Schreyer Honors College, Penn State

Last night the SHC hosted a foum on some key policy issues. The Collegian covered the event and, as they note, we had a sparse turn out given the competition of the Phillies, Bobby Knight, and some kick off events for THON. That being said, the forum was excellent and many stayed until the end.

POLITICAL ISSUES FORUM 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
8:00-10:00 a.m., HUB Auditorium

FACULTY PRESENTERS

Ethics – Dr. Jonathan H. Marks is associate professor of bioethics, humanities and law at Penn State University, and director of the Bioethics and Medical Humanities Program at the main campus, University Park.  His mission is to develop bioethics programs and strengthen interdisciplinary and collaborative work in the field, bringing together dynamic scholars from liberal arts, medicine, life sciences and law–within his own institution and in the academic community at large.
Jonathan’s writing has appeared in The Times (London), the New York Times, LA Times and the New England Journal of Medicine among others.  He has been interviewed on NPR, BBC Radio and Voice of America (among others) and he has recently participated in three nationally broadcast panels on law and medical ethics at Guantanamo Bay.

Energy and The Environment -  Professor  David Meredith is an associate professor of general engineering at the Fayette Campus of Penn State in Uniontown, PA.  He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Ohio State University (1972) and an MS in Energy Conversion from Colorado State University.  In 1972 he spent six weeks in Europe studying environmental control methods before becoming a technical support engineer with Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH.  He has been teaching engineering and technology courses at Penn State since 1979 when he started the first ABET-accredited Solar Heating and Cooling Technology program in the U.S. at Fayette Campus.  In 2005 he helped develop the ABET-accredited coal Mining Technology program at Fayette Campus.   In December, 2007 he participated in a Professional People-to-People Ambassador program to China to discuss Global Climate Change and Water Resource issues.

The Economy -  Dr. James Binney is a Lecturer in Political Science, offering courses in Comparative Politics.  He holds a B.A. from Penn State, and a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky.  His teaching experience includes courses at several colleges/universities, including Northern Kentucky and Norwich.  He will be offering courses at Penn State on comparative politics, politics of developing areas, and ethnic and racial politics.  Dr. Binney researched documents and literature on development assistance at key agencies and the Library of Congress for a Ph.D. Dissertation and conducted interviews with key personnel at USAID and World Bank concerning development assistance, sustainability, and evaluation issues

Healthcare -  Dr. Dennis Patrick Scanlon, associate professor of Health Policy and Administration, Ph.D., 1998, Health Services Organization and Policy – Economics Concentration, University of Michigan School of Public Health.  In 2002, Dr. Scanlon received the John D. Thompson Prize for Young Investigators from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration. The award recognizes a faculty member who has made significant research contributions in the health services field early in his or her career. Scanlon was recognized for his research that assesses the quality and performance of traditional- and managed-care health plans and measures the information that is available to consumers that allows them to make educated decisions about their health insurance coverage.

Student Panelists
Representatives from the College Democrats and College Republicans:
Sean M. Meloy
Sean is senior at Penn State double majoring in Secondary Social Studies Education and Political Science. Sean is originally from the North Hills of Pittsburgh and came to Penn State in 2005. He currently serves as President of the Penn State College Democrats and is working hard to lead them towards historic victories on Nov. 4.  Sean also serves as Central Vice-President of the PA Federation of College Democrats and an At-Large Representative in the University Park Undergraduate Association. Sean plans to promote educational equity upon graduating from Penn State in the spring of 2009.

Samuel Settle
Samuel is a first-year Scholar majoring in Political Science and History and is an active member of College Republicans, Students for McCain and Young Americans for Freedom, as well as a volunteer at the State College McCain Victory Center.  He first got involved in politics when he was 14 while working with the Junior State of America.  He began volunteering with his first political campaign in 2006, by helping the Philadelphia Republican Party update voter registration lists, and volunteered on his first national campaign in 2007 by phone-banking for former presidential candidates Mike Huckabee.  Samuel hails from Philadelphia.