Bonnie Payne
events coordinator, 308.865.8469
“Immigration and the Globalization of Labor” is the focus of the 2012 James E. Smith Midwest Conference on World Affairs set for Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 25-26, at the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
The event is free, open to the public, and all sessions will take place in the Ponderosa Room of the UNK Nebraskan Student Union. The day will kick off at 9:30 a.m. with opening remarks from the Director of the UNK Office of International Education Dr. Dallas Kenny. In all, there will be more than 20 speakers, including experts on labor laws, citizenship and visa requirements, education, economics, travel regulations, health care and criminal law, who will present throughout the two days.
Keynote speaker Dr. Carola Suarez-Orozco, a professor of psychological studies in education at University of California, Los Angeles, will give the keynote address on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Her presentation is titled “Immigration in the Context of Globalization: Implications for the Next Generation.
Dr. Suarez-Orozco has published widely on the subjects of immigrant families and youth, educational achievement among immigrant origin youth, immigrant family separations, the role of the social mirror in identity formation, the role of mentors in facilitating youth development and gendered experiences of immigrant youth.
The agenda for the World Affairs Conference is as follows:
Tuesday, Sept. 25:
“Globalization of Labor: The Experiences of a Nebraska Company”
Ponderosa A&B, 9:35-10:45 a.m.
Xpanxion LLC Presenters-Paul Eurek, CEO and chairman; Lance Rall, director of Quality Assurance; Patrick Green, Senior Quality Assurance Lead; and Tyson Hyatt, Project Manager/Product Manager. Introducer: Roy Machamire, undergraduate student mathematics, finance and economics major of Kearney.
“Sentenced Home” Documentary Film
Ponderosa E, 9:35-10:45 a.m.
Some Cambodian youth whose families fled to the U.S. in the 1980s committed various crimes and served their time in U.S. prisons. Yet, after 9/11, a new agreement between the U.S. and Cambodian governments forced these (now grown) men to be deported. The film follows the stories of three of them.
“Cultural and Economic Consequences of Immigration”
Ponderosa A&B, 11-12:15 p.m.
Dr. Christian Brecht, Consul General, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chicago; Silvia Ontaneda, J.D., Consul General, Consulate General of Ecuador, Minneapolis, Minn.; and Jack Jiuh-Chung Yang, Director General, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, Kansas City, Kan. Moderator: Dr. Roy Koepp, visiting assistant professor, Department of History.
“Globalization and the Healthcare Workforce”
Ponderosa E, 11-12:15 p.m.
Michael Ronning, vice president and chief administrative officer, The Physician Network, Lincoln; Thomas Rauner, PCO director, Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Rural Health and Primary Care, Lincoln; Steve Daubendiek, Visa Sponsorship/Immigration Specialist, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha; and Dr. Iyad Azzam, MD, FACP, FSCAI, interventional cardiology specialist, The Physician Network-Midlands Cardiology Group, Kearney. Moderator: Dr. Travis Bourret, assistant professor, Department of Biology.
“Immigrants in Nebraska: The Fremont Case”
Ponderosa A&B, 2-3:15 p.m.
Carl Schaffner, candidate, City Council Ward Four, Fremont; and Amy Miller, J.D., legal director ACLU Nebraska, Lincoln. Moderator: Dr. Joan Blauwkamp, professor, Department of Political Science.
“Integration through Education: Policy and its Impact on Immigration”
Ponderosa E, 2-3:15 p.m.
Jorge Ernesto Espejel Montes, Consul, Consulate of Mexico, Omaha; and David Saide, Technical Assistant for the Education Sector Consulate General of Brazil, Chicago. Moderator: Dr. Matthew Mims, assistant professor Department of Counseling and School Psychology.
“The Human Trafficking Investigator: Behind the Scenes Look into Operations” Ponderosa A&B, 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Jeffrey Blom, founder and president, Global Sentry Group, Washington, D.C. Introducer: Noel Palmer, assistant professor Department of Management.
“Stolen Childhoods” Documentary Film
Ponderosa E, 3:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Meryl Streep narrates this documentary which examines the facts behind the worldwide scandal of child labor. “Stolen Childhoods” documents the ongoing crisis in child labor, as well as presenting strategies to improve the situation and discussing what Americans can do to help.
“Immigration in the Context of Globalization: Implications for the Next Generation”
Ponderosa E, 7:30 p.m.
Dr. Carola Suárez-Orozco, professor, psychological studies in education, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, University of California, Los Angeles. Introducer: Dr. Charles Bicak, senior vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs.
Wednesday, Sept. 26:
“Fighting Goliath: Chilean Workers Take on the World’s Largest Corporation”
Ponderosa A&B, 9:05-9:55 a.m.
Dr. Carolina Bank Muñoz, associate professor of sociology, Brooklyn College – CUNY, Brooklyn. Introducer: Dr. Will Avilés, professor, Department of Political Science.
“The Airline Industry in the Fight Against Human Trafficking”
Ponderosa E, 9:05-9:55 a.m.
Deborah Quigley, Chief Researcher/Trainer, Airline Ambassadors International, Honolulu; and Khurshida Begum, public speaker and survivor of international modern day slavery, Airline Ambassadors International, Washington, D.C. Introducer: Ashley Sloup, undergraduate student travel and tourism major of Wahoo.
“Making Immigration Work for Britain, and Lessons Learned from History”
Ponderosa A&B, 10:10-11 a.m.
Ramin Navai, Deputy Consul General, British Consulate, Chicago. Introducer: Dr. Prodeep Barua, professor, Department of History.
“Nepalese Migration and Labor Trafficking to Middle East: Demand and Supply”
Ponderosa E, 10:10-11 a.m.
Jeffrey Blom, founder and president, Global Sentry Group, Washington, D.C. Introducer: Ramesh Neupane, graduate student counseling and school psychology – student affairs major.
“Globalization of Healthcare in Nebraska”
Ponderosa A&B, 11:15 – noon
Michael Ronning, vice president and chief administrative officer, The Physician Network, Lincoln. Introducer: Hilary Christo, student services coordinator University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing.
“Crime and the Politics of Immigration Reform”
Ponderosa E, 11:15-noon
Dr. H. Richard Friman, professor, Department of Political Science; and Eliot Fitch professor of international studies, Marquette University, Milwaukee. Introducer: Dr. Danielle Neal, assistant professor, Department of Criminal Justice.
“Impact of Immigration on Native Workers’ Wages”*
Ponderosa A&B, 1:25-2:15 p.m.
Allison Churilla, Ph.D. candidate in sociology, University of New Hampshire, research scientist, Wilder Research, St. Paul, Minn. Introducer: Dr. Roger Davis, professor, Department of History. *This presentation is sponsored through the generous support of
The Physician Network and Saint Elizabeth Foundation, Lincoln, NE
“The Value of Dust: The Politics of Citizenship and Vietnam’s Amerasian Children”
Ponderosa E, 1:25-2:15 p.m.
Sabrina Thomas, Ph.D. candidate in history, Arizona State University, Phoenix. Introducer: Dr. Chuck Rowling, assistant professor, Department of Political Science.
Ponderosa E
Immediately after above presentation “Sentenced Home” documentary film (See description above.)
“Think Globally, Act Locally: Immigration and Civic Participation”
Ponderosa A&B, 2:30-3:20 p.m.
Darcy Tromanhauser, director of Immigrant Integration & Civic Participation Program, Nebraska Appleseed Center, Lincoln. Introducer: Dr. Maha YounesA, professor Department of Social Work.
