Final ticket opportunity for Common Ground for Peace symposium on Oct. 8

Public invited to submit questions online for panel discussions moderated by NBC national and international news correspondent Ann Curry

With final preparations for “Common Ground for Peace” now under way, Syracuse University has released a total of 150 additional complimentary tickets for the morning and afternoon panel discussions on Monday, Oct. 8.

Featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama, spiritual leader of Tibet, the symposium convenes international thought leaders and the SU campus in critical conversations about how to shift global consciousness toward matters of peace and is a separate event from the public talk and One World Concert on Tuesday, Oct. 9, in the Carrier Dome.

The result of a final auditorium configuration, the limited ticket pick-up opportunity is available to the SU campus community and the general public. Tickets will be distributed on a first-come, first served basis and can only be obtained in person at the Schine Box Office, located in the Schine Student Center on the main SU campus beginning Thursday, Oct. 4, at 11 a.m. until the supply is exhausted.

A maximum of two tickets per person will be distributed. Tickets are available for either  the morning or afternoon sessions (based on availability).  A symposium ticket is required to attend each of the “Common Ground for Peace” symposium sessions occurring on Monday, Oct 8. Only tickets specifically issued for each session will be accepted for admission. Tickets are not interchangeable.

Earlier this week, SU announced the symposium panels will be webcast at oneworld.syr.edu/webcast. In an effort to make the panel discussions as inclusive as possible, viewers from all remote locations—whether on campus or online—are invited to submit questions for the panelists. Questions will be collected during the first hour of each session and a selection will be posed to the panelists during the discussion period.

Questions can be e-mailed to oneworldinfo@syr.edu or submitted via Twitter using the hashtag #CGPDemocracy for the morning discussion and #CGPGlobal for the afternoon discussion.

Please note that all guests attending will be subject to enhanced security measures and metal detection before entering the Goldstein Auditorium.  Patrons are encouraged to arrive in sufficient time to allow for a screening process that will be similar to that at an airport.  All purses and personal items will be searched; laptops and bags larger than 12 inches by 12 inches will not be permitted into the auditorium.  Patrons are discouraged from bringing such items to the event.

The final panels on Oct. 8 are:

“The Rise of Democracy in the Middle East”
9-11:30 a.m.

Moderated by NBC News national and international correspondent Ann Curry. Welcome by Chancellor Nancy Cantor. Introduction by Founding Director of the SU Humanities Center Gregg Lambert

The so-called “Arab Spring” has rocked the world. Centered in the Middle East, but reverberating everywhere, citizens have been rising up, demanding civil and economic rights, protesting against and overthrowing totalitarian regimes. Governments have been replaced in Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia and Libya. There will certainly be more. This discussion considers the lessons of this movement and the pathway forward for emerging democracies, and questions what must be done to consolidate gains on a humanitarian level, while continuing to move in the direction of a more peaceful—and compassionate—existence.

Panelists: His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama; Nobel Peace Laureate and former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei; energy and national security specialist and former Director of Central Intelligence R. James Woolsey; Nobel Peace Laureate and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi; director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University’s School of Public Service Irshad Manji; and former U.N. ambassador Andrew Young.

“Shifting the Global Consciousness”
1:30-4 p.m.

Moderated by NBC News national and international correspondent Ann Curry. Introduction by Founding Director of the SU Humanities Center Gregg Lambert.

Our “global consciousness” is constantly changing. The ebb and flow of the issues that inform our behavior, politics and philosophy are driven by a variety of factors, from the availability and timeliness of information to the constantly changing zeitgeist. This discussion explores the way we view ourselves in the context of this information. And if we are truly global citizens, what steps must we take to push the global consciousness towards peace and humanity?

Panelists: His Holiness the Dalai Lama; human rights advocate Martin Luther King III; Nobel Peace Laureate and Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi; Nobel Peace Laureate and former director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei; Academy Award winning composer, UN Ambassador and philanthropist A.R. Rahman; and Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi.

For answers to frequently asked questions, visit oneworld.syr.edu.

“Common Ground for Peace” is produced and sponsored by World Harmony Productions and hosted by Syracuse University.