Strengthening the State of our Union: A Conversation with Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Macalester College President Suzanne Rivera

On Friday, May 21, the Office of the Provost hosted the fifth installment in the North Star Seminar series. The event featured Saint Paul, Minnesota Mayor Melvin Carter and Macalester College President Dr. Suzanne Rivera. The pair focused on lessons for restoring and reframing civic dialogue in the aftermath of racial shock in Minnesota.

Headshots of Dr. Suzanne Rivera and Mayor Melvin Carter

This session was moderated by Case Western Reserve University Provost and Executive Vice President Ben Vinson III and Inamori Professor in Ethics Shannon E. French. Vice President for the Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity Robert L. Solomon also provided a welcome.

The event was generously supported by Cuyahoga County Public Library, and Case Western Reserve University's Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity, and Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence.

See the Recording


Our Sponsors

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Office of the Provost

Office for Inclusion, Diversity and Equal Opportunity

Inamori International Center for Ethics and Excellence

Cuyahoga County Public Library Logo

About Melvin Carter

Melvin Carter is the 46th, and first African-American mayor of the City of Saint Paul, Minnesota’s Capital City.

A fourth-generation Saint Paul resident, Mayor Carter leads with an unapologetic equity agenda. Since taking office in 2018, his accomplishments include raising the city’s minimum wage to $15/hour; tripling free program in rec centers; eliminating late fines in public libraries; reestablishing an Affordable Housing Trust Fund; expanding immigrant & refugee support resources, and launching an Office of Financial Empowerment. One signature initiative is CollegeBound Saint Paul, Mayor Carter’s plan to start every child born in the city with a $50 College Savings Account, starting January 1, 2020.

Learn More About Mayor Carter

About Dr. Suzanne Rivera

Dr. Suzanne M. Rivera became Macalester College’s 17th president on June 1, 2020. Having worked in higher education for 25 years, Dr. Rivera is an accomplished leader, instructor, researcher, and scholar. She is an advocate for social justice and brings a strong commitment to inclusion and equity to her role as president.

Prior to her appointment at Macalester, Rivera was the Vice President for Research and Technology Management at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. She also served on the faculty in the Departments of Bioethics and Pediatrics at CWRU, leading original research projects funded by the National Institutes of Health, the federal Office of Research Integrity, and The Cleveland Foundation.

Learn More About President Rivera