Media Releases Archive

Media Releases

December 11, 2006
National experts lend essays, insights to book being published by UNC poverty center

CHAPEL HILL - An array of national leaders on topics related to the economic and social challenges posed by poverty in America have collaborated with leaders of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity to publish a book titled "Ending Poverty in America: How to Restore the American Dream."

The book, due out in April 2007, is a collection of 19 original essays authored by prominent academics and public intellectuals and is the first book published by the center since its creation in February 2005. The publication will include seven sidebars by community leaders describing successful programs run by practitioners and illustrating or expanding upon the principal essays. The book will be published by The New Press, a nonprofit publisher, with proceeds from the book benefiting the center's future programming.

Editors of the book are center director and former U.S. Senator John Edwards; Marion Crain, the center's deputy director and the Paul Eaton Professor of Law at the UNC School of Law; and Arne Kalleberg, Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology and senior associate dean for social sciences in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences.

Center staff members expect this book to be used as a text in college classrooms and as a primer of sorts for interested laypeople, as well as practitioners, policymakers and academics.

"We know we can make progress in the fight against poverty when we focus on the problem and implement smart policies," Edwards said. "But the poverty rate is higher today than it was 30 years ago and the public debate on poverty is stagnant.

"We hope this book will help ignite a nationwide resurgence of innovative thinking and practical solutions for ending poverty. The essays in the book are a reflection of the discussion we have begun over the last two years at the Center for Poverty, Work and Opportunity, where we aim to be on the leading edge of this renewed national effort."

Authors featured in the book are:

• Michael Barr, professor at the University of Michigan law school and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution;
• Jared Bernstein, director of the Living Standards Program at the Economic Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank;
• Anita Brown-Graham, a professor of public law and government in the UNC School of Government who becomes director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at N.C. State University effective Jan. 1, 2007;
• Carol Mendez Cassell, senior health scientist with the University of New Mexico School of Medicine's department of pediatrics and Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention;
• Martin Eakes, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Durham-based Center for Community Self-Help;
• Michael Ferber, marketing and development director for World Vision Appalachia in Philippi, W.Va., and professor of urban geography and urban planning at West Virginia University;
• Richard Freeman, Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics at Harvard University;
• Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and chief executive officer of PolicyLink;
• Jacob Hacker, professor of political science at YaleUniversity and fellow at the New America Foundation;
• Harry Holzer, professor of public policy at GeorgetownUniversity and visiting fellow at the Urban Institute;
• Jack Kemp, founder and chairman of Kemp Partners, former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and former U.S. Congressman;
• Sara McLanahan, professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University;
• Ron Mincy, Maurice V. Russell Professor of Social Policy and Social Work Practice at Columbia University's School of Social Work;
• Katherine Newman, Malcolm Forbes Class of 1941 Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University;
• Melvin Oliver, dean of the social sciences division at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and professor of sociology;
• Dennis Orthner, professor at the UNC School of Social Work; associate director for policy development and analysis at the School's Jordan Institute for Families; and adjunct professor of public policy in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences;
• Peter Orszag, Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution; co-director of the TaxPolicyCenter, a joint venture of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution; director of The Retirement Security Project at the Georgetown Public Policy Institute; and research professor at Georgetown University;
• Hilliard Pouncy, visiting lecturer at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Policy and International Affairs at Princeton University;
• Hugh Price, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution;
• John Karl Scholz, economics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison;
• Ruston Seaman, executive director of World Vision in Appalachia;
• Thomas Shapiro, director of the Institute on Assets and Social Policy and Pokross Professor of Law and Social Policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University;
• Michael Sherraden, founder and director of the Center for Social Development at WashingtonUniversity in St. Louis;
• David Shipler, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former foreign correspondent of The New York Times;
• Beth Shulman, author of "The Betrayal of Work: How Low-Wage Jobs Fail 30 million Americans and their Families";
• David Spickard, president and chief executive officer of Jobs for Life in Raleigh;
• Michael Stegman, director of policy for the Program on Human and Community Development at the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation;
• Elizabeth Warren, Leo Gottlieb Professor of Law at Harvard Law School; and
• William Julius Wilson, Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Joblessness and Urban Poverty Research Program at the Malcolm Weiner Centre for Social Policy at Harvard University.

November 7, 2006
UNC poverty center expert panel to discuss how schools can help prepare low-income youth

CHAPEL HILL - The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity - based in the UNC School of Law - will host a panel discussion Thursday (Nov. 9) examining how public schools can make a difference in the lives of low-income youth as they make the transition from school to the workplace.

