Tony Wagner, the author of The Global Achievement Gap, will speak in the Quad Cities on September 17. He conducted scores of interviews with business and education leaders and observed classes in some of the most highly regarded public schools. Wagner concluded that despite the best efforts of educators, many students are leaving high school ill-prepared for post-secondary training and ill-equipped to compete in the global marketplace. Wagner will present his findings and strategies for change during a presentation on September 17. "Choices, Changes, & Challenges: Meeting the Needs of 21st Century Students" will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Quad-Cities Waterfront Convention Center, 2021 State Street in Bettendorf. The $40 registration fee includes print materials, continental breakfast, and lunch. Register online at SolutionWhere.com/mbaea/cw/main.asp or by contacting Donna Brase at (563)344-6481.
In one morning, more than 560 new St. Ambrose University students volunteered at 28 sites throughout the Quad Cities. The kick-off event of St. Ambrose's Welcome Week for first-year and transfer students, "Urban Plunge" took place Monday, August 24, at such sites as the Rock Island bike trail in Sunset Marina, Humility of Mary Housing, Kahl Home for the Aged, and Gilda's Club. Last academic year, St. Ambrose students put in close to 15,000 volunteer hours in a seven-month period.
Iowans from all corners of the state are invited to participate in this year's Iowa Mosaic Diversity Conference. The one-day event will be held October 19 at Iowa State University's Scheman Center in Ames. A complete schedule of the day's activities as well as registration information is available online at http://www.IowaMosaic.org or by contacting Cyndi Chen or Alice Vinsand at (515)225-1051.
Trinity Regional Health System's parent organization, Iowa Health System, is ranked among the nation's top health systems for quality and efficiency in a new report from Thomson Reuters. Trinity is a senior affiliate of Iowa Health System. "The 100 Top Hospitals: Health Systems Quality/Efficiency Study" evaluated 252 health systems, with a total of 1,720 hospitals, on measures of clinical quality and efficiency. The report focused on five measures of performance to evaluate the systems: mortality, complications, patient safety, length of stay, and use of evidence-based practices.
Davenport Community School District candidates will appear at a forum hosted by United Neighbors and the NAACP at 808 Harrison Street in Davenport on Thursday, September 3, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Members of the community will have an opportunity to ask questions of the six candidates for the board: Karen Boyd, Richard Clewell, Jon Rasler, Larry Roberson, Deborah Whan Dierkes, and Patt Zamora. The election will be held on Tuesday, September 8.
National Geographic Traveler named the Great River Road as one of its 50 "Drives of a Lifetime." Editors deemed the drive from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Davenport as "not only one of the most scenic drives in the country but also one of the culturally richest." Receiving specific mentions were the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium in Port of Dubuque, and the River Music Experience and Figge Art Museum in Davenport. For more information, visit Traveler.NationalGeographic.com/drives/mississippi-river.
The Moline Public Library, in a partnership with the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, will host a book discussion of The Sunflower by Simon Wiesenthal on Tuesday, September 29, at 7 p.m., in the library's Gold Meeting Room. Wiesenthal recounts his time in a Nazi concentration camp, at which he was summoned by a dying SS soldier who sought forgiveness from a Jew for his crimes. The book then turns to leading theologians, political leaders, writers, and fellow Holocaust survivors to ask the question of how they would have responded in the author's situation. To reserve a copy of the book and to register, call the reference desk at (309)736-5737.
The River Music Experience has announced that HAVlife has provided a $5,000 grant for the purpose of providing private music lessons to underprivileged and at-risk children in the Quad Cities region. For more information on the HAVlife Foundation, visit HAVlife.org. For more information about the River Music Experience, visit RiverMusicExperience.org.
Color in Freedom: Journey Along the Underground Railroad is an exhibition of 50 paintings, etchings, and drawings by Joseph Holston and will be at the Muscatine Art Center through October 25. The Muscatine Art Center is located at 1314 Mulberry Avenue.
