President's Pledge Against Global Poverty

A core group of university leaders have organized themselves in a new initiative to address one of the world's most difficult issues:

Today, 28 current and former college leaders will publicly come forward as charter members of the Presidents' Pledge Against Global Poverty. (The site is scheduled to go live at 8 a.m.) In so doing, they commit to join Reverend Svennungsen by donating 5 percent of their total compensation this year to charities that fight global poverty.

The list includes presidents from liberal-arts colleges, religiously affiliated institutions, and a few research universities.

Despite the many and obvious opportunities such a public stance should engender, one reason global poverty is such a difficult issue is the present philosophical stance toward wealth that pervades most of the developed world. Instead of a moral imperative to help the world's poor, there is a greater impetus to protect the wealthy. Austerity is the operative term of many political leaders, its punitive aspects upon the most vulnerable in society notwithstanding.

Kudos to these leaders for attaching their names and institutions to the fight against global poverty - where winning takes the form of evening up the odds just a little, odds faced daily by millions of people desperate for basic necessities. A complete list of participants and more details at the link.