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Public Service and the Legacy of JFK
17 March 2017 Public Service and the Legacy of JFK
Steven Rothstein, the executive director of the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, will deliver Presidents Forum remarks and participate in a panel discussion examining how Kennedys presidency shaped the future of American public service, from his leadership during the Cold War to his establishment of the Peace Corps.
During Rothsteins talk, which will begin at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, in the Geneva Room of the Warren Hunting Smith Library, he will outline the historical context of Kennedys commitment to public service, as well as the strides he made while in office to advance the lives and livelihoods not only of Americans but citizens across the globe.
Rothsteins visit to campus is part of a series of discussions that use the centennial of Kennedys birth as a springboard to discuss key themes of his presidency. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation is partnering with a select group of diverse colleges and universities to explore a host of issues, including science and innovation, arts and culture, civil rights and inclusion, peace and diplomacy and public service.
The symposia offer context for these issues and highlight how far society has come in some areas since the Kennedy Administration and how much progress remains in others. The events are also designed to show how the issues have evolved over the past decades and to spark conversation about their future.
Rothsteins talk will be followed by a panel discussion with:
Kim Aliperti, co-owner of Billsboro Winery, served in the Peace Corps in Tunisia and is the former chair of the Boys & Girls Club of Geneva.
Vincent Aliperti, co-owner of Billsboro Winery, served in the Peace Corps in Tunisia. He has served as interim vice chair of the board of directors for the Smith Center for the Arts.
Glenn Cerosaletti, assistant dean of students at the University of Rochester and director of that schools center for community leadership, served as both an AmeriCorps VISTA in Wheatland, Wyoming and a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia. He is the current supervisor of the AmeriCorps supported Rochester Youth Year (RYY) program that recently partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Geneva to host RYY AmeriCorps members.
Clifford Chan is the former director of Volunteers in Asia (VIA), a program started at Stanford in 1963 with a summer of service in the refugee camps in Hong Kong and was formally incorporated in 1966 with summer programs and two-year programs for conscientious objectors to the Vietnam War. There were Peace Corps trainers and alums on the board of VIA especially in the early years.
Katie Flowers, director of the HWS Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning, served in the Campus Compact VISTA program in Worcester, Mass. She currently volunteers as a Girl Scout leader and youth girls lacrosse coach for the Geneva YMCA.
Alan Frishman, HWS professor of economics, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nigeria and recently returned to Nigeria to re-connect with the people and culture.
Anne Tatarsky, the western New York recruiter for the Peace Corps, is a returned Peace Corps Volunteer in the Dominican Republic where her focus was on the environment and youth.
HWS President Mark D. Gearan, who directed the Peace Corps from 1995 to 1999, will moderate the discussion.
Since its establishment in the winter of 2000, the Presidents Forum Series has brought to campus a variety of important politicians, intellectuals, and social activists, to share their knowledge and ideas with students, faculty, staff of the Colleges, as well as with interested community members promoting the free flow and exchange of ideas.