University of Richmond's Jepson Forum tackles global issues, including inequality and terrorism

The 25th anniversary Jepson Leadership Forum will confront some of the most critical and divisive issues facing the world, including wealth, social inequality and terrorism. The 2017-18 series, “Vision and Division,” begins Sept. 18. Programs are free and open to the public, but registration is required. 

Audience members will have opportunities to interact with speakers during book signings and receptions.

Programs include:

Using Economics to Solve Racial Inequality, Sept. 18, 4:30 p.m.
Roland G. Fryer, Jr., is an economics professor at Harvard University and the faculty director of the Education Innovation Laboratory. Fryer's research combines economic theory, empirical evidence and randomized experiments to help design more effective government policies.

Talking to Terrorists, Oct. 19, 7 p.m.
Rukmini Callimachi is an award-winning foreign correspondent for The New York Times. She is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, most recently for stories based on internal Qaeda documents she discovered in Mali. She is also the winner of multiple Overseas Press Club Awards and the Michael Kelly prize. Before joining The Times, she covered a 20-country beat in Africa for The Associated Press.

Listening as Leadership, Nov. 16, 7 p.m.
Dennis Whittle is an economist and co-founder of Feedback Labs and GlobalGiving, the world’s first crowdfunding and crowdsourcing website. He has served as a scholar at New York University, UNC-Chapel Hill and Princeton University.

Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.
Robert D. Putnam is a public policy professor at Harvard University and an adviser to world leaders. He received the National Humanities Medal in 2012 from then-President Obama. His talk will focus on the growing class gap in the United States and what that means for social mobility.

Why Feminism (Still) Matters, Feb. 21, 7 p.m.
Jessica Valenti is a bestselling author whose work has topped the most-read lists at The Atlantic, the Guardian US, The Washington Post and The Nation. She founded the Feministing blog in 2004 and has worked to bring the feminist movement online.  

Reframing How We Think about Divisive Issues, March 28, 7 p.m.
Julia Galef is a speaker and writer focused on reasoning, judgment and the future of humanity. She runs the Update Project, which has a mission to help decision makers make their models of the world more accurate. In 2012, she co-founded the Center for Applied Rationality, a nonprofit that runs workshops on improving reasoning and decision-making.

To register or for more information, visit jepson.richmond.edu/forum or call 804-287-6522.  

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­­­­Since 1992, the University of Richmond Jepson School of Leadership Studies has explored how visionary leaders bring people together and drive change.