Loras College to Host Speaker Steve Robbins Ph.D.

Loras College will be hosting speaker Steve Robbins Ph.D. on Monday, Sept. 17, at 11:00 am in the Athletic Wellness Center. His presentation is entitled Unintentional Intolerance: What NICE People Need to Know.
 
This is the second consecutive year that the first-year students have read Acts of Faith, The Story of an American Muslim, and The Struggle for the Soul of a Generation by Eboo Patel for purposes of the Modes of Inquiry class. Robbins was selected as this year’s speaker because of his ability to connect with students and demonstrate how to work through even the most difficult situations.
 
Robbins was born in Vietnam. He and his mother immigrated to the United States when he was five years old and during a time of anti-Vietnamese sentiment. He dealt extreme poverty, discrimination, and disconnection from his familiar background. Robbins is coming to Loras College to challenge and motivate Loras and the community to ponder human behavior and what it means to include and be mindful toward others without pointing fingers.
 
Robbins attended Calvin College and received his masters and doctorate from Michigan State University’s top-ranked department of communication. His study of communication, socio-psychology and cognitive neuroscience allows him to be a motivation to many organizations in the United States, including: Pepsico, Kraft Foods, McDonald’s, Disney, Nordstrom, Boeing, Caterpillar, Toyota, Honda, Wells Fargo, Mayo Clinic, NASA, the National Security Agency, US Navy, Microsoft, and many more.

Dr. Sara Glover, director of the MOI program, believes the presentation will broaden the scope for many. “As we expand our discussions of interfaith dialogue and cooperation to include broader themes of diversity and cultural competency, we are pleased to welcome Dr. Steve Robbins as the First-Year Experience keynote speaker. Dr. Robbins’ presentation, entitled: Unintentional Intolerance: What NICE People Need to Know will challenge attendees to reflect upon the value and meaning of inclusion and tolerance in an increasingly diverse world.”     
 
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