Professor Linda Herrera was a featured speaker at the campus' Global Summit symposium, held on October 19 at the I Hotel, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The Summit was a one-day symposium held in honor of Vision 2030: Illinois’ Global Strategy.
Herrera spoke as a panelist on the topic “Supporting Youth Development for Global Change” alongside professors Phillip Cotton and Soo Ah Kwon.
The United Nations estimates that the current world population will grow to exceed 9.7 billion people by 2050 and that Sub-Saharan Africa will account for the majority of the youth population. Higher education institutions must be prepared to respond to this youth surge and effectively support a new generation of students. Panelists and attendees discussed how fostering youth engagement across disciplines is critical to developing the next generation of global problem solvers.
The symposium brought together experts from a variety of fields to discuss the topics and priorities outlined in Vision 2030 as well as the contributions higher education institutions like the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign must make to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The Global Summit was part of the university’s International Education Week (IEW), October 16-22. IEW celebrates the broad impact of international education, cultural exchange, and scholarship uniquely experienced at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and within our local community.
