News Release

Ohio Wesleyan’s Sagan National Colloquium to Spotlight Leadership Through Service
Joshua Spero, OWU Alumni to Discuss Public Service on National, International Levels

October 13, 2009

Joshua Spero

Photo courtesy of Fitchburg State College

An expert on international policy and global issues, Spero now serves as an associate professor of political science at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts. In addition to teaching courses about foreign policy, international security, and globalization, he consults for various international affairs organizations. He earned his doctorate from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

Spero will speak at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the Benes Rooms of Ohio Wesleyan University’s Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave., Delaware. His presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with OWU graduates Marija Ignjatovic, Dan Sharpe, and Lydia Spitalny. This lecture and panel discussion will be viewable live online, and archived afterward, at stream.owu.edu/broadcasts/lecturesEvents/091029_sagan.html.

Ignjatovic graduated in 2003 and currently is the desk officer, Western Balkans Cluster, Regional Bureau for Europe and the CIS for the United Nations Development Programme. Sharpe graduated in 2006, and is manager of a project in which central Ohio government, civic leaders and higher education institutions collaborate to engage college students in the community, and encourage their continued involvement after graduation. Spitalny graduated from Ohio Wesleyan in 2008, and most recently completed work in Kenya with the Education Centre for Women in Democracy.

Each year, Ohio Wesleyan’s Sagan National Colloquium spotlights an issue of global significance. This year’s theme is “Renewing America for a Global Century: From Theory to Practice at Ohio Wesleyan University.” Additional 2009-2010 colloquium speakers include:

• 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3 – Andrei Codrescu, the MacCurdy Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Louisiana State University, discussing “What is an Immigrant, What Makes an American?” in the Benes Rooms of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave. This lecture will be viewable live online, and archived afterward, at stream.owu.edu/broadcasts/lecturesEvents/091103_sagan.html.
• 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10 – Bonnie Honig, the Sarah Rebecca Roland Professor of Political Science at Northwestern University and research professor at the American Bar Foundation, discussing “Walt Whitman and the (Im)possibility of Renewal,” in the Benes Rooms of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, 40 Rowland Ave.

All presentation are free and open to the public For more information about Ohio Wesleyan’s 2009-2010 Sagan National Colloquium, visit snc.owu.edu.

Ohio Wesleyan University is an undergraduate liberal arts college that transforms the lives of its students through a combination of rigorous academics, mentoring relationships, and real-world experiences. Featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” the private university’s 1,850 students come from 45 states and 39 countries. Visit www.owu.edu for more information.