All Angles - Past Programs

Photo from an All Angles program

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Program Archive

All Angles is an immersive experience that features expert speakers with perspectives across today’s political spectrum. Uniquely, it also accentuates and models the skills needed for shaping civil discourse – a sustaining force in a civil society. Students will develop a deeper understanding of contemporary public policy subject matter and learn how it is understood from the values and strategies that define a variety of perspectives. 

Below is a look at recent All Angles programs and featured speakers:

January 18, 2024
Affirmative Action and Racial Equity: Navigating the Complex Political Landscape
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During this program, Pitt students had the opportunity to observe a discussion of affirmative action and racial equity that included suggestions for navigating the complex political landscape.

Moderator:

Dr Kyaien O. ConnerDr. Kyaien O. Conner Bio
Donald M. Henderson Endowed Chair, Director of the Center on Race and Social Problems, Associate Dean for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and Professor
University of Pittsburgh

Speakers:

David BernsteinDavid E. Bernstein Bio
University Professorship Chair 
Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University

Dana Thompson DorseyDana N. Thompson Dorsey, JD, Ph.D. Bio
Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 
University of South Florida

September 12, 2023
Election Integrity and Our Democracy
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Pitt students representing all political leanings and all levels of political involvement identified concerns with democracy as the single most important societal issue in the most recent All Angles survey of student interests. Ongoing national discord produced by the 2020 Presidential Election almost certainly was a major contributor to that ranking, which would have been very surprising not many years ago. During this program, Pitt students had the opportunity to observe a civil and serious discussion of these critical issues with two of the nation’s most influential experts on the subject of elections. 

Moderator:

Mark A. Nordenberg Bio
Chancellor Emeritus
Chair, Institute of Politics
Director, Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law & Public Policy
University of Pittsburgh

Speakers:

Sean Morales-DoyleSean Morales-Doyle Bio
Director, Voting Rights
Brennan Center for Justice

photo of Hans A. von SpakovskyHans A. von Spakovsky Bio
Manager, Election Law Reform Initiative and Senior Legal Fellow, Edwin Meese III Center for Legal and Judicial Studies
The Heritage Foundation

Aprll 3, 2023
Managing the U.S. Relationship with China to Achieve Global Goals

Pitt students identified foreign policy as one of their top concerns in the 2021 All Angles student survey.  For the United States Government, it is hard to think of a more significant, and challenging, foreign policy topic than China.  The United States has expressed deep concerns about China’s behavior within its borders and globally, including its human rights abuses in Xinxiang Province, its military maneuvers in the South China Sea, its support of rogue states like Russia and North Korea, its corporate espionage, and its unfair trade practices.  At the same time, the U.S. and Chinese economies are deeply intertwined, and there are real benefits to cooperation between the two nations.

Moderator:

Julia SantucciJulia Santucci Bio
Senior Lecturer in Intelligence Studies
Director, Johnson Institute for Responsible Leadership &
the Frances Hesselbein Leadership Forum

Speakers:
Aaron FriedbergDr. Aaron L. Friedberg Bio
Professor of Politics and International Affairs
Co-Director Center for International Security Studies
Princeton University

Susan ShirkDr. Susan Shirk Bio
Research Professor
Chair, 21st Century China Center
University of California San Diego

October 26, 2022
The Global Demand for Energy and our Environment
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The discussion for this program centered around how the global demand for energy is impacting our environment. Each speaker provided a brief overview of their work and roles in the fields of energy and sustainability. The speakers also offered their own professional perspectives while addressing student’s concerns about climate change, energy demand, and the environment. 

Moderator:
Aurora SharrardDr. Aurora Sharrard Bio
Executive Director of Sustainability
University of Pittsburgh

Speakers:
Paulina JaramilloDr. Paulina Jaramillo Bio
Professor, Engineering and Public Policy, and Co-Director, Green Design Institute
Carnegie Mellon University

Scott TinkerDr. Scott Tinker Bio
Director of the Bureau of Economic Geology, the State Geologist of Texas
Professor holding the Allday Endowed Chair in the Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austi.

September 22, 2022
Gain Strength from Our Differences

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All of us are very passionate about critical issues that impact those who we love and our communities. As we prepare for the upcoming election season and the campaigns that are designed to divide us, create acrimony, and further deepen political polarization, we need to take stock of how we get through this with self-care and respect for our fellow citizens. Arthur Brooks joined us to discuss his book, Love Your Enemies and his most recent work called Live a Better Happier Life. Through ancient wisdom and cutting-edge behavioral science, Brooks provided a roadmap to the prosperity that comes when we choose to love one another – gaining strength from our differences.

Speaker:
Dr Arthur BrooksDr. Arthur C. Brooks Bio
Harvard Professor; Bestselling Author; and The Atlantic Columnist

 

March 24, 2022
Understanding Economic Opportunity / Equality
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Students were presented with a thoughtful examination of progressive, moderate, and conservative points of view on the subject of economic equality and mobility featuring leading experts in the field of economics.

Moderator:
Kevin KearnsKevin Kearns Bio
Professor of Public and Nonprofit Management
Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), University of Pittsburgh

Speakers:
Darrick HamiltonDr. Darrick Hamilton Bio
Henry Cohen Professor of Economics and Urban Policy
The New School Milano

Scott WinshipDr. Scott Winship Bio
Senior Fellow and Director of Poverty Studies
American Enterprise Institute

February 24, 2022
Missing in Plain Sight

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Attendees were provided a closer look at the people we overlook and misunderstand in our culture and the surprising common traits we all share.

Speakers:
Salena ZitoSalena Zito Bio
National Political Reporter

 

Manu MeelManu Meel Bio
CEO
Bridge USA