The 20th
Conference on the Small City
and Regional
Community
Theme: “Re-imagining Public Engagement:
Civic Participation in Local Governance”
TUESDAY,
October 6, 2015 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
WELCOME TO THE UNIVERSITY OF
WISCONSIN-MARATHON COUNTY:
Keith Montgomery, UW-Marathon
County Dean
Christopher Cirmo, UW-Stevens
Point, Dean, College of Letters and Science
Session 1 Harry Boyte, University of Minnesota, Humphrey School of
Public Affairs; and Senior Fellow and Head of the Center for Democracy and
Citizenship, Augsburg College
Keynote address: “Small Cities: Centers of a Democratic
Renaissance”
Introduced by: Eric Giordano,
Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, Executive Director (WIPPS)
WEDNESDAY,
October 7, 2015
TIME BLOCK I 8:30 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Session
2 Place and Civic Engagement
Moderator:
Gavin
Luter, Wisconsin Campus Compact,
Executive Firector
Panelists:
Jim O’Connell, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Arts
Management - “The Role of the Gathering Places in Civic Vitality: A First Look”
Chuck Law, University of
Wisconsin-Extension, Local Government Center -“Maintaining the Infrastructure
of Wisconsin’s Downtowns through Business Improvement Districts”
Nathan Sandwich,
University of Wisconsin-Extension. Community
Development Educator. “Community Vitality and Place-making Ideas”
Session 3 Marathon County’s Public Engagement Model (Panel Discussion)
Moderator
and Organizer:
Deb
Hager,
Marathon County, Deputy Administrator -
“Increasing
Community Understanding of Hot Button Issues:
Marathon
County’s Public Engagement Model”
Panelists:
Eric
Giordano,
WIPPS Executive Director
Andy Johnson, Marathon
County Conservation, Planning and Zoning, Environmental Resources Coordinator
Kurt Gibbs, Marathon County Board Chair
Session 4 Social Media and Civil Engagement
Presenter:
Eva
Donohoo,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Assistant to the Dean for Communication,
College of Professional Studies –
“Be
Social. Be Civic. Be Engaged.”
Panelists:
Andy
Pederson,
Village of Bayside, Village Manager
Zach
Vruwink,
Mayor of Wisconsin Rapids
Session 5 Developing and Sustaining Civil Engagement (Panel Discussion)
Organizer:
Bill
Rizzo,
University of Wisconsin-Extension, Local Government Center Specialist
Panelists:
Angie Allen, University of
Wisconsin-Extension Community, Natural Resources, and Economic Development
Educator, Milwaukee County
Mike Huggins, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Honors Program; former Eau Claire City Manager
Pat Malone, University of Wisconsin-Extension
Community, Natural Resources and Economic Development Educator, Trempealeau
County
Bill
Rizzo, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Local Government Center
Specialist
TIME
BLOCK II 10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Session 6 Needs Analysis and Planning
Moderator: Krishna Roka, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Department of Sociology and Social Work
Panelists:
Coleman
Peiffer, North
Central Regional Planning Commission, Senior
Planner -
“Regional
Livability Plan”
Jim
Resick,
University of Wisconsin-Extension, Outagamie County -
“When
Strategic Planning and Civic Engagement Meet: The Little Chute, Wisconsin
Experience”
Bill
Rizzo,
University of Wisconsin-Extension, Local Government Center Specialist -
“Effective
Public Engagement Planning”
Ismaila
Odogba,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Department of Geography
& Geology - “Planning and Public Interest in a Developing Country”
Session 7 Plenary Panel Discussion: Public
Problem Solving in Local Communities
Moderator
and Organizer:
Mike Huggins, University of
Wisconsin-Eau Claire Honors Program, former Eau Claire City Manager
Panelists:
Bill
Rizzo, University
of Wisconsin-Extension, Local Government Center Specialist -
“Politics vs. Governance”
Eric Giordano, WIPPS Executive Director
Session 8 Youth and Involvement in Governing and
Community Issues
Moderator: Gavin Luter, Wisconsin Campus
Compact, Executive Director
Panelists:
Embree
Marlow,
University of Wisconsin-Marathon County, Department of Education &
Psychology -“Bridging the Gap between
Liberals and Conservatives”
Tiffany Becker, University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point, Political Science (Senior) -
“An Investigation of Young Adults’ Motivations for
Political Engagement”
Ogunnalke Oluyomi-Lafe, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, School of Education -
“Pre-Service Teachers Make a Difference in Lives of
Children and Adults in a Small City, One Community Agency at a Time”
Edward
Miller,
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Department of Geography & Urban Planning -“Reflections on Student Community Engagement
at UW-O”
