Higher Education for a Higher Purpose: The Role of the Academy in Promoting Social Justice

Posted by on April 19, 2010

On behalf of Chancellor Sophia Wisniewska and the Program Organizing Committee, it is my great pleasure to invite you to join Penn State Brandywine’s Higher Education for a Higher Purpose: The Role of the Academy in Promoting Social Justice. This day-long , interdisciplinary symposium draws together persons from academic institutions, philanthropic organizations, and government offices whose work – be it research, education, service, or policy-making – presses forward the common agenda of creating and sustaining educational environments that nurture social justice and human rights.

Identifying barriers and exploring avenues to fundamental human rights such as education, nourishment, and health, the presenters take up the question of the obligations and practices of higher education in developing a just society. The symposium will feature Suraya Pakzad as a keynote speaker, and pay special tribute to her work as an activist for women’s rights in Afghanistan, the founder of The Voice of Women Organization, and as the first recipient of the Peace X Peace Voice of Peace Award. In addition to Ms. Pakzad’s keynote address, the program will include a presentation by U.S. Senator Robert Casey and Mrs. Therese Casey, and a Town Hall discussion with Aldo Magazzeni, Marjorie Margolies,  Sharon Meagher, and Trudy Rubin, moderated by Sondra Myers. Roundtable and panel discussions by members of the academic, philanthropic, and governmental communities will address topics including developing civic identity in youth, promoting community partnerships, scholarship for social justice, and the Clemente course for the humanities.  Program details are available at our web site, http://brandywine.psu.edu/higheredforahigherpurpose.

Space is limited, and registration is required.  It is important that you register as soon as possible at http://brandywine.psu.edu/higheredforahigherpurpose.   As you will see on the registration web site, the $25 registration fee (required to cover the lunch) will be waived for all students who present a valid student ID.