The sixth annual Saint Louis University Atlas Week program will be held Thursday, March 30, through Friday, April 7.
This year’s theme is “Political and Social Justice in a Global World.” Events will directly address this theme as well as what we can do to contribute to a better life for all people.
One Atlas Week highlight is a panel discussion commemorating the first anniversary of the death of Pope John Paul II. Experts from around the nation will discuss the Pope's effect on the Catholic Church and the world. The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 7, in the Knights Room of Pius XII Memorial Library. For more information, click here.
The keynote speaker for the Signature Symposium will be Nobel Peace laureate Jody Williams. Williams received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in the successful passage of the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. She is one of only 11 women to have received the Peace Prize and only the third woman from the United States. Williams will address the influence everyone can have in achieving social and political change.
This will be the third consecutive year that the Atlas Week keynote speaker is a Nobel Peace laureate. Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica, spoke in 2005, while F.W. de Klerk, former president of South Africa, spoke in 2004.
“We’ve been so fortunate that Nobel Peace Prize winners have understood the importance of Atlas Week and have been eager to participate,” said Dr. Michelle Lorenzini, professor of political science and Atlas Week coordinator. “Jody Williams’ work to ban landmines and coordinate global partnerships has had an effect worldwide, and her Signature Symposium will focus on how each individual can affect social and political change.”
Sponsored by the office of the provost, Atlas Week recognizes the international dimension of SLU’s academic programs and celebrates the University’s role in international education and service in light of its Jesuit mission and heritage.
The Signature Symposium will be held at 5 p.m. Thursday, April 6, in the ballroom of Busch Student Center.
A private reception with Williams will be held after the Signature Symposium. To learn how to attend, visit atlas.slu.edu. Spaces are limited; preference will be given in the order of requests received. Respond by 5 p.m. Friday, March 31. An e-mail confirming reservations will be sent Monday, April 3.
Atlas Week offers a week of more than 50 special presentations, international films, open houses and student presentations.
The celebration will culminate Friday, April 7, with the Billiken World Festival. Starting at 11:45 a.m. a Parade of Nations will kick off the festival, which also features live cultural music and dance, academic and informational booths and international cuisine.
“The Atlas Week tradition, particularly the Billiken World Festival, has become a treasured one at SLU,” Lorenzini said. “We aim high each year to bring quality entertainment and cultural awareness to campus, and this year’s events could be our best yet.”
For more information and a complete list of events, visit atlas.slu.edu. To volunteer, call Lorenzini at (314) 977-3243.
Portions of this story are featured in the March 2006 edition of Grand Connections. To read more stories, visit the Grand Connections Web site or pick up an issue on newsstands around campus.
