The University of St Andrews and the Students Association Present

Forward Thinking

 “It is better to be making the news than taking it; to be an actor rather than a critic” – Winston Churchill, aged 24

 Scotland’s universities can be melting pots, crucibles of innovation where the brightest minds of the nation come together with the greatest potential of the next generation to exchange and nurture ideas. We invite you to help us make that happen here in St Andrews.

  The Forward Thinking Conference puts students on a level with academics, leaders of business and the public sector and each other. This isn’t about lectures. Instead students will be challenged, in small group sessions, to identify the issues that will face our generation and come up with solutions in collaboration with each other and our special guests. This is an unprecedented chance to learn form the leaders of academia and society and to engage with new ideas and issues.

 The day:         -     Keynote Speech (speaker to be announced the week before the conference)

-       Large group sessions: Presentation of the areas for discussion, why these issues?

-       Breakout sessions: Small groups including students, academics and special guests take part in more detailed conversations discussing what they would do in response to the issues raised in the earlier sessions.

Confirmed special guests so far (click for more information):

Alistair Moffat          Sir John Elvidge          David Erdal          Rev Dr Marjory Mclean           Derry Newman

Ewan Brown             Peter Cabrelli            Mervyn Jones            Linda Dunion           Professor Louise Richardson

Dr Ian Bradley             Professor Lorna Milne            Professor Jim Naismith          Dr Mattia Fumanti            

Dr Jon Hesk           Dr Matt Sothern          Professor John Skorupski            Bonnie Hacking            Dr John McColl

 Some initial ideas for discussion will be

(but are not limited to):

o   A United Kingdom? Independence and Constitution in Britain       “Britishness”: Our culture in a global future       The Media: Responsibilities and Freedoms

The EU: Future role and Britain’s involvement       Gender violence, at home and abroad      A 3^rd Way: Capitalism without inequity; Socialism without dependency

 Social approaches to healthcare policy       Is our economic future green?       A nation of laws or lawyers and judges?

 Identifying which issues we will face can be as important as deciding how to face them. As such, all delegates (students, academics and guests) are invited to contribute additional suggestions, especially involving areas in which they have a particular interest, in advance of or during the first session of the conference.