Franklin College Switzerland - Franklin College As A Host

Franklin College As A Host

Baobab Initiative
The Baobab Initiative is an independent enterprise that benefits Makumba Village which is in Zambia near the border with Malawi. The town is affectionately called Baobab Village because of the immense Baobab tree that stands in front of it. The Baobab tree is best known for its ability to store over 120,000 liters of water in its trunk in order to survive the harsh conditions of drought. This Initiative began as a result of an Academic Travel conducted by Professor Anne Flutti in October, 2003, to Malawi and Zambia to learn about an organic farming method known as “permaculture,” a contraction of the words permanent and agriculture.
The Baobab Initiative was begun in October, 2004, by Laura Marsala, Justin Niles, and Danielle Benent and now boasts over 30 full-time members and countless supporters. In the years of commitment to the cause, the students have devised a plan to raise funds and to help the villagers help themselves. A much-needed infrastructure has been set up, and resources to start the people of the village on their journey towards prosperity have been offered and are now showing progress.
The efforts are ongoing. The next big educational project is to provide a scholarship fund for the older students who have an interest in furthering their education. The Initiative has begun to expand to surrounding communities as a result of increased dedication from neighbors in the local area. The Initiative also hopes to assist Mphata Primary School, which is attended by several of the village children, in its efforts to build a new classroom.

Mosler Economic Policy Center (MECPOC)
The Mosler Economic Policy Center (Mecpoc) promotes and encourages education and research in new concepts and methods of economic policy analysis. Activities include an annual symposium, a summer scholarship, a website, and other opportunities for undergraduate students to explore alternative views in economic policy making.
Mecpoc was founded thanks to the generous support of Warren Mosler. Mr. Mosler is the president of Valance Co, Inc. and Founder and Principal of AVM, a broker/dealer that provides advanced financial services to large institutional accounts. Beside his many business activities, Mr. Mosler is a Co-Founder and Distinguished Research Associate of The Center for Full Employment and Price Stability and founder of EPIC – the Coalition of Economic Policy Institutions – a non-partisan forum dedicated to promoting research and public discussion of issues related to macroeconomics and monetary policy.

Caribbean Unbound Conference
The Caribbean Unbound Conference is hosted by Franklin College every two years. Each year a theme is chosen; for the Fourth Conference in the Spring of 2009, the theme was "Reconceiving Hispaniola". Past Keynote speakers include Jean-Claude Fignolé, and Maryse Condé.

Intersections of Law and Culture
This is another conference Franklin hosts, usually every two years. It aims to investigate culture's place in law, law's place in culture, and what happens at the point where the two intersect. Previous keynote speakers include Peter Rosenblum, Professor of Human Rights Law at Columbia Law School.