Economist to Speak on the Growing Wealth Gap

PASADENA, Calif.—Economist and noted author Chuck Collins will come to the California Institute of Technology to present the first keynote address in the 2004-05 season of the Social Activism Speaker Series. Cofounder of United for a Fair Economy, Collins will discuss the growing inequality of wealth in the U.S., its impact on the economy, and its role in the upcoming presidential election. This event will take place on Thursday, October 14, at 7 p.m., in Baxter Auditorium, which is located on the Caltech campus. It is free and open to the public.

A regular contributor to the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and NPR's Marketplace, Collins has written numerous books and articles addressing the economics of wealth inequality. In 1995, he cofounded United for a Fair Economy (UFE), a national nonpartisan advocacy group that focuses on the wealth gap and supports policies to reduce economic inequity. Journalist John Nichols has called UFE "the single most effective group in the country when it comes to publicizing issues of economic injustice, income disparity, the racial underpinnings of the gap between rich and poor . . . and the yawning chasm between the salaries of corporate CEOs and those of working Americans."

In 1997, Collins cofounded Responsible Wealth, a project of UFE, to bring together business leaders and investors to publicly speak out against economic policies and corporate practices that worsen economic inequality. He is coauthor of Economic Apartheid in America and, most recently, Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes.

This is the sixth year for the Social Activism Speaker Series, which focuses attention on current social and political issues by inviting prominent activists to share their experiences and perspectives with the Caltech community and the public. This series is coordinated with the help of the Caltech Y, and is made possible by contributions from the Moore-Hufstedler Fund, Student Affairs, the Alumni Association, Campus Life, the Diversity Program Fund, the Graduate Student Council, Jack and Edith Roberts, and the Associated Students of Caltech.

Baxter Auditorium is located near the center of the Caltech campus. Free parking is available in the lots south of Del Mar Boulevard between Wilson and Chester Avenues, and in the Wilson Avenue and Holliston Avenue parking structures between San Pasqual Street and Del Mar Boulevard.

For more information, visit http://sass.caltech.edu or contact Greg Fletcher, Caltech Y, (626) 395-6163.

###

Media Contact: Deborah Williams-Hedges (626) 395-3227 debwms@caltech.edu

Visit the Caltech Media Relations Web site at: http://pr.caltech.edu/media