Lecture, conference set tone for ongoing community conversation

The Kalamazoo community is invited to the 2017 Burian Lecture and 2017 Diversity and Inclusion Conference at the College of Health and Human Services. The events will both be held in the CHHS building, Feb. 23 and 24.

Burian Lecture

The Bill Burian University-Community Lecture Series was established to bring experts to Western Michigan University to engage in meaningful conversations about health and human service issues with leaders and members of the Kalamazoo and WMU communities, including faculty, students and health care and human service practitioners. Previous topics have included health equity, compassionate end-of-life care, the Affordable Care Act and health care in underserved populations.

The topic of this year's lecture is Health and Well-Being in the 21st Century - Building Bridges for Older Adults in Multicultural Communities. Edna Kane-Williams, senior vice president for multicultural marketing at AARP, brings to the conversation the insight of more than 20 years of working with older adults and multicultural communities.

The 2017 Burian Lecture will be held Thursday, Feb. 23, from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., with a reception immediately following until approximately 8 p.m. The lecture is free to the public, but registration is preferred.

Register Today

Diversity and Inclusion Conference:

The theme of this year's biennial conference is Health and Well-Being within a Diverse Community.

Faculty and students from the College of Health and Human Services are invited to attend the daylong conference, as are alumni and practitioners from the greater Kalamazoo community who may find value in the topics. CEUs are available for some disciplines.

Edna Kane-Williams returns with the keynote lecture for the conference, titled Health and Well-Being within a Diverse Community - Reimagining Possibilities for Older Adults in Multicultural Communities. That lecture is followed by workshops and poster presentations by CHHS faculty representing a number of disciplines.

The conference takes place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 24. Registration is just $25 ($10 for students) and includes continental breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout the day.

Register Today

Ongoing community discussions

Both the Burian Lecture and the Diversity and Inclusion Conference will set the tone for an ongoing community conversation facilitated by WMU's University-Community Empowerment Center (U-CEC) and AARP Michigan. The two organizations are planning a series of discussions (Older Adults, How You Livin'?) in Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids around topics that impact older adults. These topics include:

• Positive Aging
• Financial Security
• Suitable Housing
• Mental and Physical Health
• Caretaking (older adults caring for grandchildren and children – including the growing number of older adults who care for their grandchildren when their children are incarcerated and/or care for their children who return home from prison or end a relationship)

Experts will present at each discussion and engage participants through storytelling to provide enrichment and learned options for future change.

In 2014, the U-CEC hosted a similar series of events aimed at poverty reduction. Those conversations resulted in recommendations turned over to the city and county of Kalamazoo.