Cal U to host conference on environmental and civic responsibilty
Author, syndicated columnist and TV political commentator Donna Brazile will visit California University of Pennsylvania next week to headline a conference focusing on environmental responsibility and civic engagement.
A veteran Democratic political strategist and a native of New Orleans, Brazile is passionate about two issues: encouraging young people to participate in the political process and promoting the economic and environmental recovery of her storm-ravaged hometown.
?Her keynote address at the conference, “Civic Responsibility: People, Policy and Politics,” is scheduled for 7?p.m. Tuesday in Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre, on the Cal U campus in California.
Brazile will hold a book signing after her talk. Her best-selling memoir is “Cooking with Grease: Stirring the Pots in American Politics.”
The conference opens with a lecture by Terry Collins, a founder of the “green chemistry” field and director of the Institute for Green Science at Carnegie Mellon University.
Collins will discuss “Green Chemistry: On the Responsibility of Chemists to Advance Science with Human Health and the Environment Clearly in Mind” at 11?a.m., also in Steele Hall Mainstage Theatre.
Rounding out the conference are two panel discussions, both in Room 110 of the Eberly Science and Technology Center:
At 2?p.m., Carla Suszkowski, regulatory and environmental manager at Range Resources, will join Cal U professors to address “Civic Responsibility: Where Is the Leadership?”
At 3:30?p.m., David Marks, energy consultant to Allegheny Couty Council, joins a panel to examine “Environmental Challenges: Louisiana and Pennsylvania.”
The conference is organized by Cal U’s chapter of the American Democracy Project, a multi-campus initiative focused on higher education’s role in preparing the next generation of informed, engaged citizens.
Sponsors for the panel discussions include the Linda and Harry Serene Leadership Institute and the Leadership Studies program at Cal U.
All events are free and open to the public.
Parking is available in the Vulcan Garage, off Third Street near the campus entrance.
For a complete schedule, a list of conference sponsors and information about other Cal U events, go online to www.calu.edu.