Opening Speaker

Al Gore
Sunday, April 1, 2007
6:00 - 8:00 PM

As Vice President of the United States, winner of the popular vote in the mind-whirling campaign of 2000, congressman, Vietnam veteran and journalist, Al Gore offers a unique perspective on national and international affairs. He is also one of the most powerful champions of environmental awareness in America today.

His multimedia presentation, which is a mesmerizing account of the consequences of climate change, was turned into the critically acclaimed documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, and is making headlines across the country.

In addition to his impassioned efforts with the environment, he has also carved out a considerable business career as Chairman of Generation Investment Management, a new London-based fund management firm that creates environment-friendly portfolios; Senior Advisor to Google; one of the Board of Directors of Apple Computer and is President of the recently launched and successful Current TV, a cable television network aimed at 18 - 24 year olds which is best described as a cross between MTV and CNN.

Sylvia Hurtado & John Pryor
Monday, April 2, 2007
8:30 AM - 9:45 AM
Looking at the Past, Shaping the Future: Getting to Know our Students for the Past 40 Years

The power to shape education lies, to a great extent, upon what we know about our students. For the past 40 years, the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP), housed at the Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), has been one of the most powerful sources of information about incoming first-year students. The CIRP Freshman Survey has been used by over 1,900 institutions to examine their students and has spawned hundreds of articles and books that inform practice in student affairs. Sylvia Hurtado, professor and director of HERI, and John Pryor, director of the CIRP, will debut the main findings of their new book The American Freshman: Forty Year Trends. Join us for a provocative look at the changing portrait of the first-year student and the implications such changes have for how we shape our work as student affairs professionals.

Jonathan Kozol
Monday, April 2, 2007
10:45 AM - 11:30 AM

Jonathan Kozol is one of America's most tireless and influential advocates for public education. He put the nation's public schools on the national political agenda, and he fights tirelessly for the rights and needs of children.

His books have set the agenda for social change for three decades. His book, Death at an Early Age has sold over two million copies, while Illiterate America made public the debate on adult illiteracy. In 1985, Kozol spent a year working in a homeless shelter, and his book, Rachel and her Children, gave voice to the people living in desperate poverty and to the tragic death of an 8-month-old child. His other books include Savage Inequalities, Amazing Grace, and most recently, Ordinary Resurrections, which deals with the residents of one of the South Bronx's most dismal neighborhoods, Mott Haven, who struggle with poverty, imprisoned fathers, asthma and AIDS.

Jonathan Kozol will share his vision and passion for addressing some of the most profound issues facing students, educators and society today.

Presidential Speaker: Diana Natalicio
Monday, April 2, 2007
12:00 PM - 1:15 PM

Diana Natalicio, an academic leader with a long and distinguished career at the University of Texas at El Paso, was named President of the university in 1988. Her sustained commitment to provide all residents of the Paso del Norte region access to outstanding higher education opportunities has made UTEP a national success story.

During Dr. Natalicio's tenure as president, UTEP's enrollment has grown to nearly 20,000 students, who reflect the demographics of the Paso del Norte region: more than 70 percent are Mexican American, and another 10 percent commute from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

Dr. Natalicio serves on the boards of the Rockefeller Foundation and the U.S.-Mexico Foundation for Science and was a US Presidential appointee to the Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans and the National Science Board.

Presidential Speaker: Graham Spanier
Monday, April 2, 2007
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Graham Spanier, appointed Penn State's 16th president in 1995, has been described as an unconventional university president. Although he spends most of his time overseeing one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive universities, his favorite activity is spending time with students. Through his performance as the Nittany Lion mascot, role as faculty adviser, work alongside students and involvement in intramural programs, Graham Spanier embraces the vitality of campus life.

At Penn State, Dr. Spanier has been the guiding force behind several historic academic initiatives, and has led Penn State's record breaking capital campaign. A distinguished researcher and scholar and a national leader in higher education, Dr. Spanier will share his unique perspective on students and the role of student affairs today.

Kay Redfield Jamison
Monday, April 2, 2007
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM

An international authority and researcher on mood disorders, Kay Redfield Jamison has unique insight into the world of mental illness. She has been there herself.

A Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Jamison shocked her colleagues by going public with her own struggle with manic-depression in her book, An Unquiet Mind. The book became a New York Times bestseller and since its release, Dr. Jamison has become a trusted spokesperson for millions of people who suffer from mental illness.

Her national bestseller, Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide, was chosen by The New York Times as a "Notable Book of 1999." Jamison, explaining her reasons for writing the book, said, "I have become increasingly optimistic about the possibilities of suicide prevention but deeply frustrated by the lack of public and professional awareness of the terrible toll it takes." Suicide is the third leading cause of death in 19 to 24-year olds and, globally, kills over one million people a year.

Jamison's rigorous yet compassionate approach is an offshoot of her own journey from suffering to sharing. Audiences describe her lectures as profound educational experiences that offer a powerful message of hope.

Four College Presidents, all former student affairs Vice Presidents and Deans of Students, will comment on what they would like to see from their student affairs division now that they are in the role of the president. Each will share their expectations for student affairs in a dynamic, changing academic environment.

The 12th President of Philander Smith College in Little Rock Arkansas, Walter Kimbrough is the youngest historically Black college & university president and one of the youngest college presidents in the nation. A national expert on historically Black sororities and fraternities, Kimbrough is an active community leader, author, and noted speaker with deep roots in student affairs.

For the past eight years, Ann McGee has served as President of Seminole Community College in Sanford, Florida. In 2006, McGee was named the top community college CEO from among the nation's 1200 community college chief executives for her leadership in transforming Seminole Community College into one of the most rapidly expanding colleges in the state and nation.

