Walden University Hosts Conference on Social Change with Focus on Sustainability

Minneapolis—April 17, 2007—Walden University, an accredited online institution, will host its third annual Conference on Social Change in Minneapolis on July 19 and 20. Hundreds of national and local social change leaders, doctoral students, faculty and alumni will converge to participate in this year’s conference, “Sustainability and Social Change: Uncommon Vision for the Common Good.” The two-day event focuses on sustainability of all of our systems, from the environment and human systems to community and organizational systems. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., author and environmentalist, will give the keynote address on “Our Environmental Destiny.”

The conference will feature workshops, lectures, documentary films, art performances and other presentations on issues of social change that improve the human condition and help people, groups, organizations, cultures and society progress toward a more positive future. The goal of this year’s conference is to explore the human side of the sustainability equation: How does social change work achieve a healthy interdependence with the natural world in order to ensure a promising future for all?

“As sustainability continues to take on more importance in our society, Walden University’s Conference on Social Change also becomes a working forum where the academic, professional and advocacy communities can bring together research and ideas about how sustainability initiatives can drive positive social change,” said Paula E. Peinovich, PhD, university president.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions. Kennedy was named one of Time magazine’s “Heroes for the Planet” for his success in helping Riverkeeper lead the fight to restore the Hudson River. The group’s achievement helped spawn more than 125 Waterkeeper organizations across the nation. Among Kennedy’s published books are The New York Times best-seller Crimes Against Nature (2004); The Riverkeepers (1997); and Judge Frank M. Johnson, Jr: A Biography (1977). His articles have appeared in publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Nation, Outside magazine and The Village Voice.

Kennedy serves as senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper organization and president of the Waterkeeper Alliance. He is also a clinical professor and supervising attorney at Pace University School of Law’s Environmental Litigation Clinic. Earlier in his career, he served as assistant district attorney in New York City.

The Conference on Social Change will take place on the Minneapolis campus of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and is open to the public. The registration fee is $75. To register, email [email protected].

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

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. Walden University is a member of the Laureate International Universities network, the largest global network of accredited campus-based and online universities. 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.

The University of Minnesota is not affiliated in any way with Walden University or the activities conducted by Walden University on the University of Minnesota campus. All classes, lectures and other offerings for the event are the product of Walden University. The relationship between the University of Minnesota and Walden University is solely that of a licensor and licensee.