commentators to St. Augustine to discuss issues of importance in regional, state and federal government.

All forums take place in the Flagler College Auditorium, 14 Granada St., at 7 p.m. Forums are free and open to the public, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language interpreters are provided. Call (904) 819-6400 or visit www.flagler.edu/our-community for more information.

The next Flagler Forum will be:

Nov. 3 - Margaret Talev, White House Correspondent, Bloomberg - "Hitting the Ceiling: The Economy and the 2012 Election"

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Distinguished Speaker Series continues March 13, 2013

The self-described “reading arsonist” Dr. Steven L. Layne will address educators on the topic of igniting a passion for reading when he takes the microphone at Fitchburg State University’s Distinguished Speaker Series on March 13, 2013.

The Distinguished Speaker Series is now in its seventh year, and hundreds of area educators attend each year for an inspiring and informative professional development opportunity. This year’s event will take place from 8:30 to 2 p.m., March 13, 2013 at the Holmes Dining Commons on the Fitchburg State campus.

With his trademark combination of humor and heart, Layne, pictured, tackles one of the most significant issues in reading instruction today:  how to engage reluctant readers. Teaching the skill of reading is viewed by many educators as a major objective; teaching the will of reading is too often an afterthought. Layne’s charismatic blend of anecdotes and practical suggestions for the classroom are sure to fan the flame of literacy into a raging inferno inspiring teachers as well as their students to keep the bedside lamp on just a little bit later into the night.

Educators will leave the workshop with

Increased knowledge of literacyPractical strategies to engage reluctant readersEfficient real-world suggestions to dramatically impact school culture

Layne serves as full-time professor of literacy education at Judson University in Elgin, Ill. His vast array of experience working at multiple grade levels in the public schools allows him a unique camaraderie with teachers and librarians and his award-winning books for children and young adults add another appealing element to his dynamic presentations. Layne is a frequent keynote speaker at large conferences and gatherings of educators and librarians throughout the world. In addition, Layne continues to do school appearances each year as a guest author and provides in-service for schools throughout the nation.

“Steven Layne is one of the most dynamic keynote speakers I have had the pleasure to listen to,” said Fitchburg State University Dean of Education Dr. Pamela Hill. “His warmth, humor, and love of teaching resonate. He made us laugh and made us cry—but most of all, he inspired us.”

The Distinguished Speaker Series is designed for superintendents, assistant superintendents, principals, curriculum directors, special education directors, teachers, graduate students, higher education faculty, and other interested school administrators and educators. Books by Layne will be available for purchase, and checks, credit cards and cash will be accepted.

The registration fee of $150 includes the workshop, luncheon and continuing education units. This program offers four PDPs for educators. Payment is by check, credit card or purchase order. Teams of three or more within the same school district pay $125 per person and must register by purchase order. Print the invoice or registration form online to complete and mail or fax in per instructions.

Registration has begun and is open until March 1, 2013. Registrations received by Jan. 31, 2013 will be entered into a raffle for free admission.

For more information or to register, visit www.fitchburgstate.edu/gce/speaker.

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View the original article here

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Flagler Forum speaker to address Washington's 'Colossal Mess'

September 15, 2011

The Flagler College Forum on Government and Public Policy continues with a presentation on Oct. 6 from former Scripps Howard News Service editor and writer Dan K. Thomasson. A 47-year veteran of Washington reporting, Thomasson will talk on "The 'Colossal Mess' in Washington."

Thomasson has appeared on "Face the Nation," "Good Morning America," "The Today Show," "Washington Week in Review" and C-Span as a commentator and reporter on national affairs. He is a retired vice president of the E. W. Scripps Co. and retired editor of Scripps Howard News Service. He writes a twice-weekly column syndicated by Scripps Howard.

During the 60s and 70s, Thomasson was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the nation's top investigative reporters, having covered every major scandal from Bobby Baker to Chappaquiddick to Watergate. He covered three presidential campaigns and every political convention from 1960 to 2004. In 1975, he authored a groundbreaking national exposé of fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid.

Thomasson has brought his long and decorated career in investigative reporting into the educational arena, having held positions at colleges and universities across the country. He has been editor-in-residence at West Point, Rhode Island University, William and Mary, Ohio University and the University of Hawaii. He was a presidential fellow at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., and a media fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford. He is also a member of the White House Correspondent's Association, the Gridiron Club of Washington (president 1992) and the National Press Club. He was named to the Washington Journalism Hall of Fame in 1993.

