Date: Oct 08, 2012

Hofstra University Hosts Day of Dialogue X: Community Engagement Beyond the Elections

Students, faculty and community leaders address critical issues

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY - As Hofstra prepares to host the second Presidential Debate, the University will host its 10^th annual “Day of Dialogue,” a full day devoted to deliberation and reflection on the issues that face our community, the nation and the world. This year’s theme, “Community Engagement Beyond the Elections,” drives a series of thought-provoking panels, workshops and presentations, presented by Hofstra University's Center for Civic Engagement. The events take place throughout the Hofstra campus on Wednesday, October 10, beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing through 8 p.m. All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required for the Keynote address at 6:30 p.m. and the Chris Matthews event is at registration capacity. For descriptions, times and locations of all events, visit hofstra.edu/dod2012.

From the state of the global economy to the U.S. role in the world, education and health policy to the environment and sustainability, students, faculty, administrators, community leaders and invited guests will discuss why it's important to remain actively engaged in their communities before, during, and long after the presidential campaign season is over.

"Day of Dialogue is a great opportunity for the entire Hofstra family—students, faculty, and the surrounding community,” says  Hofstra Professor Mario A. Murillo, Chairperson, Department of Radio, Television, Film and Co-Director, Center for Civic Engagement. “It’s a time to deliberate and reflect on the many issues affecting our world today in the spirit of civic participation and social action. The wide range of policy discussions scheduled for the Day of Dialogue is a reminder that, while the presidential elections naturally draw a lot of attention to the democratic process, it is the period between the elections—when the microphones and cameras are turned off—that, if we intend to make a difference in the lives of our neighbors and our families, we need to remain engaged in our communities."

Day of Dialogue events include:

OPENING PLENARY: A STUDENT'S AGENDA FOR THE 2012 ELECTION 
9:05-10 a.m.

Leo Guthart Cultural Center Theater, Axinn Library

Democracy Fellows from the Center for Civic Engagement kick off this year's Day of Dialogue with a panel on the major issues of concern facing students in this coming election cycle – including the economy, the environment, immigration, education and U.S. foreign policy. In developing a community agenda for action, the panel will introduce Hofstra to CCE's innovative Deliberative Democracy Project, where community forums have been held throughout the local area – in public libraries and schools – led by Hofstra students themselves.

10:10-11:05 a.m. (Three concurrent forums-check website for locations)

• OTHER IDEAS: NO WAR WITH IRAN?
• DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY POLICY FORUM 1: SHAPING OUR FUTURE: HOW SHOULD HIGHER EDUCATION HELP US CREATE THE SOCIETY WE WANT?
• MARRIAGE: FOR GAYS, FOR STRAIGHTS, OR FOR NO ONE? 

COMMON HOUR PLENARY: A POLITICAL INSIDER'S VIEW OF WASHINGTON

Featuring CHRIS MATTHEWS
11:15-12:40 p.m.

John Cranford Adams Playhouse, South Campus

Chris Matthews, journalist and host of MSNBC's "Hardball with Chris Matthews," shares his insights about the presidential campaign with the Hofstra University Community.

HOW DO WE FIX THE ECONOMY? DEREGULATION VS. REREGULATION
12:00-1:30 p.m.

Maurice A. Deane School of Law, Room 308

12:50-1:45 p.m. (Three concurrent forums-check website for locations)

• A EUROPEAN STATE IN CRISIS: GREECE AND BEYOND
• A CONVERSATION WITH AFGHANISTAN
• DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY POLICY FORUM 2: AMERICA'S ROLE IN THE WORLD: WHAT DOES NATIONAL SECURITY MEAN IN THE 21ST CENTURY?

1:55-2:50 p.m. (Three concurrent forums-check website for locations)

• OTHER IDEAS: REMOVE TROOPS FROM AFGHANISTAN NOW?
• EMPOWERING LONG ISLAND FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
• DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY POLICY FORUM 3: A NATION IN DEBT: HOW CAN WE PAY THE BILLS?

2:55-4:20 p.m. (Three concurrent forums-check website for locations)

• THE OUTSIDER INSIDE: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' PERSPECTIVES ON THE U.S. ELECTIONS
• SUSTAINABILITY, THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE ELECTIONS
• DELIBERATIVE DEMOCRACY POLICY FORUM 4: IMMIGRATION IN AMERICA: HOW DO WE FIX A SYSTEM IN CRISIS?

4:30-5:55 p.m. (Three concurrent forums-check website for locations)

• QUE LO QUE PASA AQUÍ? LATINOS AND THE 2012 ELECTIONS
• GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY IN ACTION: VISIONS FOR UNIONDALE

KEYNOTE SPEECH: REBUILDING THE DREAM

Featuring VAN JONES 
6:30-8 p.m.

Student Center Theater

Van Jones is an American environmental advocate and attorney, and is currently a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress and a senior policy advisor at Green for All. He also served the Obama administration in the newly created position of Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality. In this Day of Dialogue keynote presentation, he will discuss why people need to remain actively engaged in the democratic process on a daily basis, especially between electoral cycles, in order to make a difference in one's community, and strengthen democracy. Register online at hofstra.edu/VanJones.

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution of higher education where more than 11,000 full and part-time students choose from undergraduate and graduate offerings in liberal arts and sciences, business, engineering, applied science, communication, education, health sciences and human services, honors studies, the Maurice A. Deane School of Law and the Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine

The Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) plays a major role in Hofstra University’s fulfillment of core objectives. Started as an initiative by faculty committed to promoting student involvement in community and public life, the CCE opened in 2007. The CCE is designed to educate students in democratic values by actively engaging them as knowledgeable citizens in collaborative partnerships with their campus, local, state, national, and global communities.

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Related Link: Day of Dialogue X