Lebanon Valley College will host 64th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society Oct. 25

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Dr. Mark Price to give keynote speech at the 64th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society at Lebanon Valley College on Saturday, Oct. 25.

ANNVILLE, PA (10/04/2014)(readMedia)-- Lebanon Valley College is honored to host the 64th Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Sociological Society (PSS) on Saturday, Oct. 25. This year's theme, "Examining Global and Local Inequality," will feature fresh and innovative contributions on the issues of global and local inequality as well as other sociological topics through individual paper presentations and thematic panels.

Presentations from numerous scholars will take place throughout the conference, including a keynote presentation from Dr. Mark Price, labor economist at the Keystone Research Center (KRC). Price graduated from the University of Utah in 2005 with a Ph.D. in economics. He is best known for his nationally recognized report tracking the educational qualifications of the early childhood workforce.

Price's recent work for KRC includes reports on the high cost to taxpayers of school bus privatization and an evaluation of the relationship between the state control of alcohol sales and alcohol related motor vehicle fatalities. Media outlets on the national, state, and local levels have interviewed him numerous times because of the importance of these topics.

Thanks to the help of LVC's Dr. Marianne Goodfellow, associate professor of sociology, this is the first time the conference will be held at The Valley. "This theme meshes with the LVC core value of caring and concern for others, and will gain the recognition of LVC by sociologists state-wide," Goodfellow said. Past meetings have taken the PSS to various locations in eastern, central, and western Pennsylvania. "The campus location and the beautiful facilities offer PSS an opportunity to build support, membership, and commitment to state-level associations."

Dr. Ying Yang, PSS president, hopes discussion during this year's meeting will examine questions such as: "How does globalization affect local economy and society? What factors contribute to the increasing social distance between classes? How does the craving for energy negatively impact environmental inequality? What can a poor family do to get by the difficult time? How could inequality affect individuals' health, happiness, and social mobility?"

Founded in 1950, the society's major goal is to provide a forum for communication for sociologists working in diverse settings: education, industry, government, voluntary associations, or solo practitioners; and to increase understanding of the interplay of sociological knowledge and social research. An additional objective is to assist future sociologists in developing their careers. For more information, visit www.pasocsociety.org.