FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Barbara Nitzberg (914) 654-5285

CNR CONTINUES COMMITMENT TO GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS
Conference to Spotlight Global Epidemic of Children Affected by HIV/AIDS

NEW ROCHELLE, NY, March 23, 2004 -- As part of The College of New Rochelle’s (CNR) Centennial celebration, the School of Arts & Sciences (SAS) will host its third Human Rights Symposium on Thursday, April 1, at 2:00 pm.  Kathleen Cravero Kristoffersson SAS ‘76, Deputy Executive Director of Joint UN Programs HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), will give the keynote address on “A Generation at Risk: The Impact of HIV/AIDS on Children.”  Her remarks will be immediately followed by a panel discussion with James Cairns, Director, Program on Children for the World Conference of Religions for Peace, and Carol Levine, Director of the Families and Health Care Project at the United Hospital Fund in New York City, who also directs The Orphan Project: Families and Children in the HIV Epidemic.

The symposium will take place at CNR’s Main Campus, Student Campus Center, 2nd Floor, at 29 Castle Place, New Rochelle, NY 10805.  For questions or travel directions, please call (914) 654-5492 or visit www.cnr.edu/home/sas/isp/rights.html.  This event is free and open to the public.

Kathleen Cravero Kristoffersson SAS ‘76
In nearly three decades with the United Nations, Ms. Cravero has devoted her life and career to helping people, communities, and countries help themselves.  To date, she has worked in 35 countries including Chad, Uganda, Burundi, and Switzerland.  Most recently, as UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Burundi, Ms. Cravero witnessed atrocities shocking even to someone with her extensive professional experience.  

In her current position as Deputy Executive Director of Joint UN Programs HIV/AIDS, Ms. Cravero is playing a critical role in helping to stem an alarming epidemic – the millions of women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in countries throughout the globe – especially in Asia and Africa.  A recent report released by UNAIDS estimated that women will soon become the majority of people worldwide affected by HIV/AIDS.

James Cairns
Mr. James Cairns has served as Director, Program on Children for the World Conference of Religions for Peace, since summer 2001.  In this position, he oversees the organization’s involvement in all issues related to child and family welfare, particularly the impact of HIV/AIDS on children.  He coordinates a range of programs to engage religious communities in expanded efforts to address HIV/AIDS, including WCRP’s participation in the Hope for African Children Initiative, which is a partnership designed to provide resources to local community and faith-based organizations in Africa to support their work with children affected by HIV/AIDS.  

Mr. Cairns was formerly a Mission Specialist with the Presbyterian Church (USA), working the Public Affairs Committee, a local interreligious organization in Malawi, and with the United Nations office of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

Carol Levine
Ms. Carol Levine joined the United Hospital Fund in New York City in October 1996 where she currently directs the Orphan Project for the Families and Health Care Project, which she founded in 1991.  

This project focuses on developing partnerships between health care professionals and family caregivers who provide most of the long-term and chronic care to elderly, seriously ill, or disabled relatives.  She also continues to direct The Orphan Project: Families and Children in the HIV Epidemic, which she founded in 1991.  In 1993, she was awarded a MacArthur Foundation Fellowship for her work in AIDS policy and ethics.

Ms. Levine was formerly Director of the Citizens Commission on AIDS in New York City from 1987-91.  As a senior staff associate of The Hastings Center, she edited the Hastings Center Report.  Ms. Levine has several books and articles to her credit.  She also edited the 10th edition of Taking Sides: Controversial Bioethical Issues, co-edited books on the global crisis of orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS and on the gap between the professional and family cultures of care giving, and compiled an anthology of fiction and poetry portraying family caregivers.


The first Catholic college for women in New York State, The College of New Rochelle was founded in 1904 by the Ursuline Order. Today, it comprises the all-women School of Arts & Sciences, and three schools which admit women and men: the School of New Resources (for adult learners), the School of Nursing and the Graduate School.  The main campus of the College is located in lower Westchester County, 16 miles north of New York City.  The College maintains six other campus locations in New York City. Visit the College’s website at www.cnr.edu
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