University of Richmond to Present Series on Universities as Part of Local and Global Communities
December 10, 2004
What obligations do universities have to society? What roles should higher education play in the global community? The University of Richmond will try to answer those and other questions next spring in a series of public discussions called “Town and Gown: The University and Its Community.”
The series is sponsored by the School of Arts and Sciences Urban Practice and Policy Program, the Richmond Quest, the 175th Anniversary Committee, the Office of International Education and the Center for Civic Engagement. All events are free and open to the public.
David Maurrasse, author of “Beyond the Campus: How Colleges and Universities Form Partnerships with Their Communities” will be the first speaker in the series Feb. 2 in a discussion of “The University and the Local Community—What Questions Should We Be Asking?” Maurrasse is an assistant professor in the Department of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. His latest book is “Listening to Harlem,” which is about the state of economic development in the neighborhood.
Also speaking will be Kenneth Ruscio, dean of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at Richmond; and Harlan Beckley, director of the Shepherd Program for the Interdisciplinary Study of Poverty and Human Capability at Washington and Lee, where he also is the Fletcher Otey Thomas Professor of Religion.The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Jepson Hall 118.
Terence P. Dolan, associate professor of Old and Medieval English at University College in Dublin, will speak on “The University and the Global Community: When Do We Know When We’ve Asked the Right Questions?” March 2, 2005, 7:30 p.m., Jepson Hall 118. For many years, Dolan was director of University College Dublin’s international studies program. He also was one of the European scholars who created the European-wide consortium of colleges and universities called ERASMUS, the European community’s international educational organization.
Other speakers will be Uliana Gabara, dean of international education at Richmond; and Kathryn Monday, vice-president for information services at Richmond.
University President William E. Cooper will join community and university members for a program entitled “Knowing Richmond: University and Community Engagement into the Future,” April 2, 2005, 11 a.m., Jepson Alumni Center. Douglas Hicks, director of the university’s Center for Civic Engagement, will moderate a panel of community organization leaders, faculty and students who will discuss various university-community collaborations. This final event is part of the campus-wide open house celebrating the University’s 175th anniversary.