CGU Alumni Summit

The 2020 Alumni Summit: Live. Learn. Grow.

The 2020 Alumni Summit gives you the opportunity to indulge your intellectual curiosity, intensify your expertise, and spend time with peers and professors who enriched your student experience. We bring together leading minds in business, education, global health, government, and technology to discuss themes of human flourishing and how it can be achieved at individual, community, and global levels.

Join us for keynote presentations, panels, and breakout sessions led by some of your favorite CGU faculty as well as some of our newest stars. Enjoy networking and the chance to meet with CGU deans, faculty, members of the CGU alumni board, and fellow alumni from around the world. We also invite you to join President Len Jessup for a networking reception at his home.

Attendance is limited, so RSVP today.

Saturday, February 29, 2020

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Alumni Summit Schedule

9:00 am | Registration
9:30 am | President's welcome
10:00 am | Morning keynote
11:00 am | Breakout sessions
11:30 am | Lunch break
1:15 pm | Breakout sessions
2:00 pm | Breakout sessions
2:45 pm | Afternoon keynote

Networking Cocktail Reception

4:00 pm | Networking cocktail reception at the home of Len Jessup and Kristi Staab

Morning Keynote

• Michelle Bligh, Stewart Donaldson, and Mashi Rahmani: "Diverse Perspectives on Human Flourishing"

Afternoon Keynote

• Wallace Chipidza and Jessica Clague DeHart: "Technology and Health: The Good, the Bad and the Necessary"

Breakout Session Speakers and Topics

Kendall Cotton Bronk: “Purpose: A Critical Component of Human Flourishing”

A purpose in life represents the ultimate source of human motivation. It’s the aim that guides our daily activities and our long-term plans. It’s the way we hope to use our skills and talents to make a meaningful contribution to the world around us. In addition to further exploring the scientific definition of purpose, this presentation will discuss empirical research that sheds light on the ways that having a purpose can help all of us thrive.

Lori Anne Ferrell: “Spirituality, Well-Being, and the Repair of the Soul: A Historical Exploration with Contemporary Resonance"

It's common for people these days to say they are "spiritual, not religious," and this is usually taken to indicate how much the modern world is different from some sort of formally religious past. But is that really the case? This presentation is a perhaps surprising historical report on the idea of "soul repair" that allows us to see that "spirituality" (rather than formal "religiosity") has always been the way people have sought—and achieved—holistic well-being.

Stephen Gilliland: “Organizational Flourishing Through a Culture of Candor”

Organizations can achieve amazing results when people are aligned and engaged through a culture of candor—a culture of open communication, trust, and respect that leads to engagement and commitment. We will look at why candor is such a problem for organizations and then identify techniques that leaders can use to promote candor in their work group, department, or organization.

Saida Heshmati: "Flourishing In Daily Life: Well-Being Across Time and Developmental Context"

We all experience times that we feel down and times when we feel energized. This presentation will explore how these ebbs and flows in flourishing can fluctuate on a momentary basis, how these changes relate to overall well-being, and whether positive psychology interventions have an impact on these changes over time.

Yan Li: “A Machine Learning Pipeline to Improve Health Access for Vulnerable Populations”

Access to health services is a human right, especially for disadvantaged populations that are exposed to greater rates of ill-health and face significant obstacles in accessing quality and affordable healthcare. Yet, in the United States, deep disparities persist in healthcare access and health outcomes. This presentation will discuss how machine learning and information technology can facilitate decision makers such as payers and policymakers in healthcare to improve access for disadvantaged populations.

David Pagel: “Criticism: A way to Generate Public Discourse, and Create a Situation in Which Art Flourishes”

A discussion about the distance that separates art and criticism, and the importance of that distance in making a place for public discussion and civilized dissent, especially those human interactions that play out in mercantile democracies.

Jay Prag: “The Future of Graduate Education”

Policymakers and educators are questioning the purpose and usefulness of traditional education paths in the US. The current mantra is “not everyone needs a college degree to be successful.” While this expression relates to a bachelor’s degree, it might also, by default, extend to graduate degrees. But graduate degrees are uniquely positioned to help people extend their capabilities and flourish in whatever profession their training and educational background has led them to. This presentation looks at what a future graduate student looks like and how we can adjust our product to create a bright future for CGU.

Andrew Vosko: “Understanding Sleep Science: Effects on the Body, Mind, and Workplace”

How do we know we’re getting enough sleep? What are the consequences of chronic sleep-deprivation? How does sleep affect cognitive performance, mood, motivation, and productivity? We’ve all heard that we spend around one-third of our lives asleep, and yet most of us understand very little about sleep as a biological, psychological, or social process. This presentation will discuss theories and answers to many of the common questions from sleep science to better understand our own sleep habits and inform choices that help us maximize the benefits from sleep.

Paul Zak: “Hacking the Happiness Molecule”

Advances in neuroscience, a number of them made at CGU, have identified a set of neurochemicals that lead to human flourishing. This talk will briefly review the science and offer a dozen ways that attendees can "hack" this system to live more fulfilled lives.

For more information email rachel.jimenez@cgu.edu.

Interested in being a founding corporate sponsor of the alumni summit? Click here or contact Mary Romo at mary.romo@cgu.edu for information. To become an individual sponsor, click on the donation button as you check out or click here. Be sure to direct your gift to Alumni Summit.

Hotel Information

DoubleTree by Hilton Pomona

3101 W. Temple Ave | Pomona, CA 91768

Please contact Christine Vanderwalker for hotel reservations 909-348-1266

DoubleTree by Hilton Claremont

555 W. Foothill Blvd. Claremont, CA 91711

Click here for more information or to book a room.

Sheraton Fairplex Hotel & Conference Center

601 West McKinley Avenue, Poona, CA 91768

For Reservations call 888-627-8074 or visit www.marriott.com/ontsi and use corporate code: 12292