Solving Global Issues through Franklin Connections

Logan Good, an MSIM ’21 graduate, was Franklin University’s representative for a special trip to Rome where he engaged with other young, motivated innovators at Bites of Transfoodmation 2020, an initiative that has set out to establish sustainable food systems for all.

The driving force behind the event is the drive to end hunger on a global scale, through carefully drawn out plans and the innovation that support this endeavour.

Logan first became aware of this ground-breaking opportunity at the beginning of the academic year. “Our advisors, Dr. Corinne Young, Director of Graduate Studies and Carlo Giardinetti, Dean of Executive Education and Global Outreach, and the Co-Director of the Taylor Institute, reached out to our programme to gauge interest in the opportunity in Rome. Ten students wrote essays explaining why they would be the best candidate and I was selected.”

The next step in the journey involved a meeting with H.E. Pio Wennubst, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Switzerland to the U.N. Agencies in Rome, host of the Transfoodmation initiative.

With the help of bright young people like Logan, Ambassador Wennubst composed a statement of data and developed concrete ideas with the goal of influence the outcome of the Food Systems Summit slated for 2021.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres will host the U.N. Food Systems Summit in 2021 as part of the Decade of Action to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. With only ten years remaining, many of the SDGs remains far out of reach. Current unsafe or unsustainable food systems are part of the problem. The U.N. Food Systems Summit will launch bold strategies to address challenges and deliver progress on these goals.

Although unsure if he will attend the 2021 Summit, Logan has a vision for a world with sustainable food management. In this future, “there is no place for hunger, food insecurity, and unsustainable agricultural practices. We have a mere decade left until we’ve broken our promise to achieve the commitments of a better and more sustainable future for all set forth by the Sustainable Development Goals. This is the decade of action, and we all need to take massive action to accomplish the pledge of the SDGs.”

Franklin students are encouraged to be curious and bold, to dare to dream that they can make a difference. Except that it is not merely a dream but an endeavour. Living and learning in an international, multicultural community impart new ideas and perspectives, just as much as the liberal arts education teaches students how to thrive in any professional environment.

Logan is reaping the benefits of Franklin’s highly ranked education programmes and its learning environment “I’ve already learned many more skills and nuances to become a better leader during my brief time in the MSIM programme.”

Inspired by the opportunities available, and by the serious impact that he can have on the world, he knows that this is just the beginning. As part of the Franklin network, Logan will not just forge his path, he will also create connections for others.

“This opportunity doesn’t end in Rome. I will return to Franklin University Switzerland and will present my insights from the trip to the MSIM programme cohort. I can engage my colleagues on how a position statement is developed for such a high-profile summit, and the work happening to achieve the pledge of the SDGs. And I stand united with anyone willing to be part of the forward progress in addressing these global challenges.”

Learn more about the Bites of Transfoodmation 2020 initiative.