The event is open to the public and will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the auditorium of the campus' Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building, home to the UNC School of Social Work, at 301 Pittsboro St. The poverty center's director, former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, will convene the session and serve as the lead questioner of the panelists.

Dr. Lynne Vernon-Feagans, William C. Friday distinguished professor of education at UNC, and Dr. Deborah Hicks, visiting scholar in women's studies at DukeUniversity, will serve as moderators.

The panel brings together leaders in education and public policy to debate the question of how and if education could make a difference in shaping economic futures for low-income youth. The panelists are:

• Dr. Larry Aber, a professor of applied psychology and public policy at New York University, who was appointed by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to the new Commission for Economic Opportunity to help reduce poverty and increase economic opportunity. Aber also directed the writing of a report on New York City school reform. His current research focuses on how social policies toward low-income families affect family income dynamics, parenting, and children's health and development.
• Dr. Annette Lareau, a professor of sociology at the University of Maryland, who studies inequality in America. Her research examines the day-to-day lives of poor and working class families by exploring how their everyday worlds intersect with educational experiences and futures.
• Bill McNeal, executive director of the North Carolina Association of School Administrators and the 2004 national schools superintendent of the year. McNeal served in the WakeCounty public schools for 29 years, first as a teacher and later as its superintendent, from 2000-05.
• Dr. Carol Stack, a professor emeritus at the University of California-Berkeley who has authored several books about minority families and youth. She writes about urban and rural poverty, family policy, race and ethnicity and youth in the United States. She is currently working on a book based on 10 years of research following low-income and minority youth from high school into young adulthood.
• Rachel Tompkins, president of the RuralSchool and Community Trust, a national nonprofit organization addressing the relationship between good schools and thriving rural communities. Prior to joining the trust, she served as an extension professor for community, economic, and workforce development in the West Virginia University extension service.
• Dr. George Wood, director of the Forum for Education and Democracy and principal of Hocking High School in Stewart, Ohio. Dr. Wood has published numerous papers and articles on the role of public schooling in democracies.

The center was established in February 2005 as a forum for the best minds in the state and the nation to work on issues of poverty, work and opportunity. Its efforts seek to address the pressing needs of those currently living at or below the poverty level, provide a non-partisan interdisciplinary forum to examine innovative and practical ideas to move more Americans out of poverty, and raise public awareness of issues related to work and poverty. Its staff and volunteers also aim to train a new generation to combat the causes and effects of poverty and to improve the circumstances of working people.

September 5, 2006
Poverty center to host expert panel on post-Katrina progress and challenges

CHAPEL HILL - The Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, based in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, will hold a panel discussion on the progress made and challenges ahead for the post-Katrina Gulf Coast on Sept. 8 in the Great Hall of the student union on the UNC campus. Members of the UNC community and the public are encouraged to attend.

The discussion, "Katrina Revisited: Progress Made and Challenges Ahead," will be moderated by Dr. Jesse White, director of the UNC Office of Business and Economic Development, with introductions and questions led by center director Sen. John Edwards.

Panelists will address the lessons learned in the wake of the storm, evaluate the direction of recovery efforts and discuss the vision of improved lives for Gulf Coast residents.

Panelists will include:

• Kwame Asante, state director, Louisiana National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
• Xavier de Souza Briggs, associate professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
• Walter Isaacson, vice-chair, Louisiana Recovery Authority.

The Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity brings together scholars, policymakers, lawyers, community leaders and students to further research and policymaking on issues relating to poverty, work and opportunity. Established in February 2005, the center supports monthly panels of experts, hosts discussions and conferences. The center is also filming a short documentary on the working poor, expected to be released this fall, and is sponsoring a series of policy briefs from prominent UNC faculty on various topics related to poverty.

August 23, 2006

$2 million gift supports endowment for Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Michael Cucchiara and Marty Hayes of Chapel Hill have pledged a $2 million gift to support the goal of permanently endowing the operations and expenses of the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, directed by former Sen. John Edwards, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law.

Cucchiara and Hayes and the School of Law view the $2 million pledge as the lead gift for an ongoing endowment campaign that will help solidify the UNC center as a nationally renowned, nonpartisan academic center that examines ways to combat poverty, particularly as it relates to the working poor.

"This wonderful example of generosity and philanthropy will allow the center to continue exploring the many facets of poverty and keep these important issues in the public eye for the decades to come," said Edwards, a 1977 graduate from the School of Law. "Because of this extraordinary gift, the center will continue to serve as a beacon to experts around the country and be a proud part of UNC's longstanding tradition of academic excellence."

Jack Boger, dean of the UNC School of Law, said the gift will bolster the center's ability to carry out its mission to investigate the causes, consequences and solutions of poverty.

