The day marks the unveiling of a new vision for the University's future, based on the recently completed Strategic Planning Initiative. In addition, keynote speakers and distinguished panelists will address a range of topics of importance to UD and its growing role as a national and international leader, from climate change and alternative energy to corporate governance, women in business, and the future of health care, public education, and the arts and humanities. Panels will also showcase some of UD's innovative programs, including a demonstration of the new Exelon Trading Center, which allows students to simulate a live, stock-exchange environment, and Engineers Without Borders, an organization of student engineers who have been working to bring clean water to villagers in Cameroon.
The Forum will kick off at 9 a.m. with welcome remarks by Faculty Senate President Alan Fox and an opening keynote address by Abdoulaye Wade, president of the Republic of Senegal. Two sets of concurrent panel sessions will follow in the morning and afternoon, moderated by faculty members and joined by leaders from business, government, the University and the community.
The day's events will conclude with remarks by Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner and Howard Cosgrove, chairman of UD's Board of Trustees, and a closing keynote address by UD President Patrick T. Harker, “State of the University: Charting Our Path to Prominence.” Harker, who joined the University in July as its 26th president, will discuss the results of a recent, comprehensive strategic planning initiative and share his vision for the University's future. There will be a reception at the Bob Carpenter Center after Harker's address, featuring entertainment by the University of Delaware Chorale and student jazz ensemble.
Forum registration costs $35, including lunch and the closing reception, with free parking available at the Bob Carpenter Center. Beginning at 7:30 a.m., shuttle buses will take guests from the Bob to Gore Hall for registration (8-9 a.m.).
Following the afternoon panels, shuttles will return participants to the Bob Carpenter Center for Harker's closing address at 3:45 p.m.
The morning's concurrent panel sessions, from 10:30-11:45 a.m.:
- “The Future of Public Education,” moderated by Nancy Brickhouse, professor and director of the School of Education. Panelists: Valerie A. Woodruff, Delaware state secretary of education; Lillian M. Lowery, superintendent, Christina School District; Michael Gamel-McCormick, interim dean, College of Human Services, Education and Public Policy, and director, UD Center for Disabilities Studies; and Sharon Walpole, assistant professor of education.
- “In the company of Women: Women Leaders in American Business,” moderated by Patricia Sloane-White, assistant professor of anthropology. Panelists: Claire M. DeMatteis, partner-in-charge and co-chair of the Government and Public Affairs Practice Group, Stradley Ronon law firm, and Michele Rollins, chairman, Rollins Jamaica.
- “Challenges and Opportunities in Alternative Energy,” moderated by Mark Barteau, Robert L. Pigford Chair of Chemical Engineering. Panelists: Willett M. Kempton, associate professor of marine policy, and William Provine, director of development, DuPont Co.
- “Building Hope Across the Globe: Engineers Without Borders,” moderated by Michael Chajes, interim dean, College of Engineering. Panelists: Steven K. Dentel, professor of civil and environmental engineering, and engineering students Sarah L. O'Neill and Julie M. Trick.
- “Playing Wall Street: Demonstrating UD's New Exelon Trading Center,” moderated by Conrado (Bobby) M. Gempesaw, dean, Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. Presenter: Richard Holowczak, director, Bert W. and Sandra Wasserman Trading Floor and Subotnick Financial Services Center, Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, City University of New York.
Afternoon panels, from 2-3:15 p.m.:
- “An Uncertain Future: Public and Private Asset Management and Retirement Planning,” moderated by Laurence Seidman, Chaplin Tyler Professor of Economics. Panelists: Jim Courtney, deputy commissioner for communications, Social Security Administration; Valerie J. Sill, president and CEO, DuPont Capital Management; and Kenneth C. Whitney, senior managing partner, The Blackstone Group.
- “Corporate Governance: Where We Have Been, Where We Are Going,” moderated by Charles Elson, Edgar S. Woolard Jr. Chair of Corporate Governance and director, UD's Weinberg Center for Corporate Governance. Panelists: John A. Krol, former CEO, DuPont, and William B. Chandler III, chancellor, and Leo E. Strine Jr., vice chancellor, Delaware Court of Chancery.
- “Climate Change: New Thinking for New Weather,” moderated by Ralph J. Begleiter, Rosenberg Professor of Communication and Distinguished Journalist in Residence. Panelists: John Byrne, director, UD Center for Energy and Environmental Policy, co-executive director, Joint Institute for a Sustainable Energy and Environmental Future, and Distinguished Professor of Public Policy; Dominic M. Di Toro, Edward C. Davis Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering; and Russell W. Peterson, former governor of Delaware and former president, National Audubon Society.
- “Beyond Science: The Future of Health Care, America and the Life Sciences at the University of Delaware,” moderated by Thomas Apple, dean, College of Arts and Sciences, and professor of chemistry and biochemistry. Panelists: Thomas M. Connelly, executive vice president, DuPont; Robert L. Barchi, president, Thomas Jefferson University, and Fairhill Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, University of Pennsylvania; Robert J. Laskowski, president and CEO, Christiana Care Health System; Mary C. Farach-Carson, professor of biological sciences, secondary faculty, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, affiliated faculty, Delaware Biotechnology Institute, and director, Center for Translational Cancer Research.
- “From Kuala Lumpur to Katrina: Arts and Humanities Education in the 21st Century,” moderated by Ann Ardis, associate dean, College of Arts and Sciences. Panelists: Deborah Alvarez, assistant professor of English; Xiang Gao, associate professor of music; Rosalind Johnson, researcher in the Black American Studies Program; Leslie Reidel, acting and stage management faculty, UD Professional Theatre Training Program; and Patricia Sloane-White, assistant professor of anthropology.
For updates and more information, visit the web site [www.udel.edu/forum], where guests can register online. For questions or to register by phone, call (302) 831-2214.