Program Announcement: People, Place, and Public Engagement Conference, October 2018 in St. John’s, NL, Canada

People, Place and Public Engagement Conference

We are just over a month from welcoming visitors from across Canada and the world to People, Place, and Public Engagement, a conference about community-university collaboration, at our incredible new site on Signal Hill.

So now, without further ado, we’d like to announce our featured speakers…

Natan Obed, President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, is our conference keynote speaker. Born in Labrador, President Obed has been a strong voice for Inuit, both in Canada and on the international stage. He has spoken extensively about the need for Arctic research that emphasizes Inuit-determined research priorities, and empowers Inuit communities.

We’ll also spend an evening with a group of Newfoundland and Labrador’s most celebrated writers, artists, and comedians. Join Andy Jones, Greg Malone, Pam Hall, Melissa Barbeau and Ian Sutherland for a conversation about the long connections between our province’s thriving arts scene and Memorial University and the role that community-university collaboration can have in supporting vibrant arts and cultural communities.

Our plenary sessions will explore public engagement within the national and global contexts. First, The State of Public Engagement in Canada and Beyond will explore what Canada can teach (and learn from) the world when it comes to community-university partnerships. This session includes Ted Hewitt, President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), among other international experts. The second plenary session Advancing Public Engagement in Canada asks “what comes next?”

Along with our featured speakers and sessions and a full slate of diverse and interesting parallel sessions and workshops, we’d also like to draw your attention to our Saturday line-up. Along with the keynote address from President Obed, there will be a number of thematic streams happening, including Transforming University-Indigenous Relationships for Reconciliation and Arctic and Remote engagement. You can see the entire conference schedule here.

You can register for People, Place, and Public Engagement here. If you’re looking for accommodations, please keep in mind that we’ve set aside a block of rooms at Alt Hotel right on the waterfront. Just use the code 1810Battery.

We can’t wait to welcome you to our beautiful new site on Signal Hill. See you soon!

Sincerely,

Rob Greenwood and Sandy Brennan

Co-Chairs, People, Place, and Public Engagement