February 24, 2015
La Roche College to Host Global Problems, Global Solutions Conference on April 9 and 10
PITTSBURGH, Feb. 24, 2015 – On April 9 and 10, La Roche University will partner with sponsor organizations Brother’s Brother Foundation, the University of Pittsburgh and
the Pittsburgh Council for Higher Education, to host the 10th annual Global Problems, Global Solutions conference.
Organized to focus on critical global concerns, the conference will relate this year’s theme, Saving Our Children: A Global Issue – A Local Response, to the Millennium Development Goals established by the United Nations to battle issues such as hunger and poverty, peace and justice, gender inequality and child mortality.
Maureen A. Dunn, division chief of the office of policy and strategy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, April 9 in the Zappala College Center Square at La Roche’s main campus in the North Hills. Registration begins at 6:30 p.m., with the general session following at 7 p.m. and a reception of dessert and coffee afterward.
Ms. Dunn began her federal career in 1992 as a supervisory asylum officer at the Arlington, Va. asylum office with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (now DHS). From 1996 until late 2003, she worked as an attorney-advisor at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Board of Immigration Appeals. In October 2003, she became the director of the Unaccompanied Alien Children’s program at the Office of Refugee Resettlement in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). As the first director of this newly created program, Ms. Dunn saw the program grow from seven employees to more than 50 and the number of children in HHS custody grow from 500 to more than 13,000.
On Friday, April 10, local experts will host a discussion on local and international issues related to child protection and development from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Ryan Room of the Zappala College Center at La Roche.
Participants of the Global Problems, Global Solutions conference also are invited to attend the Cranberry Folk and Food Festival on Saturday, April 11 from 12 to 3 p.m. The event, held at the Cranberry Township Municipal Center Gym, will feature ethnic food sampling, demonstrations, games, music and dance performance from countries around the world.
Global Problems, Global Solutions is a free, annual conference. La Roche leads and co-sponsors the conference with local colleges, universities and nonprofits known for their global activism. The conference discusses progress, plans and initiatives related to the U.N. Millennium Development Goals.
The conference is free and open to the public, but preregistration for the keynote address is required. Click here to register or learn more. For more details contact Assistant Director of Global Engagement Charlotte Reed at 412-536-1215 or charlotte.reed@laroche.edu.
About La Roche University: A private liberal arts college in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, La Roche University offers more than 50 undergraduate and five graduate degree programs, with particular strengths in education, business, criminal justice, psychology, and health and medical sciences as well as interior design and graphic design. This residential college provides a vibrant campus community for more than 1,400 men and women enjoying 30-plus student organizations and an exciting NCAA Div. III athletics program. Founded by the Sisters of Divine Providence in 1963, La Roche University embraces its Catholic heritage while welcoming people of all faiths and backgrounds. With a legacy of social justice and a commitment to international exchange, La Roche University educates students to be lifelong learners and achievers in an increasingly diverse and global society.
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