Looking Back and Moving Forward
The Next 100 Years of Liberal Arts – Confronting the Challenges
September 30-October 2, 2010
Planning for our International Conference on the Liberal Arts (September
30th – October 2nd, 2010) is progressing very well, and there is still
time to register! With more than 50 presentations and workshops
scheduled, 4 Keynote addresses, and 250 registrants expected, we are
looking forward to a very successful event! Below we have highlighted
some of the Conference events:
Keynote Speakers
The conference will offer four Keynote presentations:
Ronald Wright: The Future of the Past: Escaping the parochialism of the
present
Henry Giroux: Beyond Bailouts: Rethinking the Neoliberal Subject Higher
Education
Dorothy Smith: Thinking it Through – Retaining Critical Thinking and
Social Conscience
Phil McShane: Liberal Arts: the Heart of Future Science
Panels
As well, the Conference now includes several additional panel discussions
around various topics which relate to the future of the Liberal Arts. One
such panel, to be presented on Saturday afternoon, is entitled, "The
Liberal Arts and their Value to Society: Engaged Citizen or Educated
Worker?", and will include Michael Higgins (Vice-President for Mission and
Catholic Identity at Sacred Heart University) and Tim Coates (Executive
Director and founding member of 21inc.), among others.
On Friday there will be additional panels, such as "Abiding Visions of the
University", (with Janice Newson, Claire Polster, Dorothy Smith, Jennie
Hornosty, and Mathew Hayes) and "Stories of Dialogue: Collaborative
Reflections from Directors of Free Humanities Programs", (with Mary Lu
Roffey-Redden, Laurie Meredith, Stasha Huntingford, Becky Cory, Margot
Leigh Butler, and Doug West).
The Closing Panel, "The Economics of the University", will include Robert
Campbell (President, Mount Allison University), David Robinson (Associate
Executive Director, CAUT), Byron James (Deputy Minister, Province of New
Brunswick), and Ella Henry (Student Union President of St. Thomas
University).
For additional information on the speakers, registration, accommodations,
and schedule please visit the conference website www.stu.ca/libconf/ or
contact the Conference Chair at jcoates@stu.ca.
All the best,
John Coates, Chair,
Conference Planning Committee
