(left to right) Maggie Fitzgerald Murphy, Fiona Robinson, and Karen Schwartz
What began as an idea from Dean André Plourde last spring is about to become reality. The Faculty of Public Affairs is hosting the Visions for Canada 2042: Imagining the Canada of the Future conference in early March. It features a film screening, 25 panel discussions and two keynote addresses all exploring the same question: What is your vision for Canada 25 years from now?
“This conference is a celebration of Carleton’s 75th anniversary, but also a showcase of the diverse research we’re doing in the Faculty of Public Affairs,” says conference co-chair Fiona Robinson, a Professor of Political Science. “It’s a chance to bring faculty and former students together with the wider community to contribute to a vision for Canada’s future.”
Faculty members, graduate students, and community members will take part in discussions on technology, the environment, international affairs, media, sexuality, and much more.
“Carleton University will be 100 years old in 2042 and while we as faculty members might not be here, our students will be here,” says co-chair Karen Schwartz, the Faculty’s Associate Dean for Research and International. “This will give us a chance to reflect on the future through discussions that are a combination of policy thinking and ‘blue sky’ thinking.”
Both Professors Robinson and Schwartz give credit to FPA events coordinator Cassie Smith and research assistant Maggie Fitzgerald Murphy for their invaluable organizing skills in pulling the conference together.
“It’s going to be exciting to explore these possible horizons for those of us who will be pursuing academic careers,” says Ms. Fitzgerald Murphy, who recruited several graduate students to participate in the panels.
The Visions for Canada 2042 conference is one of many events being held in honour of Carleton University’s 75th anniversary and Canada’s 150th. The organizers are encouraging everyone interested in Canada’s future to take part.
Wednesday, February 1, 2017 in FPA Voices, Research
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