Conference a culmination of themed programming for the 2015-16 academic year, held in memory of former Dean Gordy Weil
Bethlehem, Pa., March 31, 2016—Moravian College will hold at two-day symposium to discuss issues related to poverty and inequality on Tuesday, April 5 and Wednesday, April 6. The conference is part of Moravian College’s IN FOCUS program that provides an in-depth examination of complex issues of poverty and inequality from multidisciplinary perspectives. The conference is open to the public and admission is free of charge. For more information and to register, visit: http://www.moravian.edu/
The symposium sessions will explore, via a variety of disciplines, the causes and consequences of poverty and inequality in America and around the world. Research will be presented focusing on global challenges of poverty and inequality; interdisciplinary aspects of poverty and inequality; and feature special panels addressing war, peacebuilding and the “Just Society,” sustainability and health.
Moravian College convenes this In Focus Research Symposium in honor of Dr. Gordon Weil, former dean of the faculty and vice president for academic affairs. “Gordy” was a beloved colleague, whose professional leadership and personal commitment to advancing interdisciplinary understanding and ethical engagement with the human challenges of poverty and inequality stand as the origin of this program. As Dean Weil stated during the development of the IN FOCUS program six years ago, "Our goal is for Moravian College to realize the promise of becoming known as an institution that engages its students in the study of important issues that challenge humanity today and as we look to the future. By grappling with complex problems, and examining them from several different perspectives Moravian’s graduates will be better prepared to contribute to a just society and a vibrant democracy."
Stephen O'Connell, Ph.D., who served as chief economist of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2014-15, will present the plenary presentation, “Ending Extreme Poverty.” Dr. O’Connell co-chaired the team that produced USAID's Vision for Ending Extreme Poverty. His talk will focus on what extreme poverty is, how poverty is evolving globally, and how USAID can contribute to ending extreme poverty, in partnership with host governments and many other actors.
Ending extreme poverty is an explicit goal of the World Bank, USAID, and the global 2030 Agenda (the successor, launched at the UN General Assembly in October 2015, to the Millennium Development Goals campaign). Dr. O'Connell served at USAID while on leave from Swarthmore College where he is Gil and Frank Mustin Professor of Economics.
Before joining USAID, he spent a year as a Visiting Scholar at the International Monetary Fund, working on monetary policy in low-income countries. Dr. O'Connell has published extensively on issues of macroeconomic policy, economic growth, and the political economy of development, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. He co-coordinated the largest study to date of Africa's economic performance since 1960, the African Economic Research Consortium's two-volume Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa,1960-2000 (Cambridge University Press, 2007 and 2008). He is a consultant to the International Growth Centre, a long-time Resource Person for the African Economic Research Consortium, and a Research Associate of the Centre for Study of African Economies. Dr. O'Connell's current research focuses on challenges of economic transformation in countries with persistent extreme poverty.
Over two days, causes, consequences and the historical context of Poverty and Inequality will be examined by 11 panels of 42 speakers, including opportunities for audience question and answer in each panel. A sample of topics for day one include: Access to Safe Water in Developing Countries; Valuation of Environmental Hazard, Inequality, Poverty, and Race; Climate change: Poverty and Inequality and its Impact; Tackling Gender Inequality in the Arts, Arsenic in Drinking Water and Poverty, Morality and Wealth.
On the second day, panel discussions will address: Healthcare Inequalities: Measuring the Performing Arts Impact on Social Change; and conclude with Visions of Peace in Conference with Zen Buddhist Monk, Claude AnShin Thomas.
The conference will be held in Moravian College’s Haupert Union Building and at the Payne Gallery, located near the corner of Monocacy and Locust Streets on the Main Street Campus in Bethlehem. Moravian College encourages persons with disabilities to participate in its programs and activities. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation or have questions about the physical access provided for the event, please call Michael Wilson at (610) 861-1365 or wilsonm@moravian.eduprior to the event.
About IN FOCUS
Moravian College’s IN FOCUS is an innovative program to promote in-depth examination of complex issues from multidisciplinary perspectives. Through IN FOCUS the members of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary engage in analysis and activism, through both academic and co-curricular programming, regarding important challenges facing human beings and the world in the 21st century. The theme for 2015-16 is Poverty and Inequality. The faculty members serving as directors of the Poverty & Inequality Center of Investigation are Sonia N. Aziz, associate professor of economics and business, and Nicole Tabor, associate professor of English.
The goal of IN FOCUS is to engage students in the study of important issues that challenge humanity today and as we look to the future. Through grappling with complex problems, and examining them from several different perspectives Moravian’s graduates will be better prepared to contribute to a just society and a vibrant democracy. For more information and events, visit www.moravian.edu/InFocus.