November 6, 2018

SVSU introduces new speaker series on international topics, starting with focus on Sudan

Saginaw Valley State University's Office of International and Advanced Studies will hold the first event in its new speaker series, The Traveling Tap, Wednesday, Nov. 7  at 5 p.m. at Pierce Road Bar & Grill, located across the street from campus.

This first talk, titled “Off the Beaten Path,” will feature Kate Scott, associate director of International and Advanced Studies and director of SVSU's English Language Program. She will have just returned from a trip to Sudan as an educational ambassador.

Jenna Briggs, senior director of International and Advanced Studies, said the office had been developing the series for months. She said she was inspired by other Michigan colleges who put on similar events around their campuses.

Briggs hopes to foster community engagement through the series, and while she welcomes participation by the campus community, she hopes The Traveling Tap series will appeal to the surrounding community, as well. 

“What we sometimes hear from the community is a perception of academia being inaccessible,” Briggs said. “So, we thought, why not take it off campus? That way we can engage with the community, so they can see that we're super passionate about where our research areas are and where our experience is.”

Future speakers are expected to mostly be SVSU faculty and staff, but some international students have also expressed interest in taking part.

Briggs is in talks with local breweries to host future events in the series, in order to bring speakers into various locales.

The Wednesday, Nov. 7 talk is free to attend, and Pierce Road Bar & Grill will provide free water and soft drinks for guests.