The Center for the Small City at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (UWSP) will hold a panel on the concern for economic and social development on campus on Wednesday, April 23.

Open to the public free of charge, the panel, "Holes in the American Safety Net: Economic vs. Social Development," will be held at 7 p.m. in Room 116 of the College of Professional Studies.

Moderated by Bob Wolensky, UWSP professor of sociology and co-director of the Center for the Small City, the panel will include both campus and community experts who will address various aspects of the present-day dilemma involving the economic and social realms, including Jason Davis, UWSP associate professor of economics; Edward Miller, UWSP professor of political science and co-director for the Center for the Small City; Ray Nass, former president of Appollo Corporation in Somerset and Joerns Health Care in Stevens Point; Karl Pnazek, chief executive officer of CAP Services in Stevens Point; and Robert Williams, owner of Ideas Associates in Stevens Point.

The purpose of the panel is to address contemporary problems associated with the concern for economic development (wealth enhancement, job creation, GDP growth etc.), as well as the need for social development (health, welfare, housing, and other aspects related to the quality of social life), says Wolensky.

Some of the questions asked the panel will include: Can American society achieve the desired economic growth while maintaining a high quality social foundation in the face of current realities such as globalization? Can the so-called "safety net" of social programs be maintained, or will "holes" continue to emerge? Must economic growth come at the expense of public health and welfare? Is there an optimum balance between the economic and the social?

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