"We are deeply grateful for this generous gift in support of the center's work and objectives," Boger said. "The endowment will give the center crucial resources and flexibility to carry out its important work."

Cucchiara and Hayes have shown a keen interest in all of the center's programs examining the issues related to the working poor over the past year. As regular attendees of center conferences and seminars, they have been intimately involved with the center's work since its inception last year.

"For too long, the issues facing the working poor have not received the attention they deserve," said Cucchiara. "That is why we are proud to join Senator Edwards, the leadership of UNC and the law school to ensure that there will always be a permanent academic forum for the best minds in the state and the nation to address the issues of poverty, work and opportunity."

Further evidence of the couple's interest and commitment to socially responsible projects is their involvement with the Greenbridge development, a condominium and retail high-rise building slated for downtown Chapel Hill touted for its environmentally friendly features - solar power, landscaped roofs and energy-efficient building materials.

The building's developers have also pledged to make 15 of the units affordable for people who make less than 80 percent of the area's median income.

The pledge counts toward the Carolina First Campaign. The comprehensive, multi-year private fund-raising campaign has a goal of $2 billion to support Carolina's vision of becoming the nation's leading public university.

The Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity brings together scholars, policymakers, lawyers, community leaders and students to further research and policymaking on issues relating to poverty, work and opportunity. Established in February 2005, the center supports monthly panels of experts, hosts discussions and conferences and recently published the proceedings from its Summit on Poverty, "New Frontiers in Poverty Research and Policy," in a special edition of the Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal. The center is also filming a short documentary on the working poor, expected to be released this fall, and is sponsoring a series of policy briefs from prominent UNC faculty on various topics related to poverty.

The center's first program of the 2006-2007 academic year will be a panel, entitled "Katrina Revisited: What We Can Learn from the One Year Anniversary," on Sept. 8 at noon in the Frank Porter Graham Student Union's Great Hall.

Besides Edwards, center staff are Marion Crain, deputy director and the Paul Eaton professor of law; Laura Hogshead, assistant director; and Tracy Brown, administrative assistant.

March 16, 2006

Center's conference, 'Challenging the Two Americas,' to bring experts together to discuss issues faced by the working poor

CHAPEL HILL - The Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, based in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, will host a conference March 23 and 24 on "Challenging the Two Americas: New Policies to Fight Poverty."

Expert panelists from varied backgrounds will join former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, the center's director, to discuss policies that local and national policy-makers could put in place to alleviate the plight of the working poor.

"No matter what your political views are, we can surely all agree that we must address the fact that so many people are living in poverty in this, the wealthiest country in the world," Edwards said.

"This conference, with its fantastic group of experts from all over the nation, is in response to what we at the Center on Poverty believe is a moral duty to tackle the issues that have created the shameful existence of the two Americas that exists today."

The conference, to be held at the GeorgeWattsHillAlumniCenter, is open to the public. The program fee of $40 covers lunch and snacks on both days and all conference materials. Students can attend the conference at no cost; however, they must register in advance and will be charged $15 for each lunch attended. Those who wish to register for the conference should call (919) 843-8796 no later than Tuesday (March 21).

Seven panel discussions featuring more than 30 experts will take place during the conference on topics including, but not limited to, the economic impact of globalization; gender, work and economic opportunity; community building; and federal housing programs.

The panelists will include:

• Dr. Jacob Hacker, Peter Strauss family associate professor of political science at Yale University. He is the author of "The Divided Welfare State: The Battle over Public and Private Social Benefits in the United States."
• Elizabeth Warren, Leo Gottlieb professor of law at HarvardLawSchool. Warren is the co-author of "All Your Worth: the Lifetime Money Plan," published in 2005 and with co-author Amelia Warren Tyagi. She is the author of more than 140 books, articles, studies, reports and presentations.
• Angela Glover Blackwell, founder and chief executive officer of PolicyLink, a national research and action organization that works in partnership with others organizations to advance policies to achieve economic and social equity. She is the co-author of "Searching for the Uncommon Common Ground: New Dimensions on Race in America."
• Martin Eakes, co-founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Community Self-Help. The nonprofit center and its financing affiliates, Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Ventures Fund, make up one of the nation's leading community development financial institutions. Self-Help operates from regional offices in North Carolina and Washington, D.C.
• Dr. Ron Haskins, senior fellow in the Brookings Institution's Economic Studies Program and senior consultant at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore. In 2005, he received the President's Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Human Services from the American Public Human Services Association.

