Leading commentators on socioeconomic challenges and civic engagement will serve as keynote speakers at the annual two-day gathering of admissions and enrollment professionals in Boston
WATERTOWN, Mass. (January 6, 2020) — Liaison International today announced that award-winning author and educator Dr. Anthony Jack, whose book The Privileged Poor explores challenges faced by disadvantaged students at elite universities, will deliver the opening keynote address at the 2020 Liaison User Conference.
At the July 23-24 conference in Boston, Dr. Jack will offer insights and strategies for academic institutions seeking to diversify their student bodies, and he will speak to the responsibilities admissions and enrollment professionals should consider when setting students up for success.
The second day of the conference will feature a keynote address from Dr. Andrew Seligsohn, president of Campus Compact, a coalition of more than 1,000 colleges and universities dedicated to building democracy through civic engagement and community development. Last August, Liaison and Campus Compact partnered to launch an innovative new tool called Compact2Learn, which helps students and institutions track the learning outcomes of their civic engagement initiatives.
“Supporting inclusivity and increasing civic engagement are crucial priorities for our clients and partners today,” said George Haddad, Liaison’s founder and CEO. “With these goals in mind, Liaison stands ready to help institutions of higher ed expand their reach, elevate their programs’ admissions and empower today’s students to become tomorrow’s leaders.”
Dr. Jack is a sociologist and Assistant Professor of Education at Harvard University. His essays and research have appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, WBUR and other highly regarded media. Harvard University Press named The Privileged Poor the winner of the 2018 Thomas J. Wilson Memorial Prize.
“As gatekeepers in their industry, admissions professionals are in a unique position to effect meaningful and enduring change regarding access to the benefits of higher education,” said Dr. Jack. “I’m looking forward to having conversations about how we can transform our ideals and values on diversity and inclusivity into a reality for today’s marginalized students.”
Before joining Campus Compact, Dr. Seligsohn served as Associate Chancellor for Civic Engagement and Strategic Planning at Rutgers University-Camden, where he worked across the campus to develop the university’s engagement infrastructure to maximize community impact and student learning. He previously served as Director of Civic Engagement Learning in the Pace Center at Princeton University.
“We’re seeing unprecedented levels of civic engagement from the current generation of college students,” said Dr. Seligsohn. “Engaging students around their passions touches on everything from recruitment to retention, as well as our ability to provide meaningful experiences that shape how students will contribute to their communities.”
Registration is now open for the 2020 Liaison User Conference, which will be hosted at the Westin Boston Waterfront. The gathering provides an opportunity for higher education institutions to hear from other admissions professionals about current trends and best practices in enrollment and to learn more about how Liaison’s products and services can help them overcome challenges. Early bird registration for the conference, which includes a $150 discount, ends on February 14.
For more information about the 2020 Liaison User Conference, and to take advantage of early bird registration, visit events.www.liaisonedu.com.