The ‘Crisis in Syria’ will be discussed tonight at 5 p.m. in the Russell Union, room 2048, by a panel of Georgia Southern University faculty.

The panelists will provide their own opinions of the Syrian issue and answer questions from the audience.

“We want this to be a public forum, so you can have experts on the stage telling you their assessment of what is going on in Syria,” Jeffery Palis, Ph.D. and associate director of the Center of International Studies, said.

Jacek Lubecki, Ph.D., assistant vice president of the Center of International Studies, who teaches courses in terrorism and has a background in international studies and international relations, is the panel moderator.

The Center of International Studies will provide two other panelists.

Darin Van Tassell, Ph.D., a professor who teaches courses in international studies and global issues on foreign policy, and Glynn Ellis, Ph.D., another professor with a background in international security affairs and service in the military.

The three other panelists will come from the Department of Political Science, Department of History and the Department of Foreign Languages respectively.

Barry Balleck, Ph.D., director of the Model UN Program, teaches courses in international relations and international terrorism, Ahmet Akturk, Ph.D., is a Middle Eastern historian, and Youssef Salhi is a professor of Arabic language and culture from Morocco.

“Our role is to serve our campus and our community in and make sure that international issues, international students, international programs all have a center and all have a voice, and an advocate,” Palis said. “So it is our job, if there is an international issue going on, to inform and to involve the campus community in the discussion about that issue.”

Palis said, “You can turn on the computer and watch talking heads yell at each other or we can come to campus and hear our professors discuss it and you participate yourself by asking questions.”