Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2009 - (Page 5)

ON CAMPUS academics SYMPOSIUM TO BE A JEFFREY SACHS TO GIVE COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS The man described by The New York Times as “the most important economist in the world” has been selected to deliver the commencement address at Lehigh University’s 141st commencement ceremony in May. Jeffrey Sachs is known for his ability to combine expertise in economics with a passion for developing real-world solutions to some of society’s greatest challenges, says Lehigh President Alice P. Gast. “Dr. Jeffrey Sachs is a renowned economist, proliﬁc author, educator, and advisor to world governments and international organizations on economic and social problems such as poverty reduction, climate change, and disease control in particularly vulnerable nations,” she says. “His ability to forge solutions to very complex problems exempliﬁes what we value as a university and his message will inspire graduates, parents, families, and friends.” Currently, Sachs is director of the Earth Institute, Quetelet professor of sustainable development, and professor of health policy and management at Columbia University. He is also special advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Widely considered to be the leading international economic advisor of his generation, Sachs has been at the forefront of the challenges of economic development and poverty alleviation. He is internationally renowned for his work as economic advisor to governments in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. He served as advisor to the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program, and the World Health Organization. As director of the U.N. Millennium Project, Sachs helped develop the Millennium Development Goals, a series of practical guidelines and goals designed to eliminate extreme world poverty by the year 2015.—Dina Silver Pokedoff CATALYST FOR DISCUSSION Lehigh will host renowned scholars to discuss topics ranging from astronomy to Islamic studies on April 16. In addition to celebrating Lehigh’s student reThey are also engaging speakers who can search, scholarship, and performance in an exconnect very well with an audience of conhibition setting, the “2009 Academic siderable diversity.” Symposium: A Tradition of Excellence” will The event will also involve intellectual confeature four world-renowned scholars as tributions of Lehigh faculty members who will keynote lecturers. introduce and interview the keynote speakers. The daylong celebration will establish a traDuring the symposium, an exhibition of undition that builds on Lehigh’s 2007 Academic dergraduate and graduate student research and Symposium held in honor of the inauguration scholarship will be held in Zoellner Arts Cenof Alice P. Gast, who became Lehigh’s 13th ter’s Butz Lobby. president on Aug. 1, 2006. The 2007 event “Attendance at the ﬁrst symposium, as part was so well received that the decision was of the Inauguration of President Gast, was made to make the academic symposium a bigreat,” says Bruce Koel, interim vice president ennial event—beginning on April 16, 2009. and associate provost for research and graduThe 2009 academic symposium will feature ate studies, who is serving as the chair of the four impressive keynote speakers: Barry Eichengreen, the George C. and Helen N. Pardee Professor of Economics and Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley; Andrea Ghez, a professor of physics and astronomy at UCLA; Alan E. Kazdin, the John M. Musser Professor of Psychology, Child Psychiatry, and Institute of Social Policies at Yale University; and Joan Wallach Scott, the Harold F. Linder Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton University. The keynote speakers—in ﬁelds ranging from astronomy to Islamic studies—are recipients of a number of awards and honorary degrees. Collectively, the subject matter they will discuss represents areas of interest to all The 2007 academic symposium drew large crowds to hear researchers members of the Lehigh community. present their ﬁndings. “The symposium committee is very excited about the extremely high caliber symposium committee. “People came away of the symposium speakers,” says Judith A. Mcinspired. Now again, we have the opportunity Donald, an associate professor of economics to hear internationally renowned scholars who also serves on the committee and has been exploring major issues of our time. I hope this leading the speaker selection subcommittee. will be a catalyst for broader discussions within “They are internationally renowned the Lehigh community after the event.” scholars whose work has had a major impact For more information about the sympoon their own research fields and beyond. sium, please visit: www.lehigh.edu/~insympos/. PHOTO BY THEO ANDERSON winter 2009 5 http://www.lehigh.edu/~insympos/

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Alumni Bulletin - Winter 2009

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