News Releases

Forums To Address Youth Obesity, Michigan's Economy

The economic and social costs of youth obesity and the state’s economic crisis are the topics of this spring's final two Michigan Issues Forums developed by Alma College students.

“Making a New Michigan” is the unifying theme of the forums, sponsored by Alma’s Center for Responsible Leadership and developed and organized by the College’s leadership fellows.

The forums, free and open to the public, feature guest panelists from around Michigan who will address issues related to the forum topics.

• “Reforming Education for a Healthier Michigan,” 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27, Dow Science Center Room L1.

A discussion with a healthy meal will focus on solving the obesity epidemic in K-12 schools, according to student forum contact Taylor Gibson. In addition to a healthy conversation about obesity, the forum will provide a topic-appropriate meal to encourage healthy consumption.

Teachers and parents are particularly encouraged to partake of this forum. Panelists will include Robyn Anderson, profesor of exercise and health science at Alma College; Martha Powelson, chairwoman of the Alma Public Schools Wellness Committee; and Peggy Thelen, associate professor of education at Alma College.

• “Behind the Scenes of Michigan’s Economic Crisis: Labor Unions vs. Right to Work?” 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, March 27, Dow Science Center Room L1.

Guest panelists will address union, business, workers’ and legislative perspectives of right to work and then conclude with a final segment that wraps up the discussion, according to student forum contact Kristina Fuehring. 

“The purpose of the Michigan Issues Forums is to open dialogue about change in Michigan,” says John Leipzig, director of Alma’s Center for Responsible Leadership. “These dialogues are organized and presented by our leadership fellows, who have explored in depth some of the challenges facing Michigan. These are students concerned with the future of Michigan, and they have zeroed in on some major issues.

“The forums will approach each issue in the following way:  What we know, what we need to know, and what are the next steps for addressing these issues in ways that advance Michigan,” he says.

Previous forums focused on energy-transportation issues on March 6 and the impact of DDT on human health, the environment and malaria control March 14.

The Center for Responsible Leadership Fellows’ Program offers students advanced opportunities for in-depth leadership training and development. Fellows engage in leadership development activities throughout the program. Fellows participate in the LeaderShape Institute at Ghost Ranch Conference Center in New Mexico in their first year, followed by international and/or domestic leadership and service opportunities, as well as speakers and leadership workshops. The Michigan Issues Forum is a culminating leadership activity for the fellows.

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The Alma College Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) team has won 11 consecutive regional championships. The competition awards the SIFE teams that are most effective in teaching the principles of market economics through outreach projects in their communities. Last year’s team presented 12 projects, including teaching ethics and entrepreneurship skills to students at a juvenile detention center and launching an entrepreneurship competition for students with business ideas.

 

Student Profile

Emily Johnson

Emily Johnson
Graduation: 2015
Major: POE: Global Health

From volunteering at a hospital in Sierra Leone to racking up awards with the Model United Nations team, Emily Johnson says Alma College has given her many impressive ways to fill her résumé.

“The opportunities at Alma are why I chose the school,” she says. “You don’t have to search far to find them here. Just within my first year, I was able to travel across the country and the world. Alma’s environment really encourages me to use my degree to do unexpected things that will really better the world around me.”