Preliminary Schedule 2021
SMALL CITIES CONFERENCE • THINKING REGIONALLY • MAY 13-15, 2021
L.A. PITTENGER STUDENT CENTER • BALL STATE UNIVERSITY • MUNCIE, IN
All sessions are subject to change. Join our mailing list to stay informed with schedule changes, lodging, and more.
AICP credits for select sessions are provided via the Indiana Chapter of the American Planning Association.
Thursday, May 13*
*Admission to Thursday’s session only is available at a reduced rate (cost includes reception)
4:00 PM – 4:15 PM | Introduction and Welcome
- Jim Connolly, Ball State University
- Susana Rivera Mills, Provost, Ball State University
4:15 PM – 5:45 PM | The Regional Implications of School Choice
Moderator: Whitney Bross, Butler University
School Choice and Student Mobility in Indiana
- Dagney Faulk, Ball State University
- Michael J. Hicks, Ball State University
What’s Unique About Rural Charter Schools?
- Michael R. Ford, University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh
Understanding the Impacts of School Choice on Student Achievement in Small Towns and Rural Areas
- R. Joseph Waddington, University of Kentucky
- Mark Berends, University of Notre Dame
Comment: Jennifer McCormick, Superintendent of Public Instruction, State of Indiana
5:45 PM – 6:30 PM | Reception
6:30 PM | Dinner on Your Own
- View local restaurants
Friday, May 14
7:30 AM – 8:15 AM | Breakfast
8:15 AM – 8:30 AM | Welcome and Introduction
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM | Patterns of Regional Divergence Since the Great Recession
Moderator: TBD
Economic Resilience: How Do U.S. Regions Transform Themselves After the Great Recession?
- Ping (Claire) Zheng, Indiana University
- Timothy F. Slaper, Indiana University
A Case of Regional and Metropolitan Variation? Compostition of Coresidential Households Before, During, and After the Great Recession
- Ellen Whitehead, Ball State University
- Melinda Messineo, Ball State University
The Rich Get Richer in Rural Innovation Economies: Revisiting the Digital Divide
- Jean Hardy, University of Michigan
10:00 AM – 10:15 AM | Break
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM | Concurrent Session I: Job Growth in Regional Contexts
Moderator: Srikant Devaraj, Ball State University
Factors Influencing Perceptions of Local Job Opportunity: Evidence from a Statewide Survey
- Charles Taylor, Ball State University
Employment Gap Analysis in Tourist-Driven Rural Economies: A Case Study
- Lantz McGinnis-Brown, Boise State University
- McAllister Hall, Boise State University
- Vanessa Crossgrove Fry, Boise State University
Higher Education and Workforce Development: Preparing the Next Generation of Public Sector Leaders
- Mackenzie Moss, Boise State University
- D’Andre Mathews, Boise State University
- Vanessa Crossgrove Fry, Boise State University
Concurrent Session II: Sustaining and Reviving Communities (1 CM*)
*AICP credits for these sessions are provided via the Indiana Chapter of the American Planning Association.
Moderator: Scott Truex, Ball State University
Excavated Memories: How the Past Impacts the Present in Bessemer, Alabama
- William Holt, Birmingham-Southern College
Parks and Recreation for Resilient Communities
- Amy L. Gregg, Ball State University
The Community Framework for Projects: Supporting Community Development through a Conceptual Holistic Model
- L. Eduardo Orozco, Ball State University
11:45 AM – Noon | Break
Noon – 1:45 PM | Lunch and Keynote
Keynote Speaker: Aaron M. Renn, urban analyst, consultant, speaker and writer
1:45 PM – 2:00 PM | Break
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM | The Power of Place: Community-Centered Revitalization Strategies (1 CM)
Moderator: John West, Ball State University
Place-Based Programs: Missing the Target
- Alexandria Zhang, The Pew Charitable Trusts
Using Community Owned Enterprises to Deliver Essential Services
- Norman Walzer, Northern Illinois University
Renovating Small-Town Central Business Districts: The Impact of Main Street Revitalization on Local Job Growth
- Andrew J. Van Leuven, The Ohio State University
3:30 PM – 3:45 PM | Break
3:45 PM – 5:30 PM | Refining Redevelopment: Tools and Methods (1 CM)
Moderator: Dagney Faulk, Ball State University
RIMS II and Regional Impact Studies
- Tom McComb, U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Using the Delaunay Triangulation/Analysis as a Supplemental Input Map for Identifying and Ranking Place-Making Regions
- Colby Gray, Ball State University
Community Wealth Framework
- Emily J. Wornell, Ball State University
Creating Innovative Small Cities: Conception and Application
- Gregory P. Pogue, The University of Texas at Austin
- Jonathan Alba, The University of Texas at Austin
- Arthur B. Markman, The University of Texas at Austin
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM | Break
6:30 PM | Dinner at Downtown Restaurants
- View downtown restaurants
Saturday, May 15
8:00 AM – 8:30 AM | Breakfast
8:30 AM -10:00 AM | Micropolitan Development Strategies
Moderator: Emily J. Wornell, Ball State University
Can Micropolitan Areas Continue to Be Regional Trade Centers?
- J. Matthew Fannin, Louisiana State University
- Craig Carpenter, Texas A&M University and Michigan State University
Minority Self-employment and Growth in Rural and Micropolitan America
- Kelsey Conley, University of Idaho
- Paul Lewin, University of Idaho
10:15 AM – 11:45 AM | Quality of Life and Governance (1 CM*)
*AICP credits for these sessions are provided via the Indiana Chapter of the American Planning Association.
Moderator: Jim Connolly, Ball State University
Regional Growth and Quality of Life: The Micropolitan Experience
- Amanda Weinstein, University of Akron
Does the Quality of Life Mitigate the Effects of Labor Demand Shocks?
- Michael J. Hicks, Ball State University
Rural Regional Intergovernmental Organizations: Regionalism without Metropolitanism
- Jay Rickabaugh, Appalachian State University
Noon – 1:00 PM | Lunch and What’s Next
Moderator: Michael J. Hicks, Ball State University
1:00 PM | Conference Concludes
1:30 PM | Shuttle to Indianapolis airport (IND) departs the conference site
All sessions are subject to change. Join our mailing list to stay informed with schedule changes, lodging, and more.