Global Citizenship Forum

The Global Citizen Forum is comprised of a series of events drawing on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a thematic lens, taking place annually in the spring semester.

The Forum was established as the co-curricular arm of the Engaged Citizen Experience, part of the Drake Curriculum which aims to ensure students will learn to participate effectively in democratic processes through coursework and classroom and community activities. The ECE seeks to mobilize the entire campus community to discuss a critical theme or global issue.

Past events have involved collaboration among Global Engagement, Academic Excellence and Student Success, the Nelson Institute, the Principal Center for Global Citizenship, Community Engaged Learning, Professional and Career Development Services, and other partners on and off campus.

2024 Global Citizenship Forum, March 7-8

Drake University is excited to announce the lineup for this year’s Global Citizenship Forum, which will be hosted on Drake’s campus March 7–8. This year’s Forum offers an exciting mix of events including a screening of the Iowa PBS documentary “Citizen Diplomacy” followed by a moderated panel composed of Iowans featured in the film, including former U.S. Ambassador Ken Quinn. The Forum will once again feature the Nelson Student Research Symposium as well as a faculty panel that explores the question, “How do we make the world better?”

Global Citizenship Forum events are free and open to the public. The Global Citizenship Forum takes place each spring and draws on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as a thematic lens for the featured events. 

“This year’s Global Citizenship Forum will explore what it means to be a citizen in an increasingly interconnected world. The featured events will engage attendees in global thinking and intercultural learning as we work to develop a deeper understanding of other cultures to strengthen our tolerance and our ability to adapt, communicate, and think critically,” said Annique Kiel, Executive Director of Global Engagement at Drake.

The 2024 Global Citizenship Forum lineup can be found below.

The Global Citizenship Showcase | Thursday, March 7, 8:30-10 AM in Cowles Library Reading Room

Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship is sponsoring a ‘fireside chat’ between Harkin Institute Senior Fellow Robert Ludke and Zimpleman College of Business Dean Alejandro Hernandez on the intersection of business and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The 2024 Principal Global Citizenship Award will also be presented to a Drake faculty member who has made outstanding contributions in the areas of global engagement and global learning.

You can register for this event here.

Drake Faculty Panel – How Do We Make the World Better? | Thursday, March 7, 11 AM-12:15 PM in Meredith 106

This thought-provoking panel is hosted by Drake’s Principal Center for Global Citizenship in partnership with the Politics, International Business, and Law, Politics and Society (LPS) departments. It will bring together an interdisciplinary panel of Drake faculty to talk about topics related to global development and creating a more just and prosperous future for all the world’s inhabitants.

The question “How do we make the world better?” opens the door for discussion along two main avenues: First, what sets of policies, social arrangements, and economic configurations might be worth looking at to make the world better; and second, what courses of international, coordinated action might be taken to achieve those goals? The session will draw from panelists’ expertise, as well as observations about existing international trends and institutions in their discussion. The panelists include:

• Dr. Jeffrey Kappen, Associate Professor of International Business
• Dr. Ali Malik, Assistant Professor of Law, Politics, and Society
• Dr. Leanne Purdum, Assistant Professor of Law, Politics, and Society
• Dr. Kieran Williams, Associate Professor of Politics

You can register for this event here. 

“Citizen Diplomacy” Documentary Screening and Panel | Thursday, March 7, 6:30-8:30 PM in The Harkin Institute

As part of the Global Citizenship Forum, Drake is hosting a live screening of the Iowa PBS documentary “Citizen Diplomacy”. The one-hour film explores the rich history of Iowans reaching across borders to build ties of peace and understanding through citizen diplomacy. Following the screening, audience members will be invited to remain for a panel discussion featuring: Dave Miller, Iowa PBS executive producer; Ken Quinn, former U.S. Ambassador and former President of the World Food Prize; Roger Engstrom, volunteer with the Peace Corps and USAID’s Farmer to Farmer program; and Sofia Fernandez, recent Iowa State University graduate and founder of the Next Generation Institute which provided training in sustainable development project design for NGO practitioners in Uganda. The film screening and panel are sponsored by the Principal Center for Global Citizenship at Drake in cooperation with the Harkin Institute and Iowa PBS.

You can register for this event here. 

Nelson Student Research Symposium | Friday, March 8, 12:30-4:30 PM in Collier-Scripps Hall on the Third Floor

The Nelson Student Research Symposia is an annual student showcase that recognizes and shares high-quality undergraduate research related to international and global topics. The symposium will feature student presentations addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which provide a framework for tackling complex global pressing issues such as poverty, sustainable communities, climate action, and justice.

You can register for this event here.