Tuesday

9/18/2018

Kaplan Building, OCCT Great Room

Newburgh

Keynote Address, Newburgh:

Dr. Michael Quinn, Department of Global Studies, SUNY Orange

"The Destruction of World Historical & Cultural Heritage"

In recent years, the press has drawn increasing attention to the brazen acts of violence committed against civilians by the terrorist group known as ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) or ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) and also to their systematic attacks against the cultural heritage of the region.  Nothing seems to be immune from these depredations, and sites ranging from Assyrian times to the early Islamic era have been thoroughly looted and in some cases completely destroyed.  In spite of the sensational nature of this reporting, such acts are not an entirely new development in this region (or elsewhere), and ISIS is not the only organization or group engaged in this kind of activity.  The destruction or looting of the cultural heritage of the past is a WORLD-WIDE phenomenon that has, in fact, existed for millennia, and it is a crisis that is, unlike some of the crises we face in the 21st century, entirely within our power to resolve.

Thursday

9/27/2018

Gilman Center, Library, Room 130

Middletown

Keynote Address, Middletown:

Dr. Walter Jahn, Department of Biology, SUNY Orange

"The Health Costs of Pollution"

Whether one considers the effects of air pollutants in aggravating risks of heart disease, stroke, asthma, & premature births or the effects of climate change on worsening air pollution, changing distributions of infectious disease, or increasing instances of severe weather, environmental pollution will cause millions of premature deaths this year.

Tuesday

10/2/2018

Gilman Center, Library, Room 130

Middletown

Dr. Elizabeth Kaknes, Department of Political Science, Marist College

"Expect the Unexpected: Politics and Elections in Brazil"

With the important October 7th election in Latin America's largest democracy, Dr. Kaknes will examine the issues surrounding the election and the larger political context (political history, major policy debates, partisanship) that surrounds it.

Tuesday

10/9/2018

Kaplan Building, OCCT Great Room

Newburgh

Dr. Adam Kalkstein, Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, United States Military Academy at West Point

"Separating Fact from Fiction in the Climate Change Debate"

Climate change is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time, yet conflicting messages from politicians, the popular press, and academia continue to muddy the waters.  This talk will focus on the science of climate change, examining its causes and impacts, along with discussing potential solutions.

Wednesday

10/10/2018

Gilman Center, Library, Room 130

Middletown

Robert Giles, Director, Division of Elections, New Jersey Departmenf of State

"Preserving the Integrity of the Electoral Process"

With the crucial midterm elections looming in early November, the Director of the Division of Elections in the state of New Jersey, Robert Giles, will discuss the important issues surrounding the continued integrity of the electoral process and what can be done to preserve it.

Thursday

10/25/2018

Gilman Center, Library, Room 130

Middletown

Dr. Jeff Hall, Department of History, CUNY Queensborough Community College

Tuesday

11/13/2018

Dr. Barry Shrem, Hudson Valley Center for Development and Mount Sinai Health System

"On Winning and Losing in a Time of Crisis: Thoughts on Human Self-Destructiveness""

Wednesday

11/14/2018

Prof. Paul Basinski, Chair of Department of Global Studies, SUNY Orange

"The Resurgence of Authoritarian Regimes in the 21st Century"

Thursday

9/15/2016

Global Initiative 2016-17: ISLANDS

Introduction to this year's program, Overview of events.

Dr. Michael Strmiska, Global Initiative Coordinator and World History Professor in the Global Studies Department

See video of presentation:Global Initiative Fall 2016, Overview of Events

Thursday

9/15/2016

DRUMS OF VODOU. Dr. Lois Wilckes, Ethnomusicologist and founder and director of the Brooklyn-based Haitian Drum and Dance Ensemble Makandal, will lecture on the history of Vodou (voodoo) drumming in Haiti, its connections to African musical and religious traditions, its impact on cultural and social life, with film clips about Vodou dance and drums.

No video of lecture available due to technical problems.

Wednesday

10/05/2016

FANTASY ISLANDS: SUNY-Orange English Literature professor Alexander Jakubowski will speak on the role that islands play as locations and themes in science fiction and fantasy literature.

See video of lecture: Fantasy Islands with Alex Jakubowski

Wednesday

10/19/2016

ICELAND: THE ISLAND OF THE VIKINGS: SUNY-Orange World History professor Michael Strmiska will speak on the history of Iceland, including its Viking settlement in the ninth century, its period as a kingless, pagan republic, its medieval status as a colony of Norway, its battle for independence and its modern status as an advanced Nordic state with an economy based on fishing, tourism and music.

