On Tuesday, December 9, Walsh University President Richard Jusseaume was in attendance for the public signing of the Presidents' Commitment to Food and Nutrition Security by Auburn University President Jay Gogue, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. Led by Auburn University, the coalition of 60 university presidents worldwide have banded together to address the global issue of hunger and malnutrition. President Jusseaume was joined by Walsh's Dr. Douglas Palmer, Assistant Dean of Academic Innovation, at the commemorative signing.
In September, Walsh University was the first Ohio institution to sign and formally commit to the Presidents’ Commitment. The United Nations event also commemorates the first official gathering of PUSH - Presidents United to Solve Hunger - where the higher education leaders publicly acknowledged their commitment to making food security a priority.
"We are grateful for Walsh University’s leadership in the war on hunger in Ohio. Its commitment to service globally and locally on pressing sustainability issues such as food security can be a model for institutions both big and small," said Harriet W. Giles, Ph.D., Managing Director of Auburn’s Hunger Solutions Institute.
The Hunger Forum and Public Signing Ceremony on Dec. 9 marked the first time universities around the world shared a collective focus on ending food insecurity. It is also the first time students and university leaders will be united in the effort with international organizations, NGOs and student groups joining Auburn in this initiative.
Established in 2012, the Hunger Solutions Institute of Auburn University seeks to share knowledge and best practices in the fight against hunger and malnutrition by creating multi-sector partnerships at the community, state and global levels. A foundational principle of the HSI is that hunger is a solvable problem, but only when the relevant knowledge from all academic disciplines is combined with the abilities and strengths of all sectors.
The Presidents’ Commitment is a direct outcome of the inaugural Universities Fighting World Hunger Pre-Summit Forum convened by Auburn’s Hunger Solutions Institute and co-sponsored by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities in February 2014. www.pushtosign.org/pdf/PUSH_Presidents'CommitmenttoFoodandNutritionSecuirity.pdf