WIPPS 2015 Spring News: WIPPS to host 20th Conference on the Small City and Regional Community

On October 6-7, WIPPS will co-host the 20th Conference on the Small City and Regional Community, along with the Center for the Small City at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Marathon County.

This year’s theme is, “Re-imagining Public Engagement: Civic Participation in Local Governance.” Presentations will show how citizens, community leaders and government officials interact to deal with the community’s physical and social planning.

The objective is to re-energize citizen and government interaction in positive and productive ways.

Featured speakers are Harry Boyte and David Holwerk. Boyte directs the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at Augsburg College, is a senior fellow at the Humphrey Institute and author of numerous books and articles on this topic. Holwerk is a former journalist and editorial page editor for the Lexington Herald-Leader, Duluth News Tribune and the Sacramento Bee. He now serves as director of communications and resident scholar at the Kettering Foundation in Ohio.

The Conference on the Small City and Regional Community, which began in 1978 at UW-Stevens Point, has focused on small cities, towns and rural areas with populations under 75,000. Larger communities have regularly participated in the conferences as well.

The conference brings together researchers, applied professionals, elected officials, community and business leaders, citizens, and students to discuss and learn about the developmental needs, prospects and problems affecting small cities, towns and rural areas.