A complete listing of the panelists participating in the conference, as well as more information about the center and the "Challenging the Two Americas" conference, can be found at http://www.law.unc.edu/centers/poverty/.

Following the conference, the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity is planning to form working groups and is discussing the possibility of future publications to continue its mission to address the issues of the working poor. These efforts will pull together the expertise of the conference panelists, as well as other experts from the various events hosted by the center since its inception in February 2005.

Center staff members hope these activities will foster further consideration by policy-makers at all levels of government to address the problems faced by the working poor of America.

January 12, 2006
N.C. NAACP president to address issues of social justice, poverty, race at Tuesday (Jan. 17) event at School of Law

CHAPEL HILL - The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, the recently elected president of the North Carolina NAACP State Conference, will give a speech addressing issues of social justice, poverty and race at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law on Tuesday (Jan. 17).

The event, "A Conversation on Poverty and Segregation," will be held at noon in the school's rotunda and is free to the public. Campus sponsors are the UNC Black Law Student Association, the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity and the Center for Civil Rights. John Edwards, the former U.S. senator and vice presidential candidate who directs UNC's poverty center, will introduce Barber at the event.

Barber has been the pastor of Greenleaf Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, in Goldsboro since 1993; the congregation includes more than 400 members and 30 active ministries. In addition, he is the chairman of the Rebuilding Broken Places Community Development Corp., the host of two radio shows and the author of "Preaching Through Unexpected Pain."

He has given talks nationwide, at events including the National Convocation of Christian Churches and the National Black Ministers Retreat. In addition, he has served as executive director for the N.C. Human Relations Commission; Barber was appointed by then-Gov. James B. Hunt and enforced housing, employment discrimination and hate crime laws in his role as executive director.

In his work as a community activist, Barber has visited the White House to advocate for more resources to low-wealth communities, has spoken on behalf of educational advocates for increased funding for low-wealth schools, has led the Committee on Morality for the Hate Violence Church Bombing Task Force and has addressed the deaths of social justice workers in 1979 as a guest preacher for the Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He organized a 2004 rally and radiothon to increase voting in North Carolina.

Born in Indianapolis, Barber grew up in Plymouth and graduated cum laude from N.C.CentralUniversity with a bachelor's degree in public administration. He received his master of divinity degree from DukeDivinitySchool and his doctorate from DrewUniversity in Madison, N.J.

November 18, 2005
Panel Discussion to Focus on Strategies to Improve Wages, Working Conditions of Low-wage Workers

The UNC School of Law's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity will sponsor a panel discussion exploring strategies for improving the economic situations and standards of living of low-wage workers on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

The event, to be held from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the School of Law's rotunda, is free to the public. No registration is necessary.

John Edwards, the poverty center's director, will introduce the discussion. Dr. Arne Kalleberg, Kenan distinguished professor of sociology and senior associate dean for social science in the College of Arts and Sciences, will be the moderator.
Panelists include Dr. Annette Bernhardt, deputy director of the BrennanCenter for Justice at New YorkUniversity's School of Law; Tom Clarke, program director for Justice for Smithfield Workers' Campaign; United Food and Commercial Workers; Melanie Stratton of Student Action with Workers; and John Sweeney, president of the AFL-CIO.

November 8, 2005
UNC center to host daylong summit on poverty research, policy; event concludes with public session on 'Katrina's Lessons'

The daylong summit will bring together nationally renowned experts -including UNC faculty - to look at the challenges Americans face in moving out of poverty and the ways in which they may be helped in this effort. Topics discussed at the Carolina Inn sessions are: "Confronting Poverty: What Role for Public Programs?" "Family Structure, Poverty and Family Well-being," "Moving out of Low-Wage Jobs: Opportunities and
Barriers" and "Community Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation."

October 31, 2005
Poverty Center to Feature Early November Panel Discussions on media's Depiction of Poverty, "Katrina's Lessons"

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity will bring nationally renowned experts to campus on Thursday, Nov. 3 and Nov. 9 to discuss, among other topics, what Hurricane Katrina's aftermath has demonstrated about poverty in America.

"How the Media Portrays Poverty" will be from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Paul Green Theatre within the Center for Dramatic Art. "Katrina's Lessons: Moving Forward in the Fight Against Poverty" will be 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9 in room 111 of Carroll Hall.

Both panel discussions are free to the public. John Edwards, the former US senator and vice presidential candidate who directs UNC's poverty center, will moderate both discussions.

The Thursday event will convene a panel of nationally renowned journalists to discuss the historical depiction of poverty in the media, trends and how Hurricane Katrina has affected the media's portrayal of this issue.