For more than 30 years, the Flagler College Forum on Government and Public Policy has invited nationally recognized journalists and commentators to St. Augustine to discuss issues of importance in regional, state and federal government.

All forums take place in the Flagler College Auditorium, 14 Granada St., at 7 p.m. Forums are free and open to the public, but seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign language interpreters are provided. Call (904) 819-6400 or visit www.flagler.edu/our-community for more information.

The next Flagler Forum will be:

Nov. 3 - Margaret Talev, White House Correspondent, Bloomberg - "Hitting the Ceiling: The Economy and the 2012 Election"

View the original article here

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MLK speaker: 'We must celebrate the struggle'

At a campus program celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., scholar Dale Andrews also warns against the “homogenization of difference.”

Dale P. Andrews of Vanderbilt University Divinity School

*****

A scholar of social justice told his Elon University audience on Wednesday that for American society to overcome its legacy of racism, justice isn’t enough - it requires a reconciliation where the people responsible for segregation and inequality acknowledge their own roles in fomenting oppression.

Dale P. Andrews of Vanderbilt University Divinity School, the keynote speaker at the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program, also implored those who weren’t responsible for slavery or Jim Crow to consider their own culpability in not acknowledging the impact those institutions continue to have on many minorities today.

“Denial of social liability for racism, or moral accountability for its generational inherited impact, has been called by scholars ‘aversive racism,’” Andrews shared during his Whitley Auditorium remarks.

Andrews also took aim at the way “multiculturalism” is defined. He argued that it tends to be a label used by those in a dominant culture to group together everyone else. It’s a recognition, he said, and not an understanding of the different experiences and values of racial, religious, sexually oriented or gender minorities.

“If it‘s just simply recognition of the other, without a justice analysis of domination and oppressive encounters, what results is those in power determine the terms for multiculturalism,” he said. “And when those in power inordinately determine the terms of multiculturalism, we have a homogenization of difference, rather than the mutual appreciation of difference.”

And at a time when lots of work must still be done to improve equality and overcome institutional and structural racism, it’s still important to celebrate how far society has advanced.

“Society must celebrate its successes over racism, sexism, homophobia and religious difference. Celebrate we must!” he said. “And in the celebration of the successes, let us celebrate the ongoing struggle. When justice is elusive, we celebrate the struggle.”

Andrews joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion in 2010. Previously he served on the faculty of Boston University School of Theology as the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Oxford and has conducted two international study tours in Guatemala and Brazil.

An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Andrews has served AME Zion churches in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. He has received numerous fellowships and awards for his studies. In addition to multiple chapters in diverse edited volumes and journal articles, he is the author of Practical Theology for Black Churches: Bridging Black Theology and African American Folk Religion (Westminster John Knox-WJK Press, 2002). He also co-authored Listening to Listeners: Homiletical Case Studies (Chalice Press, 2004) and New Proclamation: Advent through Holy Week, Year A, 2004-2005 (Augsburg Fortress Press, 2004).

Andrews formerly served as co-editor to the journal Family Ministry and now serves as co-editor of the journal Homiletic.

Prior to the keynote address, Elon Provost Steven House welcomed guests to the event and described parallels between the university’s most cherished values and those of the program’s namesake.

“Many traditions at Elon celebrate our campus values of community, service, respect and tolerance,” House said. “While Dr. King’s life is being remembered all across the world this week, we here at Elon hold a special connection with him because of the alignment of our values with those he also championed.”

Ana Villalpando (left), an eighth grade student at Blessed Sacrament School in Burlington, N.C., and Kaitlyn Williams, a sixth grade student at Kernodle Middle School in Greensboro, N.C., were announced as winners of the 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Essay Contest.

The program recognized two winners of the university’s 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Essay Contest. Ana Villalpando, an eighth grade student at Blessed Sacrament School in Burlington, N.C., and Kaitlyn Williams, a sixth grade student at Kernodle Middle School in Greensboro, N.C., were accompanied by parents and school leaders as each was lauded for describing personal efforts to keep King’s dream of equality alive.

