About Us

Define Agora:

Agora- agoraăg´ere [Gr.,=market], in ancient Greece, the public square or marketplace of a city.

 In early Greek history the agora was primarily used as a place for public assembly; later it functioned mainly as a center of commerce. Usually in a readily accessible part of the city, it was often surrounded by the public buildings . . .

The objective of Agora is to provide students with opportunities for academic and professional development. AGORA achieves this through periodic skills sessions and our annual student conference.
 

By emphasizing the importance of diversity, AGORA maintains a commitment to fostering an environment where students can investigate, share and explore divergent perspectives in an atmosphere that allows for intellectual growth. The Forum requires members agree to maintain a commitment to tolerance, respectfulness and open-mindedness throughout all Agora activities.
 

In 1992, a group of dedicated female GSPIANs created Women In Development (WID) as an on-campus organization focused on global issues of women in developing countries.  WID organized the first annual conference that has since become a hallmark of the GSPIA Spring semester.  WID evolved into the GSPIA Women's Forum (GWF) in order to include all women within GSPIA, regardless of degree program and major.  GWF proudly continued the annual conference and worked closely with other Pitt groups  including the Association of Women in Public Health to co-promote various events & functions.  AGORA represents a continued evolution in response to the needs and interests of fellow GSPIANs.  AGORA understands the need for students to explore and expand upon issues in their fields and we hope to provide a secure, interactive and productive arena for this to occur.  Throughout these changes and evolutions, understanding and embracing diversity has remained central and will continue to be a cornerstone of this organization. 

Faculty Advisor:
Aaron Swoboda

Assistant Professor, GSPIA