In deciding on the topic for February's Brown Symposium, A.J. Senchack knew he wanted a controversial, international issue that cut across different disciplines.

He recalled the attention that anti-globalization protestors in Seattle received in 1999, and knew that he had found the perfect subject. "It really seemed to fit. Discussing globalization takes Southwestern students off campus and out of Texas to examine broader issues that we shouldn't ignore."

Brown Symposium XXIV, Globalization: Win-Win or Win-Lose?, is set for Feb. 21-22. Senchack has lined up four renowned speakers: Joseph Stiglitz, a 2001 Nobel Laureate and former senior vice president and chief economist at the World Bank in Washington, D.C.; Herman Daly, professor of ecological economics at the University of Maryland's School of Public Affairs and former senior economist in the Environmental Department at the World Bank; Saskia Sassen, professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, Centennial Visiting Professor at the University of London and one of the foremost theoreticians of the emerging information society in our increasingly globalized world; and Stephen J. Korbin, professor of multinational management at The Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and former director of The Joseph H. Lauder Institute of Management and International Studies.

"Globalization is the interdependency and interaction of economies, markets and societies on a worldwide basis," says Senchack. "We are interconnected in many more ways than we realize. My interest begins with the influence that our capitalistic society and consumerist culture have on the rest of the world. Moreover, a lot of people see the U.S. as the primary force behind globalization. For a balanced view, though, I want to look at both sides—the winners and losers, the good and the bad.

"I also chose not to make it a purely economics or business topic, even though that is my research interest. Globalization is too complex and multifaceted for such a narrow focus. It requires a multidisciplinary approach to the various social, political, and cultural aspects that are affecting everyone."

Much of his curiosity about the topic comes from his many summers of teaching international finance overseas. While serving as the James B. Goodson Professor of Business at the University of Texas, he also had the opportunity to be a visiting business professor in Finland, Brazil, New Zealand, Thailand, France and Mexico.

Senchack holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering and an M.B.A. from Texas Tech University. He performed graduate work in finance and investments at the Harvard Business School and received a Ph.D. in Finance from UCLA.

Before coming to Southwestern three years ago, he spent 25 years at UT, where he taught undergraduate and M.B.A. courses on security analysis, portfolio management and financial markets. He also developed and served as director of a one-year undergraduate curriculum called The Financial Analyst Program, which he brought with him to Southwestern. He is the recipient of numerous teaching excellence awards, including the Jack Taylor Award for outstanding undergraduate teaching at UT and the 1991 M.B.A. Teacher of the Year at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.

"I came to Southwestern because I wanted to spend more time teaching and interacting with undergraduates. I find younger students to be more curious, fun and open to trying new things. I want to be involved in developing students academically and socially. Here, I am able to get to know students much better. It's like having an extended family. At UT, I had very little contact with my students. I had them one semester in a classroom and then they were gone."

Senchack lives in Georgetown with his spouse, Ginny, a second-grade teacher at Annie Purl Elementary School. They have two daughters, Nicole, a junior at Austin College, and Lauren, a junior at Georgetown High School.