Walden University Hosts Conference on Social Change in October

Minneapolis–September 6, 2006—More than 400 social change leaders, doctoral students, faculty, and alumni will converge on Baltimore Oct. 20–21 for the second annual Conference on Social Change hosted by Walden University, an accredited online institution. This year’s conference theme is “Uncommon Vision and the Common Good.”

Walden’s Conference on Social Change is for those interested in creating and applying ideas and actions to promote the worth, dignity and development of individuals, communities and organizations. Among the social change issues and topics to be presented by Walden scholars and other academicians are citizen engagement and the democratic process, corporate social responsibility, the civil rights movement, the implications of censorship, art and social change, civic engagement and the Internet, serving individuals with disabilities, and the role of the media in social change.

“Over the past 35 years, Walden University has created an extraordinary community of lifelong learners who share a common desire to make a positive social impact,” said Paula E. Peinovich, PhD, president and provost of Walden. “Our conference will bring together like-minded individuals to share theoretical advancement and applied research on social change that improves the human condition and progresses people, groups, organizations, cultures, and society toward a more positive future.”

This year’s keynote speaker is Richard C. Harwood, founder and president of The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, a nonprofit catalytic organization dedicated to helping people imagine and act for the public good. For nearly two decades, Harwood has led the charge to redeem hope in politics and public life. In his latest book, Hope Unraveled: The People’s Retreat and Our Way Back, Harwood argues that the United States is not a nation divided between red states and blue states, urban and rural, secular and spiritual. Instead, he lays out an alternative path for public life and politics for all Americans.

Dr. Nir Tsuk, director of the Global Fellowship Program at Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, will be the conference’s closing speaker. Ashoka is a global association providing start-up financing, professional services and a powerful worldwide network of social and business entrepreneurs who spread their innovative ideas internationally. Special guest speakers include Dr. David Thornburg, director of Global Operations of The Thornburg Center, on Tropicalia and Social Change and Kevin Klose, president and CEO of National Public Radio (NPR), on the role of media in social change.

The conference will be composed of workshops and lectures on social change topics, documentary films and discussions, art performances that interpret and promote positive social change, and walking tours highlighting the social change occurring in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood of Baltimore. Performing artists scheduled to participate include Kids on the Hill video project from Baltimore, folk duo Emma’s Revolution, Washington, D.C. community activist Anu Yadav, and Bryan Francoise-Theater of the Oppressed workshop.

Walden’s Conference on Social Change is open to the public and will be held Oct. 20–21 at the Tremont Plaza Hotel in downtown Baltimore. The registration fee is $75. Email registration is available at [email protected].

For more information about the conference, go to www.WaldenU.edu/scc.

About Walden University
Since 1970, Walden University has offered working professionals the opportunity to earn advanced degrees through distance learning. Today, this comprehensive, accredited online university offers master’s and doctoral degrees in education, psychology, management, public policy and administration, and health and human services, as well as master’s programs in engineering and IT and bachelor’s completion programs in business. For more information, visit www.WaldenU.edu.

Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.hlcommission.org; 312-263-0456.