As a lead-up to this weekend's Shamrock Series football game against the Miami Hurricanes in Chicago, the University will host four academic events in the Windy City that focus on various key issues in today's world.
The events, which are free and open to the public, will be held at Chicago's J.W. Marriott at 151 W. Adams Street.
Sophomore Emily Strickland, student advocacy assistant for the Ford Family Program in Human Development Studies and Solidarity, said the scheduled academic talks emphasize the values important to the University.
"I think it's highlighting that Notre Dame is an academic institution first rather than a sports powerhouse," Strickland said.
As part of the series, the Ford Program, along with the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and the Initiative for Global Development, is sponsoring a debate titled "International Development and U.S. Foreign Policy," which will be held today at 5 p.m. in Grand Ballroom B and C.
The debate will feature two panelists: Paul Collier, development economist and the director for the Center for the Study of African Economies at the University of Oxford, and Sean Callahan, executive vice president of Overseas Operations at Catholic Relief Services.
Collier gave a lecture at the University on Wednesday night, titled "International Human Development: Has the U.S. a Leadership Role?"
In the Chicago debate, Collier and Callahan will discuss what the U.S. role in international development should be, Strickland said. The Kellogg Institute will stream a live feed of the event on its website.
"They're going to talk about what factors are relevant in policy making, and how they should be implemented," Strickland said.
This topic will play a significant role in November's presidential election, Strickland said, and today's event will give students a chance to learn more about the different approaches to global development.
"It's preparing students to see how they should vote, what they feel and to develop their own opinions about foreign aid," she said.
At 2 p.m. today, the University will host another panel, titled "Notre Dame Faculty in the Media."
The event, which will also be held in Grand Ballroom B and C, will feature Notre Dame faculty panelists who been heavily involved in print, broadcast or online news media, a Notre Dame press release stated.
Kate Sullivan, Notre Dame class of 1998 and CBS Chicago news anchor, will moderate the panel.
Friday's academic events, which will both be held in the Lincoln Room of the J.W. Marriott, will focus on economy and politics in today's world.
"The Economy Now: A Roundtable of Notre Dame Economists" will take place at 10 a.m. and will feature a discussion by Notre Dame faculty and a question-and-answer period.
The final academic event of the Shamrock Series is hosted by University Communications at 2 p.m. Friday. David Shribman, executive editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, will moderate "Religion in the Public Square," and its panelists include University professors and members of the news media.
The week's events offer Notre Dame alumni and fans a chance to stay involved with the University through avenues besides sports, Strickland said.
"Notre Dame is a University, it's not going to be all about sports," she said. "I think it's showing that athletics are important, but academics always comes with it at the University."
For a complete listing of this weekend's events in Chicago, visit gameday.nd.edu.
