Inside Iowa State
October 6, 2000
VISION 2020 has speakers bureau
by Anne Krapfl
Halting urban sprawl, creating a
distance-education course for use on the Web, increasing
public understanding of poverty and mentoring organic farmers
are some of the 39 topics offered in a year-long speakers
bureau coordinated by VISION 2020.
Speakers are prepared to give 50 minute to three-hour presentations, based on audience preference. The free service will operate through this academic year.
Iowa State's role in VISION 2020 goes back nearly seven years, when the Kellogg Foundation-funded program focused on improving food systems -- from grower to consumer -- by better educating food systems professionals. The national program involved land-grant universities in several states. Since then, the Kellogg Foundation has redefined and broadened the program to answer a different question: What should higher education look like in the future?
This year marks the fifth of a five-year implementation period for VISION 2020. With a $1.5 million grant from the Kellogg Foundation and another $1million in matching funds from Iowa State colleges, program leaders awarded $1 million in grants over five years to 43 experimental projects around the state. Organizers of 39 of those are available to talk to university or high school classes and business or civic groups about their projects and outcomes.
Some of the speakers are ISU faculty or staff; others are from Iowa's community colleges or working Iowans who got involved in a project.
"Our faculty have done some wonderful things in VISION 2020 and we want to share those," said Ann Schultz, program coordinator. "Iowa State has a wealth of resources; we hope people will use us."
For more information, visit this Web site: http://www.iastate.edu/~vision2020/. To inquire about scheduling a speaker, contact Shellie Orngard, 4-2698.
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