Office of University Communications
Third annual Public Affairs Conference reaches out to community
Egyptian physician and writer Nawal El Saadawi, MTV's Les Garland scheduled
Date: February 26, 2007
Contact: Dr. Ken Rutherford
(417) 836-6428
SPRINGFIELD — Missouri State University, along with presenting sponsor The Springfield News-Leader, will host the third annual Public Affairs Conference, themed “One World, Many Voices.” The event will be held April 17-20 and will bring a variety of noteworthy speakers from around the world to the Springfield campus. The conference is free and open to the public.
During the conference, panels will present discussions that offer perspectives from business, entertainment, education, politics, religion, health and other subject areas. Keynote speakers scheduled at the conference include Egyptian physician and writer Nawal El Saadawi, MTV and VH1 co-founder Les Garland, and teacher/activist/author Jonathan Kozol, along with Missouri State University President Emeritus John Keiser, who will deliver his address on the West Plains campus. Keiser also serves as the Public Affairs Conference chair emeritus.
“The conference’s theme, ‘One World, Many Voices,’ is part of Missouri State’s long-range plan goal of taking the public affairs mission globally,” said Dr. Ken Rutherford, provost fellow for public affairs at Missouri State. “Over the past decade, we have done a good job of implementing the public affairs mission on campus, locally, regionally and, to some extent, statewide. The next step in the development is exactly what we are doing with the conference, which includes more than 35 speakers from around the world and representation of the world’s major religions, which will help provide a springboard to begin achieving this goal.”
The conference is being expanded to four days to accommodate several new activities and off-campus presentations. “Immigration in a Shrinking World” will be presented at 6:30 p.m. April 17 at the Greene County Library Station; Mexican musician Paco Padilla and an ensemble will perform at 6 p.m. April 18 in Plaster Student Union Theater; and “The Paradox of Globalization: Rising Global Interdependence and Rising Global Conflict” will be presented at 4 p.m. April 20 in Melton Hall Auditorium on the Missouri State University-West Plains campus.
In addition, this year’s conference will feature a “high school day” April 19, with Missouri high school students, including students from the St. Louis area, attending panel sessions and Garland’s keynote address at 12:30 p.m., as well as taking optional campus tours. New York Times foreign correspondent Robert Worth will speak to the students during lunch, which will be provided to them compliments of the New York Times.
Others scheduled to participate at the conference include: Mexican Senator Judith Martinez; Xianjian Li, the president of Henan University of Finance and Economics, the largest college in the most populated province in China; Golden Thread Theatre founder and artistic director Torange Yeghiazarian, an Iranian-born theatre artist of Armenian heritage who writes, directs and performs for the company that is dedicated to the theatre that explores Middle Eastern culture and identity; Lindsey Pollak, a writer, editor and speaker specializing in career advice for young professionals; and Annie Gill-Bloyer, the Faith Outreach Organizer for the ONE Campaign supported by Bread for the World, a nationwide Christian movement that seeks justice for the world’s hungry people by educating decision makers.
Free parking will be available for the event in lots 13, 27 and 29 at the National Avenue and Monroe Street intersection.
Background information for conference speakers and complete program information is available online at www.publicaffairs.missouristate.edu/conference