Following the successful inaugural Global Citizen Forum, Drake International and the Engaged Citizen Experience are pleased share updates for the 2020 Global Citizen Forum.

As it did last year, this year’s event will include a series of speakers, academic enrichment and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. The exciting news for the 2020 Global Citizen Forum is that Drake University, in conjunction with our partner university, the University of KwaZulu Natal (Durban, South Africa) will be co-sponsoring a conference on the theme: Struggles, Strategies, and Solutions for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Higher Education. The international conference will include inviting our international partner universities and colleagues from fifteen different institutions around the world.  The benefit of hosting an international conference on diversity and inclusion is the opportunity to learn from a broader worldview and have an opportunity to learn about work in this area around the world.  The conference will provide a platform to share new ideas, advance research, refine and develop frameworks, and influence policy development. To submit a presentation proposal, please go to the conference website for more information.

Another component of the Global Citizen Forum is a student research symposium, this year focused on International Perspectives on Privilege to complement the conference. We invite you to consider including research on the theme of the symposium or international topics which could be presented in March 2020. We also anticipate paper development workshops and research colloquia for faculty and staff doing research on diversity and inclusion issues. 

Sponsored by Drake International, The Engaged Citizen Experience, The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, Office of Equity and Inclusion, Community Engagement and Service-Learning, and other campus partners, the Global Citizen Forum is an annual event meant to provide students with opportunities to explore the role of engaged citizenship in an increasingly globalized society.

— Melissa Sturm-Smith, Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Student Success