News

GTCC’s Focus On Civility Sessions To Be Led By Visiting Professors

(Released 3/10/11)

Guilford Technical Community College's "Focus on Civility" program, which will take place March 18 through March 31, will be held on three campuses and will get a boost from visiting professors from Johns Hopkins University and UNC-Chapel Hill.

The programs will be open to the public as well as students, staff and faculty.

Dr. P. M. Forni, professor and co-founder of the John Hopkins Civility Project, and Dr. James H. Johnson Jr. of the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at UNC will be leading sessions during the two weeks of programs.

Forni is well-known in academic circles for his book "Choosing Civility, The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct." That book will be a key reference for the forum.

Johnson will open the program with a Friday, March 18, session at the Sears Applied Technologies Center auditorium on the Jamestown campus.

Johnson will lead the noon-2 p.m. session on "Achieving Civility Across Generations in the Workplace." He is director of the Urban Investments Center in the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, and also is the William R. Kenan Jr. distinguished professor of strategy and entrepreneurship.

The forum moves to the High Point campus for a 10-11 a.m. session on Friday, March 25. The program will be "Table Talk Discussion on Civility." Students, faculty and staff will be able to discuss issues of civility and incivility. The discussion will be led by Stephany Cousins, director of Basic Skills on the High Point campus; Janette McNeill, dean of the High Point campus; and Evelyn Smith, division chair for human services and public safety.

Also on Wednesday, March 30, there will be three events led by Forni in the Koury Auditorium on the Jamestown campus:

• Noon - A discussion on "What is Civility and Why is it Important?"
• 5:30 pm. - Book signing and chat with the author.
• 6:30 p.m. -- Community discussion on civility.

Another "Table Talk Discussion on Civility" will be held 10-11:15 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, on the Greensboro campus. The panel will include Forni; Manuel Dudley, dean of the Greensboro campus; and other campus leaders.

Forni will be available for a "chat with the author" for students, staff and faculty from 1:30-2:30 p.m. March 31st on the High Point campus.

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