Penny Wills has served as 7th President of Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) since 2004. Prior to her arrival in Iowa, she was Vice President for Student Development at Floyd College in Rome, Georgia. Wills draws upon her roots as an educator for forge the community, educational and business partnerships instrumental to institutional leadership.

Larry Ebbers, University Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Iowa State University, will moderate this special panel.

Terry W. Hartle
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
8:30 AM - 9:45 AM
Gaylord, Osceola C/D

For more than a decade, Terry Hartle, Senior Vice President of the American Council on Education (ACE) Division of Government and Public Affairs, has directed ACE's comprehensive effort to engage federal policy makers on a broad range of issues including student aid, scientific research, government regulation, and tax policy. Not only does this work involve representation before the U.S. Congress, administrative agencies, and the federal courts, but it increasingly includes work on state and local issues of national impact.

In light of ACE's historic role coordinating the government relations efforts of some 60 associations in the Washington-based higher education community, Hartle is widely considered American higher education's most visible lobbyist. Prior to joining ACE in 1993, he served as education staff director for the U.S. Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources under Senator Edward Kennedy, director of social policy studies and resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and a research scientist at the Educational Testing Service.

As we examine our power and responsibility to shape education, Hartle will provide an important perspective on the key public policy issues facing higher education today.

John Thelin
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
10:15 AM - 11:30 AM

Dr. John Thelin, University Research Professor at the University of Kentucky, brings historical writing and research to contemporary discussions about significant, enduring higher education issues.

His landmark 2000 book, A History of American Higher Education, provides a thorough and engaging history of colleges and universities and a historical analysis of contemporary trends and issues facing higher education today including access, affordability, assessment and accountability. Thelin's historical narrative comes alive with his creative approach and the interesting and often humorous anecdotes he includes along the way. Thelin views higher education's history -- especially campus life -- as part of American popular culture. He offers perspective on how higher education has and continues to influence American society.

Dr. Thelin has served as the President of the Association for the Study of Higher Education and has published numerous books, journal articles and newspaper commentaries. As the author of what is considered by many to be the foremost work on the history of American Higher Education, Thelin frames the historical context upon which our work in higher education today and in the future will be based.

Richard Lapchick
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
1:45 PM - 3:00 PM

Human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality, internationally recognized expert on sports issues, scholar and author Richard E. Lapchick is often described as "the racial conscience of sport" for his commitment to equality and his belief that sport can be an effective instrument of positive social change.

Lapchick currently serves as chair of the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida and Director of both the National Consortium for Academics and Sports (NCAS) and the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports. NCAS athletes representing more than 215 colleges and universities have worked with more than 13 million students in outreach programs, teaching youth how to improve race relations, develop conflict resolution skills, prevent gender violence and avoid drug and alcohol abuse. The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport publishes the critically acclaimed Racial and Gender Report Card, an annual study of the racial and gender hiring practices of major sports and provides diversity management training to sports organizations. The Institute also monitors the critical ethical issues in college and professional sports, including the potential for the exploitation of student-athletes, gambling, performance-enhancing drugs and violence.

A prolific author, respected diversity expert and agent of change within the sports community, Richard Lapchick will share his powerful vision of "the real miracle of sports."

Consuelo Kickbusch
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
3:30 PM - 4:45 PM

Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch is a renowned charismatic, passionate and influential speaker who brings a powerful message of what it takes to be an effective leader in today's global marketplace.

Born and raised along the border in a small barrio in Laredo, Texas, Consuelo Kickbusch is all too familiar with the challenges of poverty, discrimination and illiteracy. Although she grew up without material wealth, she learned through valuable lessons taught by her immigrant parents that she was rich in culture, tradition, values and faith.

Consuelo entered the U.S. Army as an officer and served for two decades. During that time, she broke barriers and set records in the military where she became the highest-ranking Hispanic woman in the Combat Support Field of the U.S. Army.

For the last ten years Consuelo has dedicated her life to empowering a new generation of Hispanic leaders and has worked with over one million children, their parents and educators in the roughest neighborhoods in America. She inspires these young "diamonds in the rough" by encouraging them to believe that they can all make their dreams come true - to not give up hope, but rather to take charge of their lives and make a real difference in their families and communities by following a disciplined road map to success.

Closing Speaker

Benjamin Solomon Carson, Sr., M.D.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

To all who say that circumstances in their lives have made personal success impossible, Dr. Benjamin Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, is living proof that perseverance, prayer, and self-respect, combined with a devotion to acquiring knowledge, can overcome any obstacles in one's way.

Growing up in a single parent home with dire poverty, poor grades, a horrible temper, and low self-esteem, Ben Carson's dream of becoming a doctor seemed out of reach until his mother, with only a third-grade education, challenged her sons to strive for excellence. Today, Ben Carson is an acclaimed pediatric surgeon who has made medical history in operations to separate co-joined twins.

In 2001, Dr. Carson was named by CNN and TIME Magazine as one of the nation's 20 foremost physicians and scientists and selected by the Library of Congress as one of 89 "Living Legends". He is also the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the NAACP. His three books, Gifted Hands, THINK BIG, and The Big Picture offer inspiration and insight for leading a successful life.

A pediatric neurosurgeon of world-renown, a mentor to countless individuals of all ages and a captivating speaker, Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., carries with him a message of hope for and faith in the human spirit. As the closing speaker for the 2007 Joint Meeting, Dr. Carson will share his perspectives on helping others discover their potential and the liberating power of education.

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