by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC
Kansas City Kansas Community College’s Center for Teaching Excellence is presenting an Academic Symposium, “Addiction and the Opiate Crisis.”
Presented by Michael James, coordinator of the Addiction Counseling Program at KCKCC, the symposium will provide an academically informed discussion of the cycle of addiction, specifically focusing on the current opiate-opioid epidemic in the United States.
The event is from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. April 10 in Room 2325 on the KCKCC main campus, 7250 State Ave. Classes are welcomed to attend, but should contact the CTE at [email protected].
Dr. Jelena Ozegovic, faculty director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at KCKCC, said the idea for the symposium came out of the college’s Academic Discourse Committee, which includes both faculty and staff members. Submitted application proposals for symposiums are discussed, and the committee determines which topics might be of most interest to the broader campus community.
“Sometimes they decide that a broad range of topics should be selected and other times they decide upon a ‘theme’ for the semester,” she said. “This semester, the committee decided upon the Opiate Crisis theme since it is a multifaceted problem at both the local and national level. Additionally, because of the complexity of the issue, there are several academic areas on campus where the topic directly relates to course content.”
Ozegovic said events such as the CTE’s Academic Symposium series offers the campus community an opportunity for academic discourse, a historically integral part of the college campus experience throughout the United States.
“At KCKCC, we strive to create an environment that supports and encourages a variety of academic discourse events across the campus. These events create opportunities for all of us to listen, be open to others’ ideas, challenge ideas not people and be brutally honest without being brutal,” she said. “Ultimately, the academic discourse events at KCKCC are not designed to change anyone’s beliefs. That is a personal journey and a choice, but they are designed to provide an avenue for the respectful sharing of thoughts and ideas.”
For more information about the Academic Symposium Series or the Center for Teaching Excellence, call 913-288-7499 or email [email protected].