Mark your calendars now! The Patton College's Munch and Learn Series returns for spring semester. The spring theme is   Global Issues on Immigration: Mobilizing to Advocate for and Build Inclusive Communities. The series is free and open to all.

Each semester The Patton College hosts a Munch and Learn Series comprising panel discussions that take an in-depth look at societal issues that impact education. The goal of the series is to create a more equitable and inclusive community, both at Ohio University and in our society at large. We recognize that ignorance of others’ lived experiences creates an environment that allows prejudice, misunderstanding, and even conflict to grow, so we want the Munch and Learn series to allow the world of Ohio University to see and hear directly from representatives of as many members of our heterogeneous community as possible. 

A total of four panel discussions are scheduled for spring semester. The final session will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. on April 12: 

• April 12  - Honoring and Supporting the Experiences of Immigrant Populations in University and Community Life , presented by the Exemplary Student-Centered Services and Vibrant Outreach, and Partnerships working groups. Click here to join the discussion. on Microsoft Teams. | Please complete the post-session evaluation  to help us improve the series
  
  Moderator Chip Rice leads a discussion  focused on the academic and non-academic experiences of international students. Panelists will share experiences and strategies for enhancing student success and community engagement among international patterns. It is open to Ohio University and the community.

All sessions will be delivered via Microsoft Teams and dial-in instructions will be provided for each. 

Previous sessions:

• March 22  - International Students and Immigration: Perspectives from students, faculty, and staff , presented by The Patton College Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Click here to watch the session recording on The Patton College YouTube channel.
  
  Moderator Kelly Davidson will be joined by students from various countries and Ohio University faculty and staff who work with international students. The goal of this session is to help our community understand international students' journey and challenges faced before and and since their arrival in the U.S., and to share resources that are available to support international students.
  
• March 8 - Honoring the Experiences of Immigrant Populations in Research and Scholarship , presented by the Rigorous, Influential Research working group.
  
  Moderator Dr. Sara Helfrich and panelists Dr.  Bhaskar Upadhyay, Dr. Emmanuel Jean Francois and Dr. Mike Kopish discussed how to honor the experiences of immigrant populations in research and scholarship? In this session, researchers shared how to gain entrée and build trust within the community bringing immigrants' experiences to the foreground. Various theoretical frameworks that can help us think about immigrant-focused research, as well as appropriate types of research design, were shared.
  
• February 8 - Immigrant Experiences: Families, Careers, and Communities presented by the Academic Excellence working group.  Click here to watch the recorded session
  
  What do we NOT know about immigration that we should know? This session will provide a lively discussion of this increasingly important issue, including information we can take-away to improve immigration challenges on university campuses and communities.  Panelists will tell their stories and provide concrete examples that will inform our own institutional and community policies and practices.