Year of the City Continues with Emerging Scholars Lecture Series

Spring promises warmth as well as more Year of the City events, including the upcoming Emerging Scholars Lecture Series. The series will include presentations from a variety of authorities on topics related to urban themes.

February 8: The series begins with Frances Gage, assistant professor of fine arts, presenting “City of Remedies, Cures, and Comforts: Rome during the Catholic Reformation” at 12:15 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210.

“During the seventeenth century, Rome was not only the artistic and intellectual center of Europe, it was also a center for every form of health care for mind and body,” said Gage. Gage will discuss how this perspective of early modern Italy is a springboard to reconsidering twenty-first-century attitudes to civic health and wellness. Gage is currently completing a book on the therapeutic and preservative effects of art in early modern Rome.

Updated: February 21: Patrick Whalen, chief operating officer of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, will present “The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus: Collaboration at Its Best” on February 21 at 12:15 p.m. in E. H. Butler Library 210. Whalen is stepping in for Matthew K. Enstice, president and CEO of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus, who was originally scheduled for this presentation.

February 28: “Households in Peril: Debt after the Financial Crisis” will be presented by Joelle Leclaire, associate professor of economics and finance, at 12:15 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center South. Leclaire’s presentation will include the influence of job creation and steady employment on a city’s revitalization.“The health of a city depends crucially on the level of employment,” she said.

March 21: Jevon Hunter, assistant professor of elementary education and reading, will present “Situating Community Relevant Learning: Toward the Development of a Pedagogy of Urban Promise” at 12:15 p.m. in Cleveland Hall 418.

April 18: James J. Sobol, associate professor of criminal justice, will present “Policing Gun Violence: the Rhetoric and Reality of a Gun Buyback Program.” Sobol’s research includes empirical assessments of violence reduction strategies and police behavior, attitudes, organizations, and management. His recent research focuses on understanding how police organizations respond to contemporary challenges and identify ways to improve their own effectiveness.

The lecture series overall emphasizes the connection between Buffalo State and the city of Buffalo—a connection that extends to larger urban topics. “Faculty research at Buffalo State has strong connections to urban issues,” said Mark Severson, dean of the School of Natural and Social Sciences and chair of the Year of the City Planning Committee. “So much of our work, locally and around the world, deals with urban issues that range from water quality to crime to educational partnerships.”

All lectures are free and open to the public.