Austin College will host The 2019 Jno. E. Owens Memorial Foundation Conference titled “The Pursuit of Imagined Communities: Nationalism vs. Globalism and Its Meaning for International Trade” on February 11 in Wright Campus Center. Advance registration is required for the luncheon keynote address, with reservations required by February 4. There is no charge for the event.
The broad objective of the Jno. E. Owens Lectureship Series is to expand public understanding of international economic forces in the context of free trade. Owens, for whom the foundation is named, was a prominent Texas banker who had a lifelong interest in international relations. The series is presented at Austin College and SMU in alternating years.
Susan Pozo, professor of economics and the director of the Global and International Studies Program as Western Michigan University, will deliver the keynote address at a luncheon in Mabee Hall. Pozo’s research focuses on international human capital, immigration policy, undocumented migration, immigrants’ remittances and foreign exchange rates.
Other speakers at the conference include Liah Greenfeld at 9 a.m. in Wright Campus Center, Room 231. Greenfield is a professor of sociology, political science, and anthropology at Boston University. She is an authority on nationalism and author of several books on the topic. She has taught at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, at Harvard, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MIT, and the Ecole Des Hautes Etudes en Sciences in Sociales in Paris.
Ian Haney Lopez, the Earl Warren Professor of Public Law the University of California-Berkeley and an authority on the evolution of racism in the United States, will be presenting at 10:30 a.m. in Room 231. He is a prolific author of books, several articles in prominent law journals and anthologies. He has taught at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Yale, Harvard, and New York University. He was a Rockefeller Fellow in Law and Humanities at Stanford University.
At 1:45 p.m. in Mabee Hall, Michele Wucker, from Gray Rhino & Company, will share knowledge she gained from three decades in the fields of media and world policy. Her writing has been published around the world including AmericaEconomia, CNN.com, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Washington Journal, and World Policy Journal. She has appeared on National Public Radio, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC, and Fox News.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, international study, pre-professional foundations, leadership development, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 40 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with 46 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and more than 100 expert faculty members allow a 13:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. This year, the campus recognizes 100 years of co-education and has had several opportunities to recognize the history of women and accomplishments of current alumnae. Austin College is related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA) and cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. Founded in 1849, the College is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.