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BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE Office of Citizenship presents 'Capitalizing on Social Capital' with Lewis Feldstein February 24

The University of New England Office of Citizenship presents community-building expert Lewis Feldstein, speaking on "Capitalizing on Social Capital" at UNE's Biddeford Campus Thursday, February 24 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Feldstein served for 24 years as president of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation (NHCF), a statewide community foundation, prior to his retirement in June 2010.  In the late 1990s Feldstein worked with friend and Harvard professor Bob Putnam, author of Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community, to develop a three-year seminar that convened leaders from across the country - E.J. Dionne and George Stephanopolis among them - to talk about social capital and community building.  Feldstein and Putnam went on to write a book together called Better Together: Restoring the American Community, which profiles successful community building efforts throughout the country.

Feldstein states, "We must learn to view the world through a social capital lens.  We need to look at front porches as crime fighting tools, treat picnics as public health efforts and see choral groups as occasions of democracy. We will become a better place when assessing social capital impact becomes a standard part of decision-making."

Feldstein is a graduate of Brown University and holds a Master's degree in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University, and is the recipient of six honorary doctorates.

The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be held in the St. Francis Room of the Jack Ketchum Library on UNE's Biddeford Campus.  Light lunch and refreshments will be available. 

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.