2008 Roundtable Schedule and Overview

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2008 Health Roundtable: Health, Wellness and Prevention

Monday, August 25, 9:30 to 11:30 am
Boettcher Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 2,200)

Diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and other illnesses affect millions of Americans. As a result, the US economy is significantly impacted by lower productivity and increased health care costs. Sample questions include: Is creating a culture of wellness through lifestyle choices and private/public policies critical to sustaining a growth-oriented economy? Is there sufficient capacity within the US medical system to provide sufficient care?
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2008 Education Roundtable

Monday, August 25, 9:30 to 11:30 am
Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 550)

American 15-year-olds are significantly below average in math and science. Out of 30 countries participating in the 2006 Programme for International Student Assessment, America’s 15-year-olds ranked 25th in math and 21st in science. Meanwhile, more than 1.2 million students drop out of school every year. That’s more than 6,000 students every school day and one student every 26 seconds. At the post-secondary level, more than one in three college freshmen enroll in at least one remedial course to catch up on skills they should have learned in high school. Clearly, American schools must make a change. Solutions may lie in better standards, more creative teacher compensation, extended learning time, more widespread early childhood education, and the integration of technology at school and at home, among other initiatives.
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2008 Philanthropy Roundtable: A Driving, Personal Force for Change

Monday, August 25, 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Boettcher Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 2,200)

Wealthy private citizens are increasingly seizing the reins and unilaterally attacking local and global issues via direct, engaged philanthropy. Similarly motivated, corporations are increasingly challenging their clients and their employees to engage in coordinated, widely-publicized philanthropic campaigns. Sample questions include: When can philanthropy cut through bureaucracy and be a driving, personal force for change? Could philanthropic expansion degrade into philanthropic proliferation? How can individuals and corporations unilaterally innovate and energize philanthropically, while also collaborating? In what ways does philanthropy help a family to transfer a benefactor’s values not just wealth? When can investment in for-profit entities be a viable solution for meeting a philanthropic objective?
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2008 America’s Retirement Challenge Roundtable

Monday, August 25, 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Ricketson Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 200)

To prepare for the close of their careers, Americans are increasingly aware of the critical planning which should be occurring in early adulthood and throughout a lifetime of employment. Sample questions include: What are the financial tools needed to create long-term financial security? What is the policy role of advocacy groups for seniors? How can retirees manage the unpredictable financial needs of not just themselves, but increasingly, of their parents, as well?
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2008 Transportation Infrastructure Roundtable

Monday, August 25, 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 550)

The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission reported in January 2008 that the annual investment required to improve the condition and performance of all modes of surface transportation ranges between $225 and $340 billion over the next 50 years. Sample questions include: What kind of public/private partnerships can meet that need? What are the financial and legal tools available to structure those partnerships?
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2008 Unconventional Women Roundtable

Monday, August 25, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
Temple Buell Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 2,700)

Since the suffrage movement, women in the United States have increased their profile and their impact on society in monumental proportions. Sample questions include: How can women further be encouraged to register and vote? What success have women achieved in elective office in the United States, and what support might increase the number of women candidates and elected officials?
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2008 Energy and Climate Change Roundtable

Tuesday, August 26, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm
Space Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 550)

The global challenge of climate change has moved to the top of the boardroom agenda as businesses strive to balance their economic interests with social and environmental concerns. Sample questions include: What role will alternative fuels play in the new energy environment? How do we balance the benefits of coal as a nationally secure base load energy resource against the need to reduce CO2 in an increasingly carbon constrained economy? What kind of carbon standards might withstand corporate and political scrutiny as markets evolve? What role might local governments play in this context? What policy, technological, corporate, and NGO solutions can be brought to the forefront?
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2008 Technology Roundtable

Tuesday, August 26, 9:00 to 11:30 am
Ricketson Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 200)

US workers are increasingly in service professions, often with the ability and/or requirement to work from anywhere, or everywhere. In theory, business entrepreneurs can start and manage companies anywhere, but in practice, they do so where there are desirable places to live, where educated employees are available, and where state-of-the-art infrastructure exists, especially wired broadband and wireless connections. Sample questions include: Does the US provide a fertile ground for technological development and entrepreneurship? Does the US provide all Americans with the opportunity to participate in the information age?
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2008 Emergency Preparedness Roundtable

Tuesday, August 26, 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Ricketson Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 200)

The United States is increasingly focused on the critical functions of emergency preparedness, on possible strategies to improve those functions, and on innovative mechanisms to finance them. Sample questions include: How do we protect and maintain our water and food supplies, energy resources, communications systems and aviation facilities during times of extreme duress or overload? What role should public-private sector partnerships play in planning for and protecting critical infrastructure? How do we enhance the quality of information and distribution systems to minimize safety concerns?
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2008 International Relations Roundtable

Wednesday, August 27, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Boettcher Hall, Denver Performing Arts Complex (seating for 2,200)

Co-hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Democratic Institute, and the University of Denver Graduate School of International Relations, the Roundtable will feature a keynote address by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Two discrete sessions will also take place, one on the topic of global poverty and the other on the attitude of American citizens on the United States’ role and standing in international affairs.
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