WEST PLAINS, Mo.– Missouri State University-West Plains will participate in Missouri State University’s 2018 Public Affairs Conference, “Sustainability in Practice: Consensus and Consequences” April 10-12 by offering area residents the opportunity to hear conference speakers via interactive television (ITV).
Local campus officials joined forces with conference organizers at the Springfield campus to make arrangements for area residents to see and hear several of the event’s addresses on the local campus, said Brenda Polyard, director of Missouri State-West Plains’ University/Community Programs (U/CP) Department, which is hosting the event locally.
This year’s conference, the 14th hosted by the university, will serve as a vehicle for facilitating vital dialogue on practices for a sustainable future, according to Dr. Michael G. Burton, associate professor of agriculture at Missouri State University in Springfield and this year’s provost fellow for public affairs.
SUSTAINABILITY GOES BEYOND THE NATURAL WORLD
“When one considers the notion of sustainability, the first thoughts that come to mind are often focused on the natural world. Sustainability is a word that immediately conjures images of the seas, mountains, and wildlife,” Burton said.
“Yet, sustainability in practice is much broader,” he explained. “With its foundation firmly in the natural sciences, sustainability also encompasses societal components that reach every corner of human behavior: government, business, education, the arts, medicine and human services.
“According to Merriam-Webster, the simple definition of sustainable is ‘able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed; able to last or continue for a long time.’ If we are living in a crucial moment that will impact our very existence, how shall we respond?,” Burton added.
SCHEDULE OF PRESENTATIONS
The keynote and plenary addresses that will be provided via ITV to the West Plains campus include:
• “The personal account of how the Titanic was found and a look into the future” by Dr. Robert Ballard, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 10, in Melton Hall Room 112. The world-renowned oceanographer will share his incredible story of the significant discovery of the Titanic, the advanced technology he used for this world famous expedition, and what’s ahead for the future in deep sea exploration.
• “Sustainability in the extended global supply chain” by Ron Ireland, supply chain management innovator, at noon Wednesday, April 11, in Lybyer Technology Center Room 214. A 1974 graduate of Missouri State, Ireland has 37 years of experience in business, including five years at Walmart in Bentonville, Arkansas, where he earned the company’s IT Visionary of the Year Award in 1995 for his design and implementation of the award-winning Walmart Automated Replenishment Planning system, which included the creation of what later became an industry global standard called Collaboration Planning Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR). His presentation will focus on the supply chain bullwhip and how many leading businesses in all industries are now resolving these issues using techniques such as integrated business planning (IBP) and collaborative supply chain planning.
• “Global Food Security: The challenge and promise for higher education” by Dr. Brady Deaton, emeritus professor and former chancellor of the University of Missouri-Columbia, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, in Melton Hall Room 112. Founder and director of MU’s Deaton Institute for University Leadership in International Development, which is committed to transdisciplinary approaches to understanding and finding solutions to global food security and ending extreme poverty through university curricula reform, research and student experiences, Deaton will review foreign assistance efforts that followed World War II and involved universities. He’ll also share the institute’s current educational and scientific contributions.
• “Health sustainability in a hostile health environment” by Vivian Carter, deputy director for community engagement at Tuskegee University Health Disparities Institute, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in Melton Hall Room 112. An accomplished researcher specializing in community-based participatory research, Carter will examine the issues of health sustainability by distinguishing between health equality and health equity, addressing them through four lenses: bioethical, social environmental, social structural and economic.
All presentations are free and open to the public.
A number of other keynote sessions, panels and special events also are planned on the Springfield campus. Complete program information can be found online. All events are free and open to the public.
For more information about the local presentations of plenary addresses, call the U/CP Department office at 417-255-7966.