Interfaith forum on voting at the Seminole Campus March 14

Questions about how faith influences voting decisions will be discussed by a panel of local religious leaders in Keeping the Faith at the Ballot Box, an upcoming interfaith forum at the Seminole Campus Digitorium on Wednesday, March 14 from 9:30-10:45 a.m. The forum, sponsored by the Humanities and Fine Arts department and the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions, is free and open to the public.

Speakers representing several religious traditions will discuss the relevance of their faith for establishing the criteria by which members select political leadership. Following their presentations and discussion, the panel also will field questions from the audience.

“The goal of this forum is to consider the importance of an informed world view in making important decisions,” said forum moderator Steven Sinclair, Assistant Professor of Religion. “A religion has limited significance if it is not relevant to choosing those who possess the authority to make binding ethical decisions for us at every level of civil government.”

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Public forum on ethics of global citizenship set for Feb. 29 at Seminole Campus

Benjamin Barber

We are all citizens of the world. What does that mean in terms of good citizenship? Are there obligations to our fellow global citizens – ethical behaviors that determine our citizen-worthiness on Planet Earth?

Those issues will be explored in depth by Dr. Benjamin R. Barber, internationally acclaimed scholar, political theorist and lecturer, at the second Ethics Speaker Series event at St. Petersburg College’s Seminole Campus on Feb. 29. The forum, entitled “The Ethics of Global Citizenship: Does It Affect You?”, is jointly sponsored by the SPC’s Applied Ethics Institute, College of Policy and Legal Studies, and Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions, in partnership with the Tampa Bay Times and WUSF Public Media. It is free to SPC students and the general public.

Dr. Barber is the ideal authority to address the issues of global citizenship. He is founder and president of CivWorld, a global interdependence initiative based in New York at Dēmos, a policy, research and advocacy center dedicated to generating new ideas and catalyzing social change to help everyone achieve the American dream. At CivWorld, Dr. Barber oversees projects aimed at raising awareness of the interdependence of global society and fostering transnational and interdependent solutions to global challenges.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, he joined a group of intellectuals, political leaders and artists from a dozen nations who wrote a “Declaration of Interdependence” and founded Interdependence Day, observed each year on September 12 to seek alternatives to terrorism. The Declaration opens by stating, “We, the people of the world. . . do pledge ourselves citizens of one CivWorld, civic, civil and civilized,” . . . we recognize our responsibilities to the common goods and liberties of humankind as a whole.”

In addition to his international work, Dr. Barber is a professor of Political Science Emeritus at Rutgers University and former Kekst Professor of Civil Society at the University of Maryland. He is a frequent commentator in the news media, is the author of 17 books, and has written for several TV series, including the 10-part PBS/BBC series “The Struggle for Democracy.”

The Feb. 29th forum is from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Digitorium at the SPC Seminole Campus, 9200 113th Street N. Advance registration is encouraged to ensure adequate seating. Please register online if you are interested in attending.

For more information, call 727-394-6942.

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St. Petersburg College thanks Congressman Young for leadership

     St. Petersburg College honored Congressman C.W. “Bill” Young Friday for his efforts in bringing the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions to the college.
     More than 200 people attended the noon luncheon at the Seminole Campus.
     “We want people to learn what their government is all about,” Young said.
      He also said the institute will offer elected and appointed officials an idea of what they need to know.
      “What do I do next” was something Young said he asked himself when he was first elected. “That is the story of this institute,” he said.
    

Congressman Bill Young

Young credited former SPC President Carl M. Kuttler Jr., who attended, for having the vision to bring the institute together.
     “Dr. Kuttler, this was your dream,” Young said. “It took a lot of hard work. Carl Kuttler probably kept me busier than anyone else in making this great institution what it is today.”
     In recognition of Young’s leadership in Congress and the Florida Legislature and his commitment to educational and economic development initiatives, the Florida Legislature in 2007 and 2008 appropriated a one-time $7.5 million endowment to establish the government institute at the college. It was envisioned as a way to offer a broad array of research, training, educational and policy analysis to support activities at the local, state, regional and national levels of government.
      The institute, founded in 2010, also serves as a repository for Young’s papers and related works, awards and honors.
     Young, who has served in Congress for 41 years and was in the Florida State Senate 10 years before that, wants to assure that students have the opportunity to learn about public policy.
     David Klement, executive director of the institute, said it is easy to take someone like Young for granted.    
     “Often, when someone has been a leader for a long time, as has Congressman Young, we tend to take him or her for granted,” Klement said. “We at St. Petersburg College don’t want to be guilty of that. That’s why we are taking the time today to recognize the work that went into this project.”
     Klement said it is a fortuitous time to be launching such an institute.
     “We are, at a time when our country – and the world at large – seems to be going through almost continuous crisis and uncertainty; when our agencies of government are severely challenged financially; when political factions are polarized and people yearn for enlightened leadership; and when debate too often degenerates into a shout-fest that only increases divisiveness and hardens negative attitudes toward those with whom we disagree,” Klement said.

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Health care plan forum at Seminole Campus May 25

The Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions at St. Petersburg College will host the final in a series of three forums discussing the truths and myths of the federal Health Care Plan on Wednesday, May 25.

The event, which focuses on quality improvement and patient safety, includes two 30-minute presentations by professionals in the health care field. The presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

Speakers include Steve Mason, president and CEO of BayCare, a community-based health care system in the Tampa Bay area with more than 18,500 employees; and Martha DeCastro, Vice President for Nursing with the Florida Hospital Association (FHA), a state association that represents more than 165 hospitals and healthcare systems, as well as 1,750 professional members.

The free event is open to the public and will be from 6-8 p.m. at the Seminole Campus, 9200 113^th Street, N., in the Digitorium (UP Bldg, Room 160).

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