Europe’s diversity – an opportunity

23 March 2011. Students from all over Europe will be debating Europe’s diversity with Nobel Prize winners and further experts from various industries during the conference, “Challenge the Best” on Monday, 28 March 2011. This transgenerational dialogue is being organised for the second time by the HSG’s Student Union. 42 student participants will come from 20 different countries and together represent about 30 majors. From 25-27 March 2011, student participants will prepare themselves for the conference in seminars with guest lecturers.

Diversity workshop for students

On Thursday, 24 March 2011, the organisers will invite 40 students to participate in an “Open Workshop - Lessons Learnt from Diversity”. Prof. Dr. Martin Hilb, Director of the Institutefor Leadership and Human Resources Management, andDr. Nils Jentwill address the issue of diversity from a corporate angle. Dr. Nils Jent is Project Leaderfor Applied Disability Research at theCenter for Disability and Integration (CDI-HSG) of the University ofSt.Gallen. At the age of 19, he had a serious motorcycle accident. Since then, he has been physically disabled and speech-impaired, as well as blind. His experiences provide the focus that he brings to bear on the applied research conducted by the Center for Disability and Integration (CDI-HSG).

Physics and Economics Nobel Prize winners as guests
Like last year, two Nobel laureates have again announced that they will take part in“Challenge the Best”: the 1986 Physics Nobel Prize winner Professor Heinrich Rohrer from Buchs in the Canton of St.Gallen and the 1996 Economics Nobel Prize winner Professor Sir James Alexander Mirrlees. The German-Turkish author and integration expert, Dr.LaleAkgün,has also agreed to participate. Lewis Feldstein, former President of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Dr.Eberhard von Koerber, Co-President of the Club of Rome,and Professor Daniel Thürer, Professor Emeritus of the University of Zurich and Chairman of the German Society of International Law, will be further guests of this year’s“Challenge the Best”. During the panel discussion, which will be chaired by the BBC World News journalist NishaPillai, they will all present their approaches to action to the audience. These approaches will be published in a conference volume after the event.

Registration for the Open Workshop
Thursday, 24 March 2011, 10.15 to 11.45 a.m., Main Building, Room No. 01-102

HSG students are welcome (first come, first served).Please register at ChallengeTheBest@myunisg.ch