As students approach graduation during a recession and a shortage of jobs, economists, policy experts and political leaders will gather at the University of Central Florida to discuss the opportunities and challenges that the economy presents for them.

UCF’s Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government will host a symposium, titled “New Generation. New Economy. New Opportunities?,” from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12. The discussion will focus not only on the challenges Generation Y, or Millennials, will face, but also the unique opportunities they may find in the changing economy.

The event, which will be held in the Pegasus Ballroom of the UCF Student Union, is free and open to the public. The symposium will also be webcast on the Lou Frey Institute’s Web site, http://www.loufrey.org.

Anya Kamenetz, the author of "Generation Debt," a staff writer for Fast Company magazine and a Yahoo! Finance expert, will open the symposium at 9:30 a.m. with her presentation, "The Economy and Millenials: What Do We Do Now?"

Morley Winograd and Michael D. Hais, co-authors of “Millennial Makeover: MySpace, YouTube and the Future,” will give the keynote address at 11:30 a.m.

U.S. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, a Democrat from Central Florida, will discuss the current Florida economy and its impact on college students throughout the state. Her presentation, “The Economy, Higher Education and the New Generation: Views from Washington,” is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Other speakers include Maya Enista, chief executive officer for www.mobilize.org, an organization working to energize Millennials to be more actively engaged with their government and politics; and Stan Geberer, an economist from Fishkind and Associates, an economic and financial consulting firm in Orlando.

The Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government is a nonpartisan organization housed in the UCF Department of Political Science. The institute promotes civic education and engagement, particularly among young people. Institute programs encourage informed discussion of issues from diverse viewpoints, stimulate participation in the political process and support research on politics and policy.

Lou Frey, the founder of UCF’s Lou Frey Institute of Politics and Government, represented Central Florida in Congress from 1969 to 1979. Frey was recently honored with the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress’ 2009 Distinguished Service Award for his efforts to improve civics education and encourage young people to be more actively involved in their government.

The symposium’s sponsors include the UCF Political Science Department; Industrial Enterprises of America; the UCF Foundation; UCF Global Perspectives Office; and the law firm of Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor and Reed.

For more information and a schedule of symposium presenters, visit http://www.loufrey.org.