The following journalists are scheduled to participate in the panel:

• Katherine Boo, a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine and a New America Senior Fellow
• David Brooks, a columnist for The New York Times and commentator on "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer"
• Jason DeParle, a senior writer at The New York Times and a frequent contributor to The New York Times Magazine
• David Wessel, deputy Washington bureau chief of The Wall Street Journal and weekly "Capital" columnist
• Sam Fulwood III, a metro columnist for The Cleveland Plain Dealer and journalism graduate of UNC

The Nov. 9 panel will be the culminating event in a daylong summit on poverty: "New Frontiers in Poverty Research and Policy." This summit will bring together respected experts - including UNC faculty - to look at the challenges Americans face in moving out of poverty and the ways in which they may be helped in this effort.The first four panels of the day (open to registered attendees only) are:"Confronting Poverty: What Role for Public Programs?"; "Family Structure, Poverty and Family Well-being"; "Moving out of Low-Wage Jobs: Opportunities and Barriers"; and "Community Economic Development and Poverty Alleviation."

The fifth panel, "Katrina's Lessons," is open to the public. Five national experts will discuss lessons learned from the Katrina and to propose concrete policy solutions to address those living in poverty.

The following experts are scheduled to participate in the panel:

• Dr. Jared Bernstein, the director of the Living Standards Program at the Economic Policy Institute
• Ray Boshara, director of the Asset Building Program at the New America Foundation
• Anna Burger, the recently elected chairwoman of the Change to Win Coalition
• Tim Kane, Bradley Fellow in Labor Policy at The Heritage Foundation's Center for Data Analysis
• Dr. William Julius Wilson, the Lewis P. and Linda L. Geyser University Professor at Harvard University

October 27, 2005
Edwards, Kemp to Discuss Work, Opportunity in America

Media representatives are invited to cover a discussion on work and poverty in America between John Edwards, director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, and Jack Kemp, former US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, US representative from 1971-1989 and Republican Party nominee for vice president in 1996.

Edwards, former US senator and 2004 Democratic Party vice presidential nominee, joined the UNC faculty in February 2005 and directs the new poverty center, a nonpartisan initiative that brings together UNC faculty and other national public policy experts to explore ways to move more Americans out of poverty.

Monday's event, free to the public, is part of an ongoing lecture series sponsored by the center.

Dr. Daniel Gitterman, assistant professor of public policy at UNC, will moderate the discussion. Audience members will have the opportunity to pose questions to Edwards and Kemp near the conclusion of the discussion.

September 2, 2005
Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity Taps Deputy Director, Assistant Director

A deputy director and assistant director have joined the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law to lead initiatives for the Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity. The center is directed by former Sen. John Edwards.

Marion Crain, Paul Eaton professor of law, is the center's deputy director, and Laura Hogshead returns to UNC, her alma mater, as its assistant director.

The center brings together UNC faculty and other national public policy experts to examine ideas for moving more Americans out of poverty and into the middle class.

Crain received her bachelor's degree from CornellUniversity in 1980 and her law degree from the UCLA law school in 1983. Since 1986, she has held permanent or visiting appointments at the Universities of Alabama, Michigan, Toledo and Duke, George Washington and West VirginiaUniversities. Her research on labor and employment law focuses on how work law structures gender, race and social class.

Hogshead earned her bachelor's degree in journalism and political science in 2000 and her master?s degree in public administration in 2002, both from UNC. From 2002-2005, she served as a presidential management fellow at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also, she worked on social policy issues as a fellow to the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee.

September 2, 2005
John Edwards to Launch Lecture Series at New Poverty Center Sept. 7

John Edwards, now director of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law's Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity, will help the new center launch a lecture series Wednesday (Sept. 7).

Edwards, the former U.S. senator and vice presidential candidate, is the first speaker in a monthly speaker series scheduled at the center. The nonpartisan initiative brings together UNC faculty and other national public policy experts to move more Americans out of poverty.

The following fall events, free and open to the public, are:

• Sept. 7, noon, Law School rotunda. Edwards will speak on the mission and programs for the center. He Hill introduce staff ana fiel questions.
• Oct. 31, Paul Green Theatre, 1-2 p.m. UNC Assistant Professor of Public Policy Dan Gitterman will moderate a discussion on poverty between Edwards and Jack Kemp, founder and a co-director of Empower America and former U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
• Nov. 9, all day, Carolina Inn. A summit conference on "New Frontiers on Poverty Research and Policy."
• Nov. 22., 4:30-6 p.m., Law School rotunda. UNC Kenan Professor of Sociology Arne Kalleberg will monitor a panel discussion on "Strategies for Improving the Conditions of Low-Waged Workers."