The CGE's Engage Your World Speaker Series began in September of 2009 as a collaborative effort between the Claude Pepper Center for Intercultural Dialogue and the Center for Global Engagement (CGE). It brings together diverse groups of students, faculty, and staff to engage in a conversation about the global challenges we all face today. The broad scope of Engage Your World provides space for everyone to participate in a respectful conversation, where differences in opinion are not only encouraged but also necessary for a deep and meaningful dialogue.
CGE will normally co-sponsor 3 EYW events in the fall semester, and 3-4 EYW events in the spring semester. We try our best to space the events a month apart, though we may have to keep other campus-wide events in mind. In most cases, events are held between Tuesday to Thursday, after 4:30 pm when the parking on campus is free. EYW events are usually not hosted on Friday to avoid a conflict with the International Coffee Hour.
2023-2024 Schedule
| Date, Time & Location | Event Information |
|
Thursday, November 2
|
Preventing World War III: The Value of Diplomacy - A Talk by Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. Join the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Ruth K. & Shepard Broad International Lecture Series & The Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series for an Engage Your World event. It will take place on Thursday, November 2 with the reception at 4:30 p.m. and the lecture at 5 p.m. in The Globe Auditorium. Ambassador Harry K. Thomas Jr. is a Senior Kissinger Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson School of Global Affairs. Over his 34-year career as a Foreign Service officer, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe, the Philippines and Bangladesh. He also served as the State Department’s Executive Secretary, as Special Assistant to Secretary Rice, as Director General of the Foreign Service, and as Director for South Asia at the National Security Council and Director of its Operations Center. This event also counts toward one of the intercultural event requirements for the Global Citizenship Certificate. |
|
Thursday, November 16
|
The Geopolitics of the Western Balkans - A Talk by Professor Petar Kurecic Join the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s International Affairs Program & The Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series for an Engage Your World event. It will take place on Thursday, November 16 with the reception at 5 p.m. and the lecture at 5:30 p.m. in The Globe Auditorium. Petar Kurecic is a professor of Political Science at University North in Koprivnica and Varazdin, Croatia and currently coordinates the international research group “Small States in the Multi-Polar World.” He is the author of Contemporary NATO: Geopolitics and Geoeconomics as well as the author or co-author of 45 papers. His areas of interest include geoeconomics, European Studies, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), small states and small economies, Central and South-Eastern Europe, and migration. He earned a PhD in Geography from the University of Zagreb. Earlier in his career, he was a political advisor for the Social Democratic Party of Croatia and a Representative at the City Assembly of Zagreb. From 2018-21, he served as the Coordinator of a J. Monnet module on Internal Market and Migration as Catalysts for Regional Integration in South Eastern Europe. This event also counts toward one of the intercultural event requirements for the Global Citizenship Certificate. |
2022-2023 Schedule
| Date, Time & Location | Event Information |
|
Thursday, September 22
|
Brazil Update by Ambassador Nestor Forster, Jr., Ambassador of Brazil to the United States FSU's Center for Global Engagement Engage Your World Speaker Series presents Ambassador Nestor Forster, Jr., Ambassador of Brazil to the United States, who will give an update on Brazil, followed by a Q & A session. Ambassador Forster’s diplomatic experience covers areas such as trade negotiations, intellectual property, financial policy, political affairs, international law, consular affairs, administration, and information technology. |
|
Thursday, November 17 |
The Teach For Uganda Story: Mobilizing Young Leaders for Education Reform Join the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Ruth K. & Shepard Broad International Lecture Series & The Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series for an Engage Your World event. It will take place on Thursday, November 17 with the reception at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation at 6 p.m. in The Globe Auditorium. Kassaga James Arinaitwe, CEO and Co-founder of Teach For Uganda, will speak on the importance of international education. This event also counts toward one of the intercultural event requirements for the Global Citizenship Certificate. |
|
Thursday, February 2 |
Join the FSU The College of Communication and Information, College of Social Sciences and Public Policy and the Center for Global Engagement for an Engage Your World event. It will take place on Thursday, February 2 at 5:30 p.m. in The Globe Auditorium. Robert Smith, founder of Midsummer Analytics in Ottawa, Canada, is an experienced investigator and a consultant with an international reputation for his work on environmental and economic issues. He has a broad knowledge of the science, policy and economics related to natural capital, climate change, natural resources, ecosystems, wastes, environmental technologies and environmental expenditures. In addition, he has deep knowledge of official statistics, including the national accounts. He is especially known for his work developing and promoting the concept of natural capital and its use as a basis for measuring sustainable development. This event also counts toward one of the intercultural event requirements for the Global Citizenship Certificate. |
|
Thursday, March 2 |
