SU inaugural symposium to feature leading scholars, artists, journalists

SU inaugural symposium to feature leadingscholars, artists, journalistsSeptember 10, 2004Matthew R. Snydermrsnyder@syr.edu

Following Chancellor Nancy Cantor’s Nov. 5 inauguration ceremony at the Carrier Dome, Syracuse University will host a symposium on racism and genocide titled “Universities and Moral Responsibility: Respecting Humanity at Home and Abroad.” The event, featuring the nation’s leading artists, journalists and social thinkers, including Central New York community leaders and SU faculty, will take place in the Schine Student Center’s Goldstein Auditorium from 1-5:30 p.m. It is free and open to the public. There will also be exhibitions and installations of artists’ work during the afternoon’s events, with the Menschel Media Center as a key location.

The afternoon conversations, designed around Cantor’s inaugural theme, “University as Public Good: Exploring the Soul of Syracuse,” will be facilitated by New York Times columnist William Safire ’51, HON ’78; Aaron Sorkin ’83, television writer and producer; and David Crane LAW ’80, chief prosecutor of the special court for Sierra Leone. Samantha Power, Harvard University lecturer in public policy and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,” will play a central role in the symposium, which will explore some of the issues raised in her book.

Designed to transcend disciplines, the panel discussions will be preceded by the compelling readings of Martin Espada, who is widely regarded as “the Latino poet of his generation.” They will take place consecutively, each featuring a different group of speakers engaging in rapid-fire dialogue about the role of universities as power brokers in a world inextricably linked by knowledge. The conversations will be punctuated by a satellite address from Christiane Amanpour, chief international correspondent for CNN.

The discussion will be further intensified by the design and commentary of artists including Sol LeWitt ’49, Roger Shimomura G’69, Bill Viola ’73, Carrie Mae Weems, and Lonnie Graham.

According to symposium organizers, more participants will likely be announced during the weeks to come.