Plenary Sessions

PLENARY SESSIONS
TO PIQUE YOUR INTEREST,
TO BROADEN YOUR HORIZONS, and
TO SPUR YOUR THINKING
THROUGHOUT THE CONFERENCE . . .
. . . AND BEYOND

Although pre-conference workshops and educational excursions will be held on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning, and although concurrent sessions begin on Thursday at 2 p.m., the first plenary session is not until later in the day–Thursday at 4:45 p.m. to be precise. Please arrive a few minutes early to meet and greet colleagues in order to be ready to begin promptly at 4:45 p.m.

Friday’s plenary session is at 11:30 a.m., and Saturday’s is at 3:15 p.m. All plenary sessions are held in the auditorium of the College of Pharmacy building.

While the infinitely diverse concurrent sessions tend to disperse conference attendees, plenary sessions and activities bring all conference participants together for a common experience. The ICED 2008 Conference plenary sessions provide “something for everyone.”

PLENARY SESSION I. (THURSDAY, JUNE 12, 4:45 p.m. Pharmacy Auditorium)

Beyond the Horizon: Some Reflections on ICED and its Contribution to Higher Education Development by ICED president Shelda Debowski

As an international consortium, ICED has had a significant impact on higher education through its collaborative work across higher education societies . The meetings of representatives from many different nations have generated a strong international focus on education development, and in recent years, encouraged greater consideration of ICED’s advocacy and leadership roles. The incoming President of ICED will review its current status, the challenges facing its various member nations and some possibilities for an enhanced international role in the future. This is an ideal time to review where ICED is moving and how the conference can help you contribute to that discussion.

Professor Shelda Debowski is the Director of Organisational and Staff Development Services at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in Perth. Since 2005, she has served as president of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA). She has been recognised for her leadership in these activities by national awards.

In a previous role in the Murdoch University Business School, she spent several years as Director of Research for the School and as Faculty Coordinator for Research and Postgraduate Scholarships. She is also a Fellow of HERDSA, of the Australian Institute of Management, and of the Association for Tertiary Education and Management.

Her research focuses on higher education development, particularly with respect to leadership and academic development. Her most recent work, Knowledge Management (Wiley Press, 2006), has been widely adopted in Australia, Europe, and China.

PLENARY SESSION II. (FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 11:30 a.m. Pharmacy Auditorium)

Teaching and Learning at Historically Black Colleges and Universities

Phyllis Worthy Dawkins is the Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs, a Professor of Physical Education, and former Dean of the College of Professional Studies, at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) in Charlotte, North Carolina where she also earned her undergraduate degree. She received an M.A. from the University of Michigan and her PhD from The Ohio State University.

Professor Dawkins served for 18 years as director of the JCSU Faculty Development Program. The Program has been supported by numerous national and state grants. The JCSU Faculty Development Program includes, among other things, a Learning Communities program, which was selected in 2001 to participate in the National Learning Communities Project, sponsored by the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education. In 1994, the JCSU Faculty Development Program received a prestigious Theodore M. Hesburgh Certificate of Excellence for Faculty Development. Dr. Dawkins recently completed an elected 3-year term of office for the Professional and Organizational Development (POD) Network in Higher Education by serving on the Core Committee (board of directors).

Dr. Dawkins is one of the Co-Directors and founding members of the HBCU(Historically Black Colleges and Universities)Faculty Development Network which conducts Annual Symposia and Summer Institutes on service learning/civic engagement, learning communities, and instructional technology. At this ICED Conference plenary session, Dr. Dawkins will present an overview of the unique history of HBCUs in the USA, their special niche in higher education, and the work of educational/faculty development in HBCUs from which we can all learn.

Professor Dawkins was born in Asheville, N.C. to parents of African, Native American and European heritage. She is married to Dr. Bobby G. Dawkins, a graduate of Johnson C. Smith University and Cornell University. Bob is a Senior Polymer & Fiber Associate of the Research and Development Unit for PBI Performance Products, Inc. They have two daughters, Malia and Demi.

PLENARY SESSION III. (SATURDAY, JUNE 14, 3:15 p.m. Pharmacy Auditorium)

Educating for Peace and Reconciliation

Joseph Sebarenzi, former Speaker of the Parliament of Rwanda (1997-2000), was born and grew up in Rwanda amid the tribal differences which eventually erupted into genocide, leaving more than 800,000 Tutsis dead. While safely out of the country with his immediate family, Sebarenzi lost his parents, seven brothers, and many members of his extended family to the violence in Rwanda in 1994. Yet later, as a senior government official in a position to exact revenge, he instead pushed for peace and reconciliation. “Revenge is like adding guilt to victimhood.” says Sebarenzi. “It solves nothing. At some point, we have to ignore the past and envision the future.”

As a member of the Rwanda Parliament and later as Speaker, he worked to improve good governance, backing a law instituting Parliamentary independence from the Executive branch and initiating a campaign against corruption in the ruling party. Forced to resign and informed of a plan for his assassination, he fled the country in 2000, finding refuge in the USA. During his exile, Mr. Sebarenzi has been an outspoken advocate for peace, democracy, and human rights—lecturing widely and consulting on restorative justice, peace, and reconciliation. He speaks regularly on the BBC, VOA, and now NPR. He plans to return to Rwanda eventually, and hopes his home country will soon be a safe place for people of all races, creeds and heritages.

Prior to entering politics, Mr. Sebarenzi earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in international management. Then he was an executive in national and international nonprofit organizations, an activist in civil society in Rwanda and neighboring countries, and a regular speaker on BBC and Voice of America.

Now Mr. Sebarenzi teaches courses in peace and conflict resolution at the School for International Training, Brattleboro, VT. He regularly speaks at colleges, universities, and high schools across the US about forgiveness and reconciliation at both personal and national levels. In 2001 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Marlboro College (USA).