What role should universities play in shaping public policy? Can and should universities act as public watchdogs in our modern era of corporate funding? Is it the universities’ role to train the workforce? How should universities exercise their function as a source of innovation?
These are just a few of the questions that prominent researchers and personalities are expected to address at the 7th Annual GSAÉD Interdisciplinary Conference, which will run February 19 to 21, under the theme “The Scholar and the State.”
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Over the years, the conference has gained momentum and is now recognized for the quality of speakers and presentations it manages to attract. “We received a lot of compliments from our colleagues at other universities and the Canadian Federation of Students,” Shaw says. “I’m proud that we’re able to put on such a show for the entire university community but in particular for graduate students.”
Among this year’s star speakers are U.S. Green Party leader and long-time consumer advocate Ralph Nader and former Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart, who is now playing a key role in the digitization and preservation of the collections of the American Folklife Center, among other social pursuits. Nader’s address is slated for Friday, February 20, while Hart will speak on Saturday, February 21.
The conference will also feature a panel discussion on Thursday, February 19, on universities as a source of “innovation” – often defined as research that leads to products that can be sold or patented or otherwise turned into marketable commodities, Shaw notes.
“But we can’t forget the ‘thinking disciplines’ because their products make things like public policy and urban planning, and they set future directions,” she says. “We need to address the importance of preserving all disciplines in a university. So, hopefully, innovation can be applied to everyone.”
Tickets for these events can be ordered from the conference Web site. Everyone is welcome to attend all proceedings.
