UW News

January 23, 2012

Faculty roundtable on poverty first of three in 2012 for Evans School 50th

UW News

Top (l to r): Robert Plotnick, Marieka Klawitter. Below, Rachel Garshick Kleit, Marcia Meyers.

Top (l to r): Robert Plotnick, Marieka Klawitter. Below, Rachel Garshick Kleit, Marcia Meyers.

The latest population survey by the U.S. Census Bureau finds that 15.1 percent of Americans had incomes below the federal poverty line in 2010 — the highest poverty level seen in the U.S. since 1993. Why, after billions of dollars, are we still here, and how is the face of poverty changing? Also, what are some of the most promising anti-poverty options today?

Faculty from the Evans School of Public Affairs, whose research has led to recent innovations in the field of poverty studies, will discuss these questions in a roundtable discussion from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 1, in the Glenn Hughes Penthouse Theater on campus. The discussion is titled, “The Changing Face of American Poverty,” and is free and open to all.

(Editor’s note: Read more and listen to a podcast of the discussion online.)

The discussion will be moderated by Constance Rice, an Evans school alumna and managing director for knowledge management for Casey Family Programs. It will feature Evans School faculty Robert D. Plotnick, Marieka M. Klawitter, Rachel Garshick Kleit and Marcia Meyers.

The roundtable is the first of three in 2012 celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Evans school, and will be followed by a reception in the theater lobby. The next two discussions in the series will be on philanthropy and education.

  • March 14: “The Role of Philanthropy in Boosting Enterprising Nonprofits and Creating Jobs.” This discussion features Carla Javits, a leader in the philanthropic community of San Francisco, with a follow-up discussion by Evans School faculty, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Walker-Ames Room, Kane Hall.
  • May 2: A discussion of education, title TBA, 5:30 to 7 p.m., Walker-Ames Room, Kane Hall.

To learn more about the Evans School, its programs and the events of its 50th anniversary, visit the schools website.