A public symposium Feb. 18 on "Compassion and Leadership in a Multi-Faith World" is the inaugural event of the newly established Leadership and Multi-Faith Program (LAMP), a joint initiative between Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts and Emory University's Candler School of Theology.

The half-day working symposium will feature a keynote address by Dr. William H. Foege, epidemiologist and author of "House on Fire: The Fight to Eradicate Smallpox. Foege was the 2012 recipient of Georgia Tech’s Ivan Allen Jr. Prize for Social Courage and is Presidential Distinguished Professor Emeritus of International Health at Emory’s Rollins School of Public Health. Participants will draw from faith, activist, and non-profit organizations, academia, and the arts. View the full program. The event is free, but registration is requested.

LAMP seeks to address the need for multi-faith understanding and community building in Atlanta and the surrounding region through a partnership between Ivan Allen College and Candler. The public - private venture in higher education is made possible through the support of Bruce McEver, the McEver Foundation, and the Foundation for Religious Literacy. The partnership includes the establishment of a faculty position at Candler and the development of public programming offered by the Ivan Allen College.

“The Leadership and Multi-Faith Program brings yet another dimension to the cross-disciplinary perspectives of Georgia Tech’s work to improve the human condition,” said Jacqueline J. Royster, dean of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. “Faith traditions are intricately entwined within the cultural and societal forces shaping our world, and deepening our understanding of these forces is critical to effecting socially and ethically conscious leadership.”

"LAMP is focused on the complexities of life, work, and leadership in a world where many faith traditions converge, whether our encounters are local, regional, or global," says Candler Dean Jan Love.

Royster and Love note that, more than in any previous period in American history, people of many different faiths − or no faith − go to work, schools, hospitals, recreational facilities, grocery stores and malls together, but they often don't understand each other's religious identity or communal practices very well.

That ignorance, says Love, has the potential for breeding contempt that can cause a degradation of public discourse and − in the worst cases − spawn violent acts.

LAMP will light the way toward understanding by offering students, civic and business leaders, and the general public opportunities to learn more about multi-faith relations, through public events, courses at the two schools, and continuing education programming such as seminars and experiential learning opportunities.

"Compassion and Leadership in a Multi-Faith World" will be held Feb. 18 at the Historic Academy of Medicine, 875 West Peachtree St., NW, Atlanta, GA 30309, from 2:00 – 8:00 p.m. The event will include a reception with heavy hors d'oeuvres.