Events

Part Three in the Re-Imagining Higher Education Worldwide after COVID-19 Series

Featuring:
Sami Basha, President of The American University of Sicily
Lisa Anderson, Former President of The American University in Cairo
Allan Goodman, President of the Institute of International Education
Clara Lovett, President Emerita of Northern Arizona University and former Dean of GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
Hosted by Dr. Bernhard Streitwieser and Dr. Kyle Long

Join higher education experts as they provide feedback on an effort currently underway to establish an American university in Sicily. What could a new university for the Mediterranean look like? What lessons should the leaders of that institution consider to optimize success?

(12:00-1:00pm ET)

Experts address the challenges and opportunities associated with American re-entry into the global education organization

The Biden administration’s public pronouncements about the importance of multi-lateralism has many observers wondering about the prospect of the United States re-joining UNESCO. The United States withdrew from the intergovernmental organization in 2019, but had stopped paying dues in 2011 when UNESCO admitted Palestine. The suspension of payments—more than a fifth of the organization’s revenues—was a serious blow. By the time the United States officially left, the country was nearly $600 million in arrears. The funding dearth has impeded UNESCO’s effectiveness, contributing to hiring freezes and program cuts.

American proponents of UNESCO are eager to see the country return to the organization it helped to establish in 1945. But such optimism belies significant hurdles. Beyond the Palestinian issue, American officials have alleged corruption and mismanagement in the past. Meanwhile, UNESCO members may not be immediately eager to re-welcome a country member that has twice withdrawn. The U.S. left for the first time in 1984 and only re-joined in 2002.

In this expert panel, scholars and practitioners will discuss the merits of re-joining UNESCO and explore the extent to which a Biden administration represents a window of opportunity for re-committing the United States to UNESCO membership.

Panelists:
Kristen Cordell, Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Jared Genser, Managing Director, Perseus Strategies LLC
Crystal Nix-Hines, Partner, Quinn Emanuel LLP and Former United States Ambassador to UNESCO
James H. Williams, Professor of International Education and UNESCO Chair in International Education for Development, the George Washington University

Host:
Kyle Long, Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Education and UNESCO Co-Chair in International Education for Development, the George Washington University

Questions? Email iep@gwu.edu
(2:00-3:00pm ET)

Conversations on Inclusive Leadership hosted by Dr. Erica Brown

Featuring Rabbi Isaiah Joseph Rothstein

Rabbi Isaiah Joseph Rothstein serves as Rabbinic Scholar and Public Affairs Advisor at Jewish Federations of North America and grew up in a mixed-race family in the ultra-orthodox community of Monsey, NY. Isaiah most recently served as Rabbi-in-Residence at Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability and is the co-founder of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement and Kamochah, a community for Black Orthodox Jews. He served as Spiritual Leader at Carmel Academy in Greenwich Connecticut and as Youth Director at the Young Israel of Stamford. He attended Kushner Yeshiva Highschool, almost two years studying in Israel, Binghamton University, followed by rabbinic ordination and his Master's in social work from Yeshiva University. Rothstein is a member of the Schusterman Foundation’s ROI Fellowship and was listed as one of the Jewish Week’s 36 Under 36. When he is not working to keep the world safe for democracy, Isaiah is writing a musical about Queen Esther.

Hosted by Dr. Erica Brown, Director of the Mayberg Center and moderator of the Take Your Soul to Work Podcast

12:00-1:00pm