St. Joseph’s College professor to host presentation Thursday, April 15, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Viola George Auditorium in Harold Alfond Hall at the college. The program will feature guest speakers, taped video commentary by national and world leaders, as well as discussion time.

STANDISH – St. Joseph’s College professor Steve Aylward is inviting students, faculty and the Lakes Region community at large to attend the first presentation by a new group he’s chartered at the Standish liberal arts college: the World Affairs Council of the Lakes Region. World affairs, because discussion topics will center on politics, history and current affairs throughout the world. Lakes Region, because Aylward sees the growing area as possessing its own identity and needing an intellectual outlet. “Rather than limit it to St. Joseph’s College students and staff, I wanted to open it to the community at large. And there’s a great feeling of regional identity as well as great pride here in the Lakes Region,” Aylward said. The first presentation of the Council takes place Thursday, April 15, from 7-8:30 p.m. in the Viola George Auditorium in Harold Alfond Hall at the college. The program will feature guest speakers, taped video commentary by national and world leaders, as well as discussion time. “This isn’t a lecture, the idea is to educate and provide a forum for opinion and the transfer of ideas. It’s a chance for people to share their ideas, and listen to others as they share their unique perspective,” Aylward said. His aim is to drum up interest in the greater community so different viewpoints can be shared. “I’ve been teaching at St. Joseph’s for two years. And my impression is that the students here have big hearts. They want to go out and help people. One of our values here is reaching out to the community, both on campus and in the surrounding towns. This is just another way of reaching out,” he said. The presentation is entitled “The Global Great Recession, Causes and Effects.” Aylward said Geoff Gattis, vice president of Bath Savings Institution, will address the topic of financial regulatory reform. Next, will be Chris Bond, a business professor at St. Joseph’s College, who will speak on Lehman Brothers’ financial collapse. Attendees will also watch a 25-minute video presentation entitled “The Global Credit Crisis,” featuring commentary by economic analyst Roger Kubarych of the Council on Foreign Relations, Mark Calabria of the Cato Institute, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, and World Bank President Robert Voellick. What makes the group a little different, Aylward said, is that attendees will also get a chance to break up into college dorm-style discussion groups spread around the auditorium. Aylward hopes the small groups will entice further discussion. “We chose the Global Great Recession mainly because it’s timely,” Aylward said. “There is the usual excitement among college seniors approaching the end of the semester, but there is also a lot of hesitation with the job market. So that makes this discussion timely for the students and as well as for the community in general.” Aylward got the idea of creating a Lakes Region-based World Affairs Council from living in Fort Collins, Colo., and attending a local chapter of the World Affairs Council there. As a former Army officer who specialized in foreign relations, Aylward enjoyed the group’s global focus. There are 39 Council chapters throughout the country, including the World Affairs Council of Maine based in Portland. Aylward said the Lakes Region Council is not yet an official member of the larger network. Some more established councils around the country, such as ones in Dallas and San Francisco, draw well-known speakers such as New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman and U2 frontman and human rights activist Bono. “The World Affairs Council strives to offer an intellectual forum for discussion of great ideas and historical and current events. It embodies the notion of thinking globally and acting locally,” Aylward said. Aylward said the Lakes Region Council’s goal will be to offer at least one presentation per semester. “Clearly, the more interest shown by students or the community, the more frequently we’ll do them,” he said.

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