Global Opportunities Conference to focus on Cuba
BOONE—The 6th Annual Global Opportunities Conference will present “Cuba Today,” an exploration of the recent economic changes occurring on the island nation, with invited speakers from the University of Havana, Cuba.
Humberto Blanco, standing left, talks with students from the Walker College of Business during a 2012 study abroad trip to Cuba. Blanco is director of the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy at the University of Havana and a speaker at the 6th Annual Global Opportunities Conference on campus April 11. (Photo by Marie Freeman)
The event, presented by Appalachian State University’s Walker College of Business, will be held Friday, April 11, from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. in Plemmons Student Union.
The Global Opportunities Conference is free of charge, but registration is required. Lunch is included at no charge for registrants. When registering, participants may submit a panel question for a chance to win a $40 gift certificate to the University Bookstore. For more information or to register online, visit http://goc.appstate.edu. The 2014 conference is presented by Walker College of Business International Programs, with additional support from University College and the Quality Enhancement Plan.
Special guest Dr. Jose Febles, director of the University of Havana’s Office of International Relations, will open the conference.
Conference attendees will learn about Appalachian’s research and study abroad programs in Cuba from Meredith Church Pipes, international programs coordinator for the Walker College of Business, and Dr. Garner Dewey, director of the Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) at Appalachian. The five-year QEP, “Global Learning: A World of Opportunities for Appalachian Students,” is committed to introducing students to different cultures and teaching them how to live and interact in a global society.
Dr. Renee Scherlen, professor of political science at Appalachian, will present “Cuba and the U.S.: How did we end up here?,” a talk on the historical background of U.S./Cuban relations.
During morning and afternoon panel sessions, participants will attend interdisciplinary discussions of the social, economic and international aspects of change in Cuba, including U.S. and Cuban perspectives.
Panelists from the University of Havana will include Dr. Humberto Blanco, director of the Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy, and Dr. Tania Garcia and Alejandro Gumá, researchers at the Juan Marinello Cuban Institute for Cultural Research.
Panelists from Appalachian will include Dr. Joe Gonzalez, assistant professor in the Department of Cultural, Gender and Global Studies, and Dr. Garner Dewey, QEP director and associate professor in the Department of Technology and Environmental Design.
Blanco will deliver the keynote address on “The Current Situation and the Challenges of Entrepreneurship in Cuba” during a luncheon in the Parkway Ballroom. The conference will end with an open forum on “Cuba Today” in the Greenbriar Theater, where there will be an opportunity to ask the panelists questions in a more informal setting.
Faculty may request that student attendance is recorded by completing an online form athttp://goc.appstate.edu/registerclass.
http://www.news.appstate.edu/2014/03/25/global-opportunities-conference-cuba/
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