Join the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, Department of Religion and the Center for Global Engagement for an Engage Your World event. It will take place on Thursday, March 2 at 5:30 p.m. in The Globe Auditorium. In this talk, Musa W. Dube, Ph.D., will discuss the importance of understanding health in terms of the interconnectedness of different forms of life on earth. Dr. Dube is the William Ragsdale Cannon Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Emory’s Candler School of Theology. Prior to joining Candler's faculty in 2021, Dr. Musa W. Dube served as a professor of the New Testament in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at the University of Botswana. She has held positions at the World Council Churches, Scripps College, Union Theological Seminary, University of Stellenbosch, University of Bamberg, and the University of South Africa. Particularly known for her work as a postcolonial feminist theologian, her research interests include gender, postcolonialism, translation, and HIV and AIDS studies. Dube has authored 262 academic works, published in journals, books, encyclopedias, educational modules and magazines. This event also counts toward one of the intercultural event requirements for the Global Citizenship Certificate. |
|
Wednesday, April 5 |
Join the Center for Global Engagement for an Engage Your World event. It will take place on Wednesday, April 5 at 5 p.m. This will be a virtual event and registration can be done here. FSU’s Center for Global Engagement Engage Your World Speaker Series is excited to welcome Brenden Varma to host a talk about Why the United Nations Matters More Than Ever. Register today and join us virtually on Wednesday, April 5 at 5 p.m. to hear about the role of the UN in a world of growing global threats and challenges and how the UN engages with the Government and people of the United States. Varma is a United States national of Indian origin currently serving as the Deputy Director of the UN Information Center in Washington, DC. He has worked as a UN spokesperson and political affairs officer for over 20 years in New York, Baghdad, Jerusalem, Mogadishu and Pristina. Additionally, Varma has served twice as the Director of Communications and Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly. His extensive experience with the UN will provide a well-informed perspective on the state of the organization and its role in the world today. This event also counts toward one of the intercultural event requirements for the Global Citizenship Certificate. |
2021-2022 Schedule & Recordings: Education and Gender Equity
| Date, Time & Location | Event Information |
|
Wednesday, March 30 |
There is Something About GESI: Deconstructing the Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Framework FSU's Center for Global Engagement Engage Your World Speaker Series presents Dr. Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi, who will be speaking on deconstructing accepted frameworks for Gender Equity and Social Inclusion (GESI) that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has integrated in the implementation of its projects. Understanding that equity and inclusion challenges manifest differently in different countries and societies, the speaker will discuss how these efforts towards inclusion have been perceived, accepted, or rejected in diverse contexts. View the recording on YouTube here. |
| Wednesday, February 23 5-6:30 p.m. |
Making a Difference Through Diplomacy: Consider Joining the U.S. Department of State FSU's Center for Global Engagement Engage Your World Speaker Series presents CB Toney, Diplomat in Residence for the U.S. Department of State’s southeast region. Mr. Toney will share how you have put your FSU degree to use through meaningful work at the State Department. View the recording on YouTube here. |
|
Thursday, February 10 |
Disinformation: Shaping the Future Landscape Florida State University will host Dr. Mariam Shaikh and Ms. Saima Saleem for the keynote address of the College of Communication and Information’s 8th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference. The talk is co-sponsored by the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Ruth K. & Shepard Broad International Lecture Series and the Center for Global Engagement Engage Your World Speaker Series. The speakers will present on existing gaps and challenges in countering disinformation, initiatives at the United Nations, and the way forward with recommendations. View the recording on YouTube here. |
| Tuesday, November 17 5-6 p.m. |
Leveraging Tradition & Religion to Increase Gender Equity With Dr. Sohaila Isaqzai FSU's Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series presents a talk by Dr. Sohaila Isaqzai, who will dig deep into how leveraging religion and culture can lead to social justice and gender equity in traditional societies like Afghanistan. Dr. Sohaila Isaqzai earned her Ph.D. in International and Multicultural Education, and her Master’s in Sociocultural and International Development Education from Florida State University. Her main research interest, girls’ education in Afghanistan, is rooted in her personal life as an educated Afghan woman who found her voice through education and her professional life as an educationalist and woman rights activist. She believes that the power of Afghan women is an important factor in fighting against the gender inequality brought by the current Taliban regime. View the recording on YouTube here. |
| Thursday, November 4 7–8:30 p.m. Askew Student Life Center (ASLC) |
Daughters of the Forest (Film Screening and Q&A with Dr. Ramos-Mattoussi) FSU's Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series, Learning Systems Institute, & Student Life Cinema present a film screening of Daughters of the Forest, an uplifting coming-of-age story set in the untamed wilds of the Mbaracayu Reserve in rural Paraguay. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Dr. Flavia Ramos-Mattoussi who will discuss her work with USAID-funded “Women’s Leadership Program in Paraguay.” |
