The Ginsberg Dewey Lecture highlights the work of a scholar-activist whose research and civic engagement are intertwined and recognizes the enduring legacy of philosopher and educational reformer John Dewey, who taught at U of M in the 1890’s, and later, went on to found the New School for Social Research. Chief among Dewey’s enduring ideas were that thought is the means through which we come to understand and connect with the world around us, and, that universal education is the key to teaching people how to abandon their habits and think creatively via learning through doing.

Keynote will be given by Charles Cross, ASLA, the Senior Landscape Designer at the Detroit Collaborative Design Center; as well as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture. He maintains a firm belief that underserved communities deserve good design, and therefore should be the patrons of the process -not just the consumers of the end product.

There will also be highlights from University of Michigan community engaged research projects.