Dr. Kirwin Shaffer is Professor of Latin American Studies. He teaches courses on Latin American and Caribbean History, Latin American Studies, Global Terrorism, Tyranny and Freedom, Globalization, and Global Cinema. When not teaching, he continues research on transnational anarchism in the Americas.  He has published four books on anarchist politics and culture in Latin America: […]

James Garrett, a recent graduate of Penn State University, will be joined by Tabea Kuhlmann, a student at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, to discuss the German-American relationship through the perspective of the transatlantic program Ambassadors in Sneakers. James and Tabea will use this intercultural exchange to highlight topics related to the two countries […]

Doug will be sharing his personal journey of his recent Trek through the Himalayas in Nepal.  This photo presentation will recount the journey of his 14-day Trek through the vast and beautiful Himalayas, the highest mountain range in the world.  This “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity took him from Lukla to the Everest Base Camp, then across the […]

Today’s global environment is rife with uncertainty. Chief among them is concern over the future of the international order. To understand what these future challenges hold, Dr. Robert S. Hinck will share findings from his recently co-authored book, The Future of Global Competition: Ontological Security Narratives in Chinese, Iranian, Russian, and Venezuelan Media. During the […]

Dr. Spencer S. Stober is a Professor of Biology at Alvernia University, Reading, PA, where he taught Biology for 30 years. Since earning his doctorate at Temple University, with a specialization in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, he teaches graduate courses in leadership and supervises dissertations. In 2005 he received Alvernia’s Christian R. & Mary […]

Elizabeth Smith currently serves as the Public Diplomacy Officer for Public Engagement (Cultural Affairs Officer) at U.S. Embassy San Jose, Costa Rica.  Within this portfolio, she works on educational and cultural programming, particularly for socially disadvantaged communities.  Her work includes building relationships with Costa Ricans through people-to people programs such as cultural and academic exchanges, English […]

Charles A. Ray is a retired Foreign Service Officer who served 30 years in the US Foreign Service, and before that, 20 years in the US Army. During his army service, including two tours in Vietnam, he served in Military Intelligence, Special Operations, and Public Affairs, with tours of duty in Germany, Korea, Vietnam, and […]