Fall convocation speaker: Health activist and Partners in Health co-founder Paul Farmer

By Hannah Johnson

This fall, the convocation speaker for Macalester will be the renowned anthropologist and physician Paul Farmer. This is after several years of trying to match schedules. Farmer is one of the cofounders of Partners in Health, an international health and social justice organization and, more recently, known for his aid for Haiti.

“Honestly, we have asked him in the past, but his schedule has just never matched,” Vice President for Student Affairs Laurie Hamre said, “but President [Brian] Rosenberg has just kept with it and this time we were able to match it.”

Farmer also has a personal connection with one of the students of the incoming class of 2014. Rosenberg was persistent in trying to obtain Farmer to come to talk because he thought that Macalester’s values were well aligned with Farmer’s accomplishments and ideas.

Farmer has been very active in Haiti relief and health issues. Rosenberg and Hamre felt that these were topics that would engage the Macalester community.

The convocation speech will be given on Tuesday, Sept. 14.

“I expect the entire campus community to show up,” Hamre said. “It’ll be standing room only. [There will be] a great crowd for Dr. Farmer.