TWU

Confirmed Speakers

• Jeff Warren, PhD (Faculty)
  Is music something beautiful to enjoy and little more, or is it a primary tool that allows us to relate to others? Music might be a human universal, but music as strictly pleasure is not. The contemporary view of music as a commodity that can be stockpiled to build individual identity is not universal either. What is universal about music, though, is that it has the potential to communicate and share emotional states. Jeff Warren examines issues relating to music and science to show that encountering other people is foundational to musical experience.
• Steve Pasiciel, MA, MSc (Staff
  As a lifelong student of personal and organizational change, Steve Pasiciel is fascinated with the notion of what makes a successful transition. Why is it that certain people seem to cope well with change while others stumble, again and again? It’s a timeless question, and there’s no simple answer. Pasiciel has come to believe it has something to do with the different ways that people deal with adversity. His research and experience has led him to conclude that one of the most reliable indicators of successful transition is a person’s ability to find meaning in trying events and to learn from even the most negative circumstances. A crucible, by definition, is a transformative experience through which an individual comes to a new or an altered sense of identity. The skills one learns allow an individual to not only survive a crucible, but to emerge stronger, more engaged, and more committed than ever.
• Kevan Gilbert (’06)
  Is the secret to deeper connections found in awkward moments and embarrassing secrets? With survey data and personal tales, this talk takes the plunge off the deep end to help us find out.
• Leigh Boyle (’09)
  Since graduating, Leigh Boyle has been on an incredible journey –from Vancouver to Swaziland, then to Ethiopia and back to Vancouver where she has started the Lipstick Project Society. The Lipstick Project is an organization that brings light and love to patients in hospices and hospitals through professional-grade spa services. Boyle has a message to share, and in the words of American social activist and tennis legend, Arthur Ashe, who once said, “Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can”.