2009-2010 Common Reader: “The End of Poverty”

The common reader was selected by the General Education Curriculum Committee, a 16-member group of faculty who teach general education-distribution requirements courses. A common reader is a book that is assigned to all first-year students to read before they arrive on campus.  The purpose of a common reader is to integrate you into the University learning community as early as possible.  When students, regardless major area of study, read a common text, a shared learning experience is possible.  A common reading allows various experiences, reactions, and perspectives to be exchanged and discussed. 

The End of Poverty was selected because the author presents well-researched facts and poignant personal stories to explain the impacts of globalization and modern economic development.  In addition, Dr. Sachs discusses clear plans on how the world community can eradicate extreme poverty and deprivation.  For Professor Sachs, the poorest nations can develop and prosper and the human suffering that comes with poverty can be alleviated. The reader fits well with the philosophy of the general education curriculum that comprehensive knowledge is possible only if multiple perspectives and connections are understood.   This book will also help students begin to understand the personal and social commitments necessary to alleviate poverty and to accept responsibility for developing communities based on care and concern for others.

Barry Bookstore and most retail outlets. 

On October 27, 2009, Barry University will host a one-day mini-conference on “Ending Poverty, the Challenge of Our Generation.”  This exciting all day event will include panel presentations and discussions, guest speakers from local community-based agencies, film screenings, service opportunities, and many other interesting sessions.  The goal of the conference, which will be geared to undergraduate students, is for participants to

• reflect on the possible causes of global and local poverty.
• consider the moral, ethical, social, and political impact of local and global poverty.
• learn about the effect of poverty on health, well-being, and longevity.
• understandthe incidence of local and global poverty.
• identity strategies for reducing and eradicating poverty and its related problems.
• participatein opportunities for direct involvement in working on specific anti-poverty issues in South Florida.

All first-year students are expected to read this book before they arrive for Fall term classes.  The book can be purchased at the Barry Bookstore and most retail outlets.  During the Fall semester the book will be used in several ways. 

• Many first year classes, such as First-Year Composition, Fundaments of Speech, The Meaning of History, Introduction to Sociology, and Biological Foundations will use the book as part of one or more assignments. 

• In the weeks leading up to the conference, students may choose to participate in poetry/writing contest, where prize-money will be awarded for the best entries.  Attending conference sessions and relating the information to the reader may be required or optional assignments for many classes.

“Jeffrey Sachs is that rare phenomenon: an academic economist famous for his theories about why some countries are poor and others rich, and also famous for his successful practical work in helping poor countries become richer. In this long-awaited, fascinating, clearly and movingly written book, he distills his experience to propose answers to the hard choices now facing the world."

- Jared Diamond,
Pulitzer Prize winning author of Guns, Germs and Steel and Collapse

The Barry University General Education Curriculum Committee has selected The End of Poverty as the 2009-2010 first-year common reader.  Written by award-winning author, economist, and Director of the Earth Institute at Colombia University, Jeffrey D. Sachs, This book is considered a ground-breaking effort to create a blueprint for eliminating extreme poverty by 2025.  Dr. Sachs is considered to be one of the more influential economists of our time and serves as the Quetelet Professor of Sustainable Development, and Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University. He is also Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. From 2002 to 2006, he was Director of the UN Millennium Project and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the Millennium Development Goals, the internationally agreed goals to reduce extreme poverty, disease, and hunger by the year 2015. Sachs is also President and Co-Founder of Millennium Promise Alliance, a nonprofit organization aimed at ending extreme global poverty.