| Wednesday, October 27 5 p.m. |
Vulnerability as Strength in Women of Belize, China, Pakistan, and the U.S. FSU's Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series presents a panel discussion examining the concept of vulnerability as a strength. Dr. Ayesha Khurshid, Associate Professor of Gender and Education in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, and three Ph.D. students in the International & Multicultural Education program – Jingyi You, Brittany Closson-Pitts, and Melba Marin-Velazquez – will share four unique stories of women from their research projects. View the recording on YouTube here. |
2020-2021 Schedule & Recordings: Global Health and Social Justice
| Date, Time & Location | Event Information |
|
Wednesday, March 17 |
The Crisis of Civilization and Conservation of the Amazon Florida State University will host Marina Silva — Brazil’s Former Minister of the Environment and three-time presidential candidate. Silva will discuss the challenges we need to face in order to preserve the Amazon and its indigenous population in the context of the multiple crises that Brazil and the world are currently experiencing. Her reflections are the result of more than 30 years of socio-environmental activism in Brazil. The talk is co-sponsored by the College of Social Science & Public Policy’s Broad International Lecture Series, The Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Intercultural Dialogue Series, Department of Geography, International Affairs Program, Department of Modern Languages & Linguistics, & Amazônia Latitude. View the recording here on YouTube. |
| Thursday, February 4 8:45–10 a.m. |
Florida State University will host Dr. Deb Aikat for the keynote address of the College of Communication and Information’s 7th South Asian Media and Cultural Studies Conference. The talk is co-sponsored by the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Anderson Ashby Lectureship in Public Policy Journalism and the Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Intercultural Dialogue Series. Aikat’s talk will highlight the effects of media agenda melding, which explains how people mix and meld media messages to create their worldview. In the 21st century digital age, the people of South Asia blend media agendas to reinforce their own positions and close out opposing views. Media platforms have, therefore, elevated and exasperated the power of public affairs and journalism in South Asia and the South Asian diaspora worldwide. Use bit.ly/SAMCS21 to access the live stream of the talk. |
| Tuesday, November 17 5-6 p.m. |
Impact of Administration’s Regulatory Agenda on International Education On Tuesday, November 17, at 5 p.m. Steve Springer, NAFSA: Association of International Educators Director of Regulatory Practice Liaison, provided a description of key regulatory and policy changes implemented by the Trump administration and their impact on international student programs. New restrictions, fees, and burdensome agency processes, along with rhetoric from the administration, suggest to many current and prospective international students that they are not welcome here. These new disincentives to study here indicate the U.S. is losing its place as the top destination for international students, and we risk losing the economic, social, and cultural value they bring to our campuses and communities. View the recording here on YouTube. |
| Tuesday, October 20 4 p.m. |
Transforming Healthcare Through Community Mobilization in Uganda: The Bulamu Model Richard Chandler, the Chairman and CEO of Bulamu Healthcare International, a Ugandan NGO that provides medical services to rural communities throughout the country discussed the history and structure of the Bulamu partnership in Uganda. This unique model is based upon Ugandans’ local resources and dedication to community service, and western management techniques. View the recording here on YouTube. |
|
Monday, September 28 |
Infectious Disease to Global Pandemic: The Evolution & Spread of COVID-19 Dr. Rowan will walk audiences through the evolution of a virus from an infectious disease to a global pandemic, focusing on the contact tracing efforts for COVID-19 at regional and global levels. He will also use past and current pandemics to provide lessons for identifying and intercepting future ones. View the recording here on YouTube. |
Collaborating with EYW at the Center for Global Engagement
We are eager to collaborate with your academic unit or community organization to co-host an event as Engage Your World. The topics discussed by the speakers should be of international or intercultural in nature. Therefore, speakers must discuss how their work can help to increase intercultural understanding, empathy, or provide a better understanding, or solutions to global issues.
If you or your colleagues have an idea for an Engage Your World, or if you want to bring a speaker that fits with the vision and scope of Engage Your World Intercultural Dialogue Series, please contact cge-programs@fsu.edu. We typically need to start planning 45-60 days in advance.
Which units/departments has EYW collaborated with in the past?
EYW has a rich history of collaborating with campus partners. Our standing and frequent partnerships include the FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Broad International Lecture Series, the International Affairs Annual Film Series honoring Dr. Robert Dailey, FSU College of Communication and Information, the Center for Advancement of Human Rights, and the Center for Leadership and Social Change. Through these partnerships, we aim to bring accomplished scholars and professionals to Florida State University to increase our global awareness and appreciate cultural differences.
*These events qualify as one of the Global Citizenship Certificate events.
To suggest a topic or to get involved, please contact cge-programs@fsu.edu.