See video of lecture: Iceland: The Island of Vikings with Michael Strmiska

Thursday

11/03/2016

RISING OCEANS, SHRINKING ISLANDS: SUNY-Orange Biology professor Walter Jahn will speak on the threat to coastlines and islands around the world posed by climate change and global warming, with rising sea levels eating away at coastal areas and islands, many of which are expected to vanish underwater if nothing is done to arrest global warming. See video of lecture:

http://streaming.sunyorange. edu/Watch/k7B2Wzj6

Wednesday

11/16/2016

PUERTO RICO: A STATE IN CRISIS BUT NOT QUITE A STATE: Hunter College-Centre for Puerto Rican Studies professor Harry Franqui-Rivera will explore the current social, economic and political crisis in Puerto Rico, detailing the different political and economic factors that have led to the current crisis, with the island teetering on the edge of insolvency. Attention will be paid to the tangled history of US-Puerto Rican relations and the struggle to find a way forward for this struggling not-quite-state of the United States.

See video of lecture:

http://streaming.sunyorange.edu/Watch/Px6y4W5J

Wednesday

12/07/2016

BRINGING NEW HOPE TO HAITI: THE HEART IN HAITI SCHOOL.

Many Americans felt sympathy for the people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake in 2010. Maria Blon, a former SUNY-Orange mathematics professor, helped launch a new school for needy Haitian children, the “Heart in Haiti” School, which combines traditional curriculum with critical thinking and sustainability awareness. This unique school has proven a success and Professor Blon will speak on the challenges and achievements of this unique experiment in cross-cultural outreach and education. See video of lecture: http://streaming.sunyorange.edu/Watch/s4H3Wib5

SPRING 2017 programming under development.

Tentative Topics include Sicily, Hawaii, the Dominican Republic, Okinawa, Tax-Haven Islands, and Islands in Poetry.

Thursday

1/26/2017

Global Initiative 2016-17: ISLANDS

Introduction to the Spring program, Overview of events.

Dr. Michael Strmiska, Global Initiative Coordinator and World History Professor in the Global Studies Department

Thursday

1/26/2017

ISLANDS OF THE CRUSADES. SUNY-Orange Ancient and Medieval History professor Thomas Lecaque will speak on the role of Mediterranean islands in the Crusades. Far from a short moment of warfare in the Middle East, the Crusades lasted 700 years, most of it spent in desperate naval battles across the Mediterranean. From the Balearics to Ruad, from stealing Santa to corsairs for Christ, islands played a pivotal, and understudied, role in the history of the Crusades. See video of lecture:

http://streaming.sunyorange. edu/Watch/Bo86Pwm7

Thursday

2/16/2017

OKINAWA: ISLAND OF BATTLES. SUNY-Orange US History professor Heidi Weber will take us on a tour of this beautiful but troubled island. Modern day, Okinawa is a popular travel location renowned for her beautiful beaches, mountains and forests.  For those who practice martial arts, this island is the home of Okinawan karate.  However, the beauty of the geography and culture of the island masks the horrors of one of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific War.  Operation Iceberg (the Battle of Okinawa) was the largest amphibious landing in the Pacific and the brutal combat that ensured here ultimately earned the island the nickname of the “typhoon of steel.” 

See video of lecture:

http://streaming.sunyorange. edu/Watch/k6P4LqFo

Thursday

2/23/2017

Rowley Building, Gerry Forum, Room 010

ISLANDS USED AS TAX HAVENS: ISLANDS OF CORRUPTION.

SUNY-Orange Economics professor Kidaya Ntoko will examine a topic of increasing interest in our troubled economic times. The aim of this presentation is to dispel the common image of paradise islands (coconuts trees, blue water, white sand…), and to show how some have been used as tax havens. It will explore the phenomenon of offshore tax havens from its origin to how it is applied today.The presentation also aims to thoroughly study tax havens' relation to corruption and elucidate how different parts of the world are affected by it. Unfortunately, often these places are havens only for a few, while many are left out. See video of lecture: http://streaming.sunyorange.edu/Watch/e4KSq72L

RESCHEDULED!

Thursday

3/09/2017

ISLANDS OF REVOLUTION IN THE CARIBBEAN. SUNY-Orange US History Professor Michael McCoy will introduce us to a topic few Americans are aware of: the long history of rebellions and uprisings by African slaves and native people in the Caribbean in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

Wednesday

03/29/2017

ISLANDS OF TRANSIT: IMMIGRATION IN THE CARIBBEAN. Latin American history professor Jean Cowan and US History professor Gergory Geddes combine their considerable expertise to present a discussion of the past history and current social patterns of migration in, around and across the Caribbean.

Thursday

04/06/2017

HAWAII: THE COLONIZATION OF PARADISE. Prize-winning author and Princeton University writing professor Susannah Moore will provide a personal perspective on the past history and current state of Hawaii, a once-independent island nation colonized by the US in the 1800s, at tremendous cost to native people & culture.

Thursday

04/20/2017

SUNY-Orange English professor Crowell will read and discuss a wide range of poetry from different nations and cultures on the theme of islands, as well as poetry written by island authors.

Tuesday

05/02/2017

BMCC (Borough of Manhattan Community College) Ancient History professor Rachael Goldman will guide us through the tumultous history of this much fought-over island, from the Punic Wars to Roman colonization to Viking raids to WW II to the present.