For Immediate Release
Contact: Gloria Gottschalk, New School University
             (212) 229-5667, ext. 239
              Andrew White, Kaplan Center
              (212) 229-5311, ext. 1506

(September 8, 2000 – New York, NY) Milano Graduate School’s J.M. Kaplan Center for New York City Affairs will offer seminars, lectures and workshops this fall 2000 designed to promote dialogue and debate on the most critical issues facing New York City. These discussions allow students and the public the opportunity to learn directly from top policymakers, journalists, front-line service providers, business leaders and others. Events are free, except where noted. For further information, please call (212) 229-5418.

Comeback Cities: The Urban Neighborhood Revival on Thursday, September 28 from 8:45 AM – 11 AM will feature a conversation with Harvard University’s Paul Grogan, author of Comeback Cities and former president of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Grogan’s book describes how creative, pragmatic tactics for overcoming the nation’s urban ills have produced results beyond anyone’s expectations, reviving many of America’s toughest neighborhoods. Panelists will include: Brad Lander, Executive Director, Fifth Avenue Committee, and Darren Walker, Chief Operating Officer, Abyssinian Development Corporation. This event will take place at New School University’s Orozco Room, 66 West 12th Street, 7th Floor, NYC.

Criminal Justice: The New Mental Health System on Wednesday, October 4 from 10 AM to Noon will address the problem of the thousands of mentally ill adults who enter city jails each year, and the thousands more who are incarcerated in the state prison system. Why are so many fragile citizens locked up? What can government do to ensure the mentally ill receive adequate care---and live safely in the community---before they end up in a system designed to punish? The moderator for the event will be Michael Winerip of The New York Times, and the panelists will include: Catherine Abate, former NYC Commissioner of Corrections; Fred Patrick, Mayor’s Office of the Criminal Justice Coordinator; David Gonzalez, Howie T. Harp Advocacy and Peer Specialist Training Center; and Sam Tsimbaris, Executive Director, Pathways to Housing. This event will take place at New School University’s Wolff Conference Room, 65 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, NYC.

In the Public Interest: Broadband, Next-Generation Internet Technology and the Nonprofit Sector on Friday, October 20 from 8:45 AM to 11 AM will look at how the World Wide Web will change dramatically as high-speed access becomes as readily available as cable TV. What do civic-minded citizens, policy advocates and nonprofit leaders need to understand about this changing technology? Will nonprofits still have affordable access? How will they compete for the public eye in a medium dominated by corporate giants and high-quality production values? The moderator will be Omar Wasow, Internet Analyst, MSNBC, and founder, BlackPlanet.com, and the panelists will include: Andrew Blau, nonprofit technology consultant; and Jeffrey Chester, Executive Director, Center for Media Education; and Bruce Lincoln of Harlem Renaissance 2001. This event is co-sponsored by the Milano Graduate School’s Nonprofit Management Program and The American Prospect magazine.

The following events are part of the Immigrant Life in NYC series co-sponsored by New School University’s International Center on Migration, Ethnicity and Citizenship (ICMEC) and supported by the Henry Luce Foundation:

Public Education and New Americans on Wednesday, October 11 from 4:30 PM to 6 PM with professors Amy Schwartz (Wagner School, NYU) and Alec Gershberg (Milano Graduate School) will present recent research on the social and fiscal impact of the new immigration on the New York City Public Schools. Panelists will include William Thompson, President, New York City Board of Education, and others. This event will take place at New School University’s Wolff Conference Room, 65 Fifth Avenue, 2^nd Floor, NYC.

Immigrants and the Transformation of Health Care in NYC on Tuesday, October 24, 10 AM to Noon will look at why immigrants use the health system at far lower rates than native New Yorkers, and their babies tend to be healthier. Access, cultural issues, fear---and a healthier way of life---are all factors in the impact of the new immigrants on a fast-changing health system. Mimi Fahs and Peter Muennig (Milano Graduate School’s Health Policy Research Center) and Ted Joyce (Baruch College) will present findings from new studies of health care utilization and birth outcomes. Panelists will include: Dr. Rosa Gil, Mayor Giuliani’s special advisor on health policy and Chairperson of the Health and Hospitals Corporation; and Francesca Gany of the New York City Task Force on Immigrant Health, and others. This event will take place at New School University’s Wolff Conference Room, 65 Fifth Avenue, 2nd Floor, NYC.

Immigrants in New York: Impact and Issues, a conference co-sponsored by ICMEC and the Women’s City Club of New York, on Wednesday, November 15 from 8 AM to 1 PM will look at the workers, voters and citizens of New York City in the new millennium who are largely born in other nations and continents. Today, nearly 40% of the city’s population arrived from overseas. It is time to formulate government policies that recognize and address the needs of immigrants.

Speakers and panelists will include: Margie McHugh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition; Cecilia Munoz, National Council of La Raza; Inna Arolovich, American Association of Jews from the former Soviet Union; Yvonne Graham, Caribbean Women’s Health Association; and Angelica Tang, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. The conference will take place at New School University’s Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street, NYC. (Admission fee to be decided.)

The Kaplan Center will sponsor the Big Apple Budget School, a series of workshops on NYC fiscal policy hosted by City Project, a nonpartisan research and advocacy organization. Topics of the series will include: Affordable Housing: Breaking New Ground on Wednesday, September 27 from 9 AM – 11 AM. CUNY: First Lessons from the New Master Plan on Wednesday, October 11 from 9 AM – 11 AM; Police and Productivity: Is the Police Budget Out of Control? on Wednesday, October 25 from 9 AM – 11 AM; Education Reform: The Impact of the New Standards on Wednesday, November 8 from 9 AM – 11 AM; Exporting New York City’s Garbage: Fiscal and Environmental Impacts on Wednesday, November 22 from 9 AM – 11 AM; Downsizing Public Health: What Have Been the Consequences? on Wednesday, December 6 from 9 AM – 11 AM; and Winners and Losers: NYC’s Tax Structure on Wednesday, December 20 from 9 AM – 11 AM. All sessions take place at New School University’s Henry Cohen Conference Room, 72 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, NYC.

Kaplan Center programs are supported by the J.M. Kaplan Fund and New School University. Andrew White is the Director of the Kaplan Center.

New School University’s Milano Graduate School nurtures future leaders and helps them gain professional skills essential to innovative leadership. The Milano Graduate School offers Master’s degree programs in Urban Policy Analysis and Management, Health Services Management and Policy, Nonprofit Management, and Human Resources Management and a Ph.D. program in Public and Urban Policy. Milano Graduate School has over 5,000 alumni providing their training and expertise to municipal and state administrations, health services, nonprofit organizations, public corporations, and private companies.