Purdue Northwest scholars and community experts to discuss “the post-COVID world”
Purdue University Northwest (PNW) will host a series of virtual conversations with PNW scholars and community experts to explore the post-COVID world and the opportunity for reinvention. The series, titled “On the Other Side: PNW Examines the Post-COVID World,” will challenge thinking about what the future holds.
The global pandemic has affected many institutions—including labor markets, health care, education, organized religions, journalism, transportation, housing, entertainment, crime, food production, and politics—and they will be forever changed.
“The post-COVID world will witness extraordinary changes in the human experience in the years to come. We need not fear this change,” said Richard Rupp, interim chair, department of Political Science, Economics, and World Languages at Purdue Northwest. “Instead, we must understand the change, embrace the change and lead the change.”
Historically, great cataclysmic crises provide enormous opportunities for advancement. Many times governments and citizens have met the challenges. Now is the time to innovate, reinvent and go forward, Rupp said.
All events are free, virtual and open to the public. Guests are welcome to join via Zoom, and registration is encouraged. Full details and the registration link can be found on the event webpage at www.pnw.edu/other-side. Each event in the series also will be livestreamed by WJOB via Facebook Live at @WJOB.1230.
Rachel Clapp-Smith, academic director of The Leadership Institute at Purdue Northwest and interim associate vice chancellor of Academic Affairs for PNW, will moderate each monthly session from noon to 1:15 p.m.
Schedule of Events:
On The Other Side: Leadership, Monday, February 22
The global pandemic has challenged leadership at all levels and contexts. Many leaders have had to find new ways of leading as they deal with crisis and changes in how their organizations operate. How has leading through the pandemic changed how leaders set priorities and affect change? What does leadership look like in a post-COVID world?
Panelists include: Janaki Gooty, associate professor, Management and Organizational Science, Belk College of Business – University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Craig Dwight, chairman and chief executive officer, Horizon Bancorp, Inc.; and Dean Mazzoni, president and chief executive officer, Franciscan Health
On The Other Side: Cyber Security, Monday, March 22
The challenges, threats, and opportunities confronting cyber security were great prior to COVID19. As virtually all facets of life have migrated even further into cyberspace during the past year, the work of cyber security specialists has grown exponentially. PNW is at the forefront of cyber security research and training with a $5.9 million grant from the U.S. National Security Agency.
Panelists include Niaz Latif, dean, College of Technology, Purdue University Northwest; Robert Johnson, president and chief executive officer, Cimcor, Inc.; and Keyuan Jiang, department chair of Computer Information Technology and Graphics, Purdue University Northwest
On The Other Side: Social Media, Tuesday, April 20
Living in the “new normal” of a COVID world, social media has become an outlet to shape one’s views of the outside environment. From sharing intimate family moments with extended family from a distance to watching the troubles of the world unfold in real-time, social media provides both a realistic and faux view of the world today. This discussion will touch on both the positive and negative repercussions of relying on social media for information and views of the “real world.”
Panelists include: Matt Hanson, clinical assistant professor of marketing, PNW; Rhon Teruelle, assistant professor of Mass Communication and Social Media, PNW; and Jim Dedelow, owner, WJOB AM 1230.
On The Other Side: Tourism and Hospitality, Monday, May 10
Hospitality and Tourism is one of the largest industries in the world and the impact of COVID 19 has been devastating—in the Region, the state, the nation, and the world. Hospitality and Tourism will return embracing new strategies and models. PNW’s Hospitality and Tourism Center researches and examines this radically changed environment identifying opportunities for recovery and growth and career placement for students.
Panelists include Godwin-Charles Ogbeide, director, White Lodging School of Hospitality & Tourism Management, PNW; Speros Batistatos, president and chief executive officer, South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority; Amanda Cecil, professor and director of the Event and Tourism Institute, Indiana University (IUPUI); and Dave Montose, chief executive officer, Janko Hospitality, LLC.