The recent economic downturn has created challenges for universities and for families. At A Day with Northwestern on April 17, Northwestern University president Morton Schapiro, who is also a School of Education and Social Policy faculty member, will illuminate the economics of higher education. SESP adjunct instructor Arthur Nielsen will explain how to cope with economic stress in a family.
For the annual seminar day for alumni, Schapiro will deliver the keynote address on "The Economics of Higher Education." One of the nation's leading authorities on the economics of higher education, he will explore the measurement of educational outcomes, the relationship between the economy and equity in higher education, the economic returns of a college degree and how higher education will be different in 20 years.
Nielsen's talk, "Managing Economic Stress on the Home Front," will discuss ways of handling economic stress within families, drawing on psychological literature and examples from his psychotherapy practice. Nielsen, a psychoanalyst and family therapist, is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine. At SESP, he teaches the popular Marriage 101 course for undergraduates, which explores the intricacies and problems of close, committed interpersonal relationships, especially marriage.
Schapiro's keynote is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. and Nielsen's session for 1:15 p.m. at Norris University Center. The lectures are open to the Northwestern community and the general public, with registration through the Northwestern Alumni Association.
A Day with Northwestern, which runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., features talks by prominent professors and alumni. Participants in the 41st annual seminar day can choose from 14 lectures with topics focusing on advances in green technology, medicine, music, the economy and more. In addition to the keynote address given by President Schapiro, a second keynote will be delivered by Victor Goines, director and professor of jazz studies in the Bienen School of Music.
Registration for the daylong seminar or for individual lectures at A Day with Northwestern is available online at http://www.alumni.northwestern.edu/adwn09. Tickets are $65 for a full day with lunch; a discounted rate of $45 is available to young alumni. Northwestern students qualify for a special rate of $10. Registration is open until April 2.