Third Community Conversation on “Importance of Place” to be held in Huntingburg | Business

Dubois County residents are invited to attend the third and final 2012 Community Conversation on the importance of place on Nov. 14 in Huntingburg. The three-part series, called “The importance of place: Who we are, what we are and where we’re going,” has already included a session in Jasper and in Ferdinand. Attendance at the first and second conversations is not required for the third event.

The event will be held at the Huntingburg Event Center and include dinner. The cost is $25. Speakers representing the Home Town Competitiveness teams from Ferdinand and Jasper will present findings from their community research and report on initiatives already conducted. Attendees will also participate in breakout sessions to discuss ways to maximize Dubois County’s strengths and position it for the future.

During the first session, Michael Hicks, director of the Ball State University Center for Business and Economic Research, presented his findings from the Community Asset Inventory, an analysis of data for all Indiana counties. He highlighted factors such as education, health, government impact, economy, arts and entertainment, recreation and public amenities. In the second session, attendees heard from Amy Vaughan and Mike Harmless, two people instrumental in connecting the entire state to Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.

“In the first two sessions, we have been fortunate to hear from experts on asset-building and on community development. Now it’s time to hear from leaders within Dubois County and learn about their strategies for propelling this region forward,” said Dr. Alan Johnson, dean of Vincennes University Jasper Campus. “This is the final session, and it’s critical that we hear from everyone – whether you’ve come to all or none of the previous events. Together, we’ll create steps to move this county forward. But we need everyone’s help to visualize that plan and then to make it happen.”

The series is part of the Community Conversations program, organized and facilitated by Indiana Humanities and the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University. After an application period in early 2012, Dubois County was one of five communities in the state of Indiana to be selected for a Community Conversation. Vincennes University Jasper Campus led the application effort.

Session 3: Where do we go from here?

Wed., Nov. 14, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Dinner, Huntingburg Event Center, $25

This session will concentrate on what we have learned and how we can determine our future.

The Ferdinand and Jasper Home Town Competitiveness teams will discuss what they learned from research surveys they conducted to learn about their communities’ strengths and opportunities for improvement.

Reports from the discussion groups held at the first two Community Conversation sessions will be reviewed and some steps to move forward will be brought up.

Registration is available online at http://duboiscountycc3.eventbrite.com or by contacting Jim McFaul, VUJC, at 812.481.5909 or jmcfaul@vinu.edu.