The Annual Mullen Lecture
The Importance of Financial Literacy: Lessons From Many Years of Data
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Annamaria Lusardi, Ph.D.
Senior Fellow at the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
Director of the Initiative for Financial Decision-Making
Professor of Finance (by courtesy) at the Stanford Graduate School of Business
In this seminar, Dr. Lusardi will present data from the Big Three (three questions to measure financial literacy), the Personal Finance Index (twenty-eight questions to measure financial literacy), and new information from the Consumer Expectations Survey from the European Central Bank to document very low levels of financial literacy in the United States and around the world. Looking at the data from a personal finance approach, she will show how financial literacy affects financial decision-making, from managing assets to debt and debt management, and the consequences of low financial knowledge for individuals and society as well. Dr. Lusardi will discuss the implications of her findings for policy, including national strategies for financial literacy. She will also discuss the importance of teaching personal finance in school and college.
Organized by the Department of Economics and cosponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship.
The Annual Lipitz Lecture
Generative AI and Higher Education: Practical Insights for Today and Tomorrow
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John G. Schumacher, Ph.D., FGSA
Director, Public Health Research Center
Professor, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Generative AI is fundamentally challenging higher education. The rapid evolution of tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude confronts us with urgent questions: How do we understand and use these tools? How might we integrate these technologies effectively? Where do we set the academic and ethical boundaries for their use? This presentation explores the current generative AI landscape offering practical insights for educators and institutions. The goal is to outline a pragmatic, forward-looking approach to AI literacy that empowers both faculty and students.
Organized by the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health. Cosponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship and the Dean’s Office of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
The Department of Psychology’s Annual Distinguised Lecture
Making the Invisible Visible: Reducing Disparities Via Personally Relevant Interventions
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Gordon C. Nagayama Hall, Ph.D.
Professor Emerit
University of Oregon
The mental health needs of people of color are largely invisible because they underutilize mental health services and are not the focus of research. These mental health utilization disparities have persisted for at least six decades. Neither evidence-based treatments nor culturally-adapted treatments adequately address the individual needs of people of color. People of color may not use mental health services because services are not: (a) personally relevant; or (b) accessible. Our neuroscience data suggest that pragmatic, problem-solving approaches are the most personally relevant for Asian Americans, the least likely ethnic group to use mental health services. In this talk, Dr. Hall will discuss the development of the Mind Boba app to make psychotherapy more personally relevant and accessible to Asian Americans.
Organized by the Department of Psychology and cosponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship.
The Annual Low Lecture
For Generations Yet Unborn: Observations and Challenges in Black Public History
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Amber N. Mitchell, M.A.
Curator of Black History, The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation
Amber N. Mitchell will discuss the unique intersections of Black history, preservation, and memory that have presented opportunities and challenges in her career as a Public Historian and Museum Worker and look toward the future of African American storytelling in American public spaces.
Amber N. Mitchell is a public historian, museum educator, and community-rooted cultural strategist. Currently, she serves as the founding Curator of Black History at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. As a public historian, Amber strives to empower communities of color to tell our own stories in cultural institutions and beyond, while transforming nonprofit structures into accessible reflections of our communities. Before joining the Henry Ford staff, Amber worked at Whitney Plantation, the National WWII Museum, and the American Association for State and Local History, amongst other spaces in the Midwest. She holds a master’s degree in History from Indiana University and a bachelor’s in History from Wayne State University in Detroit.
Organized by the Department of History and cosponsored by the Center for Social Science Scholarship.