Register for annual civil discourse symposium

Grand Valley's third annual Padnos/Sarosik Civil Discourse Symposium centers on global migration and the challenges and opportunities that refugees and immigrants bring to a community.

"Welcoming Immigrants and Refugees: Community Engagement and Transformation" is set for Thursday, November 10, from 5-8:30 p.m. in the Eberhard Center. The event is free and open to the public; a light dinner will be served. RSVP online by clicking here.

Jack Mangala, Padnos/Sarosik professor for civil discourse, said panelists from Detroit and Grand Rapids will offer perspectives as immigrants themselves or as advocates for the immigrant community. The symposium also offers an opportunity to engage with West Michigan organizations that offer resources to refugees and immigrants.

More about the symposium and the panelists listed below can be found online at www.gvsu.edu/civildiscourse.

Panelists are Raquel Garcia Andersen, director of partnerships and community outreach for Global Detroit; Susan E. Reed, managing attorney for Michigan Immigrant Rights Center; Lupe Ramos-Montigny, member of Michigan State Board of Education; Kizombo Kalumbula, pastor of family life for Tabernacle Community Church; Anh Nguyet Tran, president of Liaison Linguistics; and Amer Zahr, adjunct professor for University Detroit Mercy School of Law.

The symposium expands on Mangala's course, "Immigration: Think Global, Act Local."  The endowed professorship is housed in the Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies and was a gift to Grand Valley from longtime supporters Shelley Padnos and Carol Sarosik.