The Sawyer Seminar: Institutionalizing Change

Institutionalizing Change is both the capstone and the conclusion of the yearlong discussion of race, immigration, and inequality that has been the focus of the Sawyer seminar series: Natives and Nativists, Immigrants and Migrants in an American City.

The goal of this final seminar is to have a frank conversation on how to turn scholarly insights into institutional action and create community consensus on immigration and educational access for the greater Newark community. It features a roundtable discussion with eminent leaders, migration scholars, and advocates on how to institutionalize that change, starting with the institutions of Newark.

Guiding questions for this seminar include:

-What is the philosophy that guides university policy around undocumented students/faculty/staff?

-How is that policy influenced by leading migration scholarship, or is it shaped by other influences and considerations?

-What are the challenges, priorities in institutionalizing a pro-migrant policy at a leading American university in the current political climate?

Panelists:

Nancy Cantor, Chancellor, Rutgers University, Newark

Roberto Gonzales, Founder and Director, Penn Migration Initiative, University of Pennsylvania

Jason Hernandez, Rutgers Immigrant Community Assistance Project

Peter T. Rosario, President and CEO, La Casa de Don Pedro

Moderator: Kornel Chang, Associate Professor and Chair, History, Rutgers University, Newark