Sponsored by the Multicultural Center, the contest was established in 2001 to promote awareness of King’s vision for a more humane nation. It is open each year to students in Alamance and Guilford counties.

Also featured were Elon Music Ambassadors who sang “Down in the River to Pray” to open the ceremony and “Water No Get Enemy" to close the program.

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by Eric Townsend, Staff Last Updated - 1/17/2013

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MLK speaker: 'We must celebrate the struggle'

At a campus program celebrating Martin Luther King Jr., scholar Dale Andrews also warns against the “homogenization of difference.”

Dale P. Andrews of Vanderbilt University Divinity School

*****

A scholar of social justice told his Elon University audience on Wednesday that for American society to overcome its legacy of racism, justice isn’t enough - it requires a reconciliation where the people responsible for segregation and inequality acknowledge their own roles in fomenting oppression.

Dale P. Andrews of Vanderbilt University Divinity School, the keynote speaker at the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Program, also implored those who weren’t responsible for slavery or Jim Crow to consider their own culpability in not acknowledging the impact those institutions continue to have on many minorities today.

“Denial of social liability for racism, or moral accountability for its generational inherited impact, has been called by scholars ‘aversive racism,’” Andrews shared during his Whitley Auditorium remarks.

Andrews also took aim at the way “multiculturalism” is defined. He argued that it tends to be a label used by those in a dominant culture to group together everyone else. It’s a recognition, he said, and not an understanding of the different experiences and values of racial, religious, sexually oriented or gender minorities.

“If it‘s just simply recognition of the other, without a justice analysis of domination and oppressive encounters, what results is those in power determine the terms for multiculturalism,” he said. “And when those in power inordinately determine the terms of multiculturalism, we have a homogenization of difference, rather than the mutual appreciation of difference.”

And at a time when lots of work must still be done to improve equality and overcome institutional and structural racism, it’s still important to celebrate how far society has advanced.

“Society must celebrate its successes over racism, sexism, homophobia and religious difference. Celebrate we must!” he said. “And in the celebration of the successes, let us celebrate the ongoing struggle. When justice is elusive, we celebrate the struggle.”

Andrews joined the faculty of Vanderbilt University Divinity School and Graduate Department of Religion in 2010. Previously he served on the faculty of Boston University School of Theology as the Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology. He was a visiting research fellow at the University of Oxford and has conducted two international study tours in Guatemala and Brazil.

An ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Andrews has served AME Zion churches in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. He has received numerous fellowships and awards for his studies. In addition to multiple chapters in diverse edited volumes and journal articles, he is the author of Practical Theology for Black Churches: Bridging Black Theology and African American Folk Religion (Westminster John Knox-WJK Press, 2002). He also co-authored Listening to Listeners: Homiletical Case Studies (Chalice Press, 2004) and New Proclamation: Advent through Holy Week, Year A, 2004-2005 (Augsburg Fortress Press, 2004).

Andrews formerly served as co-editor to the journal Family Ministry and now serves as co-editor of the journal Homiletic.

Prior to the keynote address, Elon Provost Steven House welcomed guests to the event and described parallels between the university’s most cherished values and those of the program’s namesake.

“Many traditions at Elon celebrate our campus values of community, service, respect and tolerance,” House said. “While Dr. King’s life is being remembered all across the world this week, we here at Elon hold a special connection with him because of the alignment of our values with those he also championed.”

Ana Villalpando (left), an eighth grade student at Blessed Sacrament School in Burlington, N.C., and Kaitlyn Williams, a sixth grade student at Kernodle Middle School in Greensboro, N.C., were announced as winners of the 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Essay Contest.

The program recognized two winners of the university’s 2013 Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Essay Contest. Ana Villalpando, an eighth grade student at Blessed Sacrament School in Burlington, N.C., and Kaitlyn Williams, a sixth grade student at Kernodle Middle School in Greensboro, N.C., were accompanied by parents and school leaders as each was lauded for describing personal efforts to keep King’s dream of equality alive.

Sponsored by the Multicultural Center, the contest was established in 2001 to promote awareness of King’s vision for a more humane nation. It is open each year to students in Alamance and Guilford counties.

Also featured were Elon Music Ambassadors who sang “Down in the River to Pray” to open the ceremony and “Water No Get Enemy" to close the program.

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by Eric Townsend, Staff Last Updated - 1/17/2013

View the original article here

Read More