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The UI’s Obermann Center for Advanced Studies has long been the home of interdisciplinary collaboration, where thinking outside the box isn’t just the result, but the operating principle.
Ten years ago, the Obermann Center, believing strongly in the power of actively-engaged scholarship, established a week-long institute which would put experienced faculty together with graduate students to show them how they can enhance their teaching, research, and creative work through purposeful interaction with community partners.
We’ll hear from participants—faculty, graduate students, and community members—on the next WorldCanvass in a program called “Taking It to the Streets: Engagement and the Academy.” The free program begins at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 1, at FilmScene in downtown Iowa City.
In the words of Associate Dean of the Tippie College of Business Ken Brown, a former faculty leader:
"In my mind I always imagined what an ideal university would be like, and there are many times when our work doesn’t seem to quite get there. Too much focus on singular ideas, getting through material, and meetings. But working across disciplinary boundaries to design and deliver the institute, and being challenged by passionate and brilliant students during that week… that was the closest I’ve ever felt to doing the thought-provoking, life-changing work that I imagine is the best of what universities can be…"
Taking It to the Streets: Engagement and the Academy
Part 1—5:00-5:25 p.m.
Modeling engagement for a new generation
Teresa Mangum—director, UI Obermann Center for Advanced Studies
Jennifer New—assistant director, UI Obermann Center for Advanced Studies
Ken Brown—associate dean, UI Tippie College of Business
Part 2—5:30-5:55 p.m.
History Corps
Jacki Rand—associate professor, UI Department of History
Heather Wacha—graduate student, UI Department of History
Part 3—6:00-6:25 p.m.
Headaches, heartbreak, and joy
Kate Kedley—graduate student, UI College of Education
Hector Efren Flores—Honduran activist, poet, writer, and lawyer
Craig Just—assistant professor, UI College of Engineering
The program, which is produced by UI International Programs and takes place at Iowa City’s non-profit cinema arts organization FilmScene, 118 East College Street, is free and open to the public. Concessions will be available for purchase and audience members are invited to enjoy a social hour from 4-5 p.m. preceding the show.
WorldCanvass is recorded before a live audience for later broadcast on UITV, YouTube, iTunes, and the Public Radio Exchange. Podcasts can be downloaded for free from iTunes and past programs are available through IP’s website.
WorldCanvass is a production of UI International Programs in collaboration with FilmScene and University of Iowa Video Services. For more information on WorldCanvass, contact Joan Kjaer at joan-kjaer@uiowa.edu or visit the WorldCanvass web page.
Related story: Institute celebrates legacy of engagement