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12 December 2006 Longwood Center for Economic Education
In celebration of International Education week, the Longwood Center for Economic Education (LCEE) hosted several events with the goal of raising awareness of international topics such as transitional economies, the role of government, population growth, and resource scarcity. The events were made possible by an International Education Showcase grant from the National Council on Economic Education. Among the events offered were two movie nights that included the viewing of films with international themes followed by related presentations by Dr. Saranna Thornton, professor of economics at Hampden-Sydney College. The documentary China’s Lost Girls discussed the growing problems that have resulted from China’s one child policy. The video highlighted the concern for increased crime rates, maltreatment of females, and the overall poverty of many Chinese. The second video, Ryan’s Well, told the story of a boy determined to raise money to build wells in African villages that do not have access to safe drinking water. The discussion focused on the economic impact of disease in those countries and how the Ryan’s Well Foundation continues to make a difference in Africa. Longwood students and several community members attended a presentation by guest lecturer Dr. Maria Silveira, professor emerita of foreign languages at Longwood, who shared stories of her life in Cuba before and after the rise of dictator Fidel Castro. Dr. Silveira, who fled Cuba in 1962, spoke about how government policies impacted the personal lives of many Cubans. “You cannot live without dignity. You cannot live without freedom,” she said. Her moving story offered a detailed account of putting her twin daughters on the historical Flight of Pedro Pan that resulted in her children being sent to U.S. orphanages in hopes of living a life of freedom. She also told of how she was reunited with the children after fleeing Cuba and how she struggled as a refugee living in the United States. Dr. Silveira was professor of Spanish at Longwood from 1964 to 1992. The Maria Milian Silveira Scholarship, established in 2005, is awarded to an entering freshman who plans to major in Spanish. In addition to these activities, the LCEE presented a program for elementary and middle school teachers that focused on teaching international trade. The LCEE’s key focus is teacher training. Programs are offered throughout the year to assist educators in mastering the economic content in the Virginia SOL and learning ways to make the subject exciting for students in their classrooms. |
