Upcoming Events

April 19, 9 a.m. | Nolte Center for Continuing Education 140 & 125

Accounts of North- and Sub-Saharan African clandestine migrations to Europe are broadcast widely in print and electronic media. Concurrently, fictional accounts on the matter published in French, Spanish, and Italian have grown considerably. Though they have received extensive media coverage, the desperate crossings have garnered little academic attention. "Burning the Sea: Clandestine Migrations in the Age of Globalization" is a symposium designed as an interdisciplinary conference that will bring together fifteen scholars from various national and international institutions, with a wide range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Panelists will discuss contemporary clandestine human migratory flows across the Mediterranean Sea between southwestern Europe and North- and Sub-Saharan Africa, as they are represented in French, Francophone, and Spanish literature and cinema. Panels will also examine these migratory patterns, concentrating on how they are accounted throughout history, in mass media, and political discourse. Free and open to the public. Reservations required: http://burnthesea.eventbrite.com/.

April 19, 11:30 a.m. | Appleby Hall 103

Presenters: Professor Karen Seashore, Romina Madrid, and Abigail Felber-Smith, Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development (OLPD), University of Minnesota. Universally improving student learning outcomes remains a challenge to K-12 educational systems. Approaches to improving schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas most often focus on school-centered approaches such as improving school culture, teaching and learning, and leadership practices (Muijs, et al., 2004). Less attention has been given to the effects of community on student engagement, development, and learning. While conversations about school-community relations are ratcheting up, empirical evidence of how involved stakeholders define their communities and consequently, how they approach this work is limited.

April 22, 9 a.m. | Cowles Auditorium

Moderated by Former Speaker Steve Sviggum. Find more information here: http://bakkandthissen.eventbrite.com/

April 22, 6 p.m. | Cowles Auditorium

Voices from Laos will visit 12 cities in April, beginning on April 4th at the United Nations headquarters in New York and ending on April 30th in Washington, DC, on the anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Our stop at the University of Minnesota will underscore the important role that students and future policymakers can play in keeping alive the history of the Vietnam War-era bombings and creating a safer future for the people of Laos. Find more information and register for the event here: http://voicesfromlaosuminn.eventbrite.com/v

April 23, 12 p.m. | Cowles Auditorium

Candidate Barack Obama criticized President George Bush's unilateral steps on detention, domestic surveillance, and other programs. President Obama has modified some Bush policies but has sustained and expanded executive power in the national security realm. Can Congress and the Courts reassert some checks on presidential action while maintaining the security of the country? New York Times reporter Scott Shane will join Vice President Walter Mondale to discuss the scope and constitutionality of Obama's policies. Co-moderated by Vice President Walter Mondale and Professor Larry Jacobs, Humphrey School. Find more information here: http://anewimperialpresidency.eventbrite.com/

April 24, 12 p.m. | IonE Seminar Room R380, Learning and Environmental Sciences Building, St. Paul

As an increasing number of communities and universities work to advance the priorities of sustainability and resilience, their collaboration can yield wide-ranging benefits. This presentation, Professor Carissa Schively Slotterback will highlight the Resilient Communities Project (RCP)—a new and innovative model of education and community engagement intended to build long-term capacity to produce sustainable solutions and resilient institutions. RCP facilitates a yearlong partnership between the University of Minnesota and a Minnesota community, matching University expertise with local projects to produce on-the-ground sustainability outcomes and meaningful practical experience for students. The presentation will explore RCP's work during its inaugural year and further prospects for making the University more engaged, more interdisciplinary and more strategic in responding to critical challenges in Minnesota communities and beyond. Find more information here: http://environment.umn.edu/news_events/events/frontiers.html.

April 25, 1:30 p.m. | 125 Nolte Library

In 2011, the U.S. Department of Labor proposed to change regulations that have governed children's work and physical presence on farms in the United States since the 1970s. Graduate student, Megan Roberts, describes a large sample of these comments for their strongly pro-child sentiment, while Professor Deborah Levison places them in the context of human rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the recent decline in child/youth experience of work in America. Find more information here: https://events.umn.edu/026554

April 29, 2:45 p.m. | Johnson Great Rm Memorial Hall McNamara Alumni Center

The University of Minnesota is hosting the regional meeting of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) on April 29, 2013. The NAE will hold its regional business meeting for members, beginning with lunch, and then be followed by a symposium opened to the public, including local industry personnel, other faculty and students. Six University of Minnesota faculty members will present on "From Grand Challenges to Grand Solutions: Moving from Knowledge Generation to Real World Action." A wine and light Hors d'Oeuvres reception will follow the symposium. Reservations are requested. RSVP here: https://docs.google.com/a/umn.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dENLM3ptNk9XelpBSVUta2JublM5Wnc6MQ#gid=0

April 30, 12 p.m. | Humphrey Forum

Is justice blind? Vesla Weaver reveals racial disparities in the American criminal justice system and their implications for undermining full democratic citizenship. Professor Christopher Uggen, one of the country's preeminent sociologists studying America's criminal justice system, will moderate the discussion. Moderated by Chris Uggen, Department of Sociology

May 2, 4 p.m. | Humphrey Forum

Join us to hear Ember Reichgott Junge speak about her new book Zero Chance of Passage: The Pioneering Charter School Story and her experiences and reflections on the pioneering legislation and with the charter school movement. There will be a panel discussion after her presentation with respondents: Al Fan, Executive Director, Charter School Partners; Karen Seashore, Professor, College of Education & Human Development, University of Minnesota; Ted Kolderie, Senior Associate, Education Evolving; and Denise Johnson (Moderator), Star Tribune Editorial Writer. Please RSVP here: http://reichgottjunge.eventbrite.com/#

May 20, 4 p.m. | Ted Mann Concert Hall

The commencement speaker is Jake Sullivan, the Vice President's national security adviser. A reception will follow the ceremony.