Session Summaries

Mynul Khan will share how his journey from Bangladesh to St. Cloud State University shaped his worldview and the ways in which market conditions are impacting how work gets done.  He'll also recount how a chance encounter demonstrated a need to connect companies with short-term, on-site workers and how those connections are powering today's businesses.

James Bullard, a member of the Federal Open Market Committee and President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, will provide an overview and outlook for the U.S. economy. 

 

Leading immigration economist, George Borjas, will walk us through the economics of immigration. You can expect to learn more about the breadth of immigration research assessing both economic impacts as well as policy measures.

Join Kalia Yang as she shares her personal and family journey. From growing up in Ban Vinai Refugee camp to transitioning to Minnesota as a young girl, Yang explores what it means to be Hmong in America. Her story is one of love, family, persistence, and existence.

Every country on Earth strictly regulates immigration.  Are these regulations justified?  Caplan argues that the answer is no.  Immigration restrictions are a serious human rights violation that impoverish the world by wasting valuable human talent.  Open borders – a world where everyone could live and work in any country on Earth – isn’t just a noble ideal it’s a feasible one. 

This fun, interactive session will help participants learn to overcome cross-cultural misunderstandings by first exploring the need and value of cross-cultural encounters. Starting with “My Name” and “My Story,” Dr. Sangeeta Jha will provide tools that encourage everyone to start conversations with our neighbors and co-workers and help build bridges of understanding.

Sponsored by the St. Cloud Area Chamber of Commerce

Let’s talk! This session offers the opportunity for our community to: connect, listen thoughtfully, and converse respectfully. In this capstone session, attendees will participate in small group, structured dialogue that will explore varying perspectives related to immigration. This is an opportunity for participants to reflect on information they heard during the program as well as their own ideas about immigration.  Everyone is welcome. The conversation will be facilitated by faculty and students from the SCSU Communication Studies Department and members of the St. Cloud community.