8th Annual Intercultural Management Institute Conference Coming to AU
On March 15th and 16th, American University again hosted the annual Intercultural Management Institute (IMI) conference. This conference, which attracts 200-300 interculturalists in a variety of sectors, including business, education, government, training, and human resources, investigates the role culture plays in interactions within international organizations. Dr. Gary Weaver, a long-time faculty member of the School of International Service at American University in the Division of International Communication, is the Executive Director of the IMI, and traditionally chairs the conference.
This year’s conference, “Does Culture Still Matter?: A Forum for Business, Education, and Training Professionals,” included a collection of excellent featured speakers, headlined by Lawrence Harrison and Prudence Bushnell. Prudence Bushnell is CEO of Sage Associates, a leading consulting firm in the field of design and communications. Her work with public and private sector institutions around the country builds upon experiences and achievements in the U.S. Foreign Service, which included assignments as Ambassador to Republics of Guatemala (1999-2002) and Kenya (1996-1999), and Dean of the Leadership and Management School at the Foreign Service Institute (2002-2005).
Lawrence Harrison is Senior Research Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. His works include The Pan-American Dream, and Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress (co-edited with Samuel Huntington), among others. His most recent publication is the Central Liberal Truth (2006), which served as the basis for his keynote presentation, “The End of Multiculturalism.” The controversial speech critiqued the practice of multiculturalism and what he called its role as a “huge impediment” in the quest human progress. Harrison said that, “when it comes to the relationship between religion and human progress, I find compelling evidence that some religions do better than others in promoting the goals of democratic politics, social justice, and prosperity.” This assertion struck a nerve with the conference attendees, and sparked spirited debate during his Q&A session afterwards. True to the conference’s purpose, there can be little doubt that this year’s edition was a successful, if controversial, forum for intercultural understanding.
 Left: Professor Gary Weaver, Executive Director of IMI and current International Communication Professor; Right: Featured Speaker Lawrence Harrison
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