Session 9 Cultural Engagement for Community
Development (Panel Discussion)
Moderator:
Sean
Wright,
Performing Arts Foundation Director, Grand Theater Executive Director, Wausau
Panelists:
Patty
Dreier,
Arts Alliance of Portage County Executive
Ken
Juon,
ArtStart of Rhinelander, Board of Directors President
Anne
Katz, Arts
Wisconsin Executive Director
LUNCH 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
TIME BLOCK III 12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Session 10 Plenary Session Panel Discussion
“Overcoming the
Citizen-Government Gap – New Strategies for Successful Communities and a
Successful Democracy”
Moderator:
Eric
Giordano, WIPPS
Executive Director
Panelists:
Harry
Boyte, University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public
Affairs, Senior Fellow and Head of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at
Augsburg College
David
Holwerk, Kettering Foundation, Director of Communications
John Dickert, Mayor of Racine
TIME
BLOCK IV 1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Session 11 Brownfields
Redevelopment – Opportunity for Public Engagement
(Panel Discussion)
Moderator
and Organizer:
Michael Prager, State of Wisconsin, Department
of Natural Resources, Land Recycling Team Leader
Panelist: Michael
Ostrowski, CEcD, City of Stevens Point, Director of Community
Development/Redevelopment Authority
Session 12 Policy Issues in Small Cities
Moderator:
Robert Enright, University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point, Department of Sociology &
Social Work
Panelists:
Sue
Bailey,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Department of Sociology &
Social Work - “Community Health Assessment: A Team Approach”
Karl Green, University of Wisconsin Extension-La
Crosse -
“Challenging Trends in Housing in La
Crosse”
Robin Wiessinger
Jones,
State of Wisconsin Historical Society, Pendarvis -“Special Needs Citizens” interpreter
Krishna
Roka,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Department of Sociology &
Social Work -“Social and Environmental Impacts of Urbanization in the Himalayas: A
Case Study of Small Cities Growth in Nepal”
Session 13. Gopoco
and Community Building for Alternative Transportation Methods (Panel Discussion): Focus on
panelists’ expertise in topic area, efforts to build community interest, future
direction
Moderator
and Organizer:
David
Barbier,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Panelists:
Tom Wetter, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, School of Health Promotion and Human Development,
Assistant Professor
Marlene Pohl, Stevens Point
Transit Travel Trainer
Sarah O’Donnell, Stevens Point
Area Public School District, Administrative & Public Relations Coordinator
TIME
BLOCK V 3:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.
Session 14. Governing
and Governance
Moderator:
Edward J. Miller, University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point, Department of Political Science and Center for the Small City
Panelists:
Dan Hill, University of Wisconsin-Extension,
Local Government Center -
“Public Engagement and the Open
Meetings Law”
David
Chunyu,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Department of Sociology & Social Work;
and co-author Prof. Yue Dong, Ocean University of China -
“Democracy
Cashed In: A Case Study of Corruption in Village-Level Elections in Rural China”
Karl Nollenberger, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh,
Public Administration -
“Municipal Government Structure in Wisconsin – Does
Form Matter?”
Luke Fuzard founder, New Leadership Council - “Growing Civic Participation in Wisconsin”
Session 15. Researching by Design: Connecting Students
to a Local Community (Panel
Discussion)
Moderator:
Robert
P. Wolensky, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point Sociology and Social Work, and Center for the Small
City
Panelists:
Neil Prendergast, University of Wisconsin-Stevens
Point, Department of History -
“Why the History of a Road Matters”
Tori Jennings, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Anthropology, and
Maysee Yang Herr,
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, School of Education -
“Hmong Bike/Ped
Mapping Project”
Dave Barbier, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Campus Sustainability Coordinator -
“Division
Street Student Research Initiative: Integrating Sustainable Infrastructure”
Nathan Sandwick, UW-Extension,
Portage County, Community Development Educator -
“Division Street Student Research
Initiative: Engaging Communities in Sustainable Redevelopment”
Aaron Kadoch, University of
Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Division of Interior Architecture -“Division Street
Student Research Initiative: Community-Based Design”
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