The University of St. Thomas

School of Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 25, 2007

2007 Julian Parker Lecture Series on Urban Education features leaders in education Joseph J. Scherer and Arlene Ackerman


MINNEAPOLIS - The University of St. Thomas School of Education will host the annual Julian Parker Lecture Series at 7 p.m. on April 25, 2007. Featured speakers Joseph J. Scherer and Arlene Ackerman will focus on issues and values in urban education.The event takes place at the Minneapolis campus and is free and open to the public.

Joseph Scherer is the co-founder The District Management Council, a membership of the country’s leading public school district executives. Prior to co-founding the council, Scherer was the vice president of Federal Initiatives at Harcourt Education where he focused on identifying incremental revenue opportunities for all of the Harcourt Education companies. Harcourt Education is a leading publisher in elementary secondary education. His previous experiences in the private sector include vice president of Kaplan Learning Services, key accounts executive with IBM, vice president of Computer Curriculum Corporation and a general manager of marketing with Control Data Corporation. Prior to the experience in the private sector he spent nearly 20 years administering a number of education programs in Washington D.C. University of St. Thomas alum, Scherer has been inducted in the School of Education Wall of Fame.

 

Arlene Ackerman is a senior advisor to The District Management Council and is currently the Christian A. Johnson Professor of Outstanding Educational Practice and Director of Inquiry Program at Teachers College, Columbia University. Prior to that, Ackerman served as the superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District. Before going to San Francisco, Ackerman served as superintendent of the Washington, D.C. Public Schools. She has served in public education for 32 years and won numerous awards in education. Ackerman received masters and doctoral degrees from Harvard University.

  

The Julian Parker Lecture Series honors the longtime chairman of the education department and graduate school dean at Xavier University, New Orleans. Parker was a national leader in urban education and race relations. In the 1960’s, Parker was instrumental in dealing with issues of race and diversity when he worked at the University of St. Thomas in an exchange program between the nation’s historically black colleges and private colleges in Minnesota.  

For more information on this event, call Allissa Koenen at
(651) 962-4983 or visit www.stthomas.edu/education/events/julianparker.

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