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Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow begins residency

By Lisa Gulya '07
February 20, 2006

Frances Seymour, director of the Institutions and Governance Program of the World Resources Institute, a nonprofit environmental organization in Washington, D.C., will be St. Olaf College's 2006 Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow. Seymour's weeklong residency will begin on Feb. 20 and culminate with her lecture, "Sustainability and the UN Millennium Development Goals," during the 2006 Globalization Conference at St. Olaf Feb. 25.

Seymour, whose selection emphasizes St. Olaf's focus on sustainability, describes environmental governance as "making decisions about how we apportion the benefits of exploiting natural resources, and the costs of protecting ecosystems." She stresses the importance of accountability when it comes to the actions of public agencies and private corporations that affect the environment. "What information do they have to disclose? Who do they have to consult? And how can they be held accountable?" Seymour asks. "They should be open to public scrutiny."

As part of WRI's mission of environmental protection, Seymour has started Access Initiative, a global collaboration aimed at promoting respect for environmental procedural rights. She also directs projects examining sustainable development challenges in Southeast Asia and the impact of international financial flows on the environment. Prior to joining WRI, Seymour worked for the World Wildlife Fund and spent five years in Indonesia with the Ford Foundation. She is a board member of the International Non-Governmental Organizations Forum on Indonesian Development, as well as the advisory committees for Human Rights Watch Asia and the University of North Carolina's Center for International Studies.

Professor of Psychology Howard Thorsheim '63, coordinator of the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow program, will schedule Seymour's activities during her week at St. Olaf. Seymour will be accessible to both faculty and students, participating in group meetings, class lectures, informal discussions and even living in a student residence hall.

St. Olaf is selected to participate in the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow program based in part on the college's dedication to the principle that a liberal education is the best preparation for life after graduation. Recent visiting fellows to the college include Ambassador Paul C. Warnke, Chief U.S. Negotiator in the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks; John and Janet Wallach, Directors of the Israeli-Palestinian Reconciliation Program; and Raymond Offenheiser, President of Oxfam America.

The Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellows program was established to encourage the flow of ideas between the academic and non-academic sectors of society and to connect a liberal education with the world beyond the campus by relating education to the needs of American society.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.