Ohio University to Host Conference on Public Dialogue

Contact: Anne Keyser, External & Alumni Relations Coordinator, College of Communication, 740-593-0030 or keysera@ohio.edu Note to editors: The International Association for Public Participation Conference will begin at noon Thursday, Feb. 22, in the Baker University Center Ballroom. After the keynote address, sessions will be conducted from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. in Baker Center. Friday's schedule will include discussions in Galbreath Chapel from 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. and lunch from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Baker Center Ballroom.

ATHENS, Ohio (February 16, 2001) -- Ohio University will host Ohio's first International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) conference Thursday and Friday, Feb. 22-23.

The conference, "Shaping Solutions through Public Participation," will involve a discussion of how communities, businesses and organizations can work together to cooperatively solve problems and build public support for their initiatives.

The conference will bring together public participation practitioners, government officials, company managers, community relations specialists, citizens and others to discuss how collaborative communication is being used to deal with environmental, social and land-use issues.

The event will open with a welcome luncheon and keynote address on community dialogue by Randa Slim, associate at the Kettering Foundation in Dayton, Ohio, at noon Thursday, Feb. 22, in the Baker University Center Ballroom.

"Citizens want a voice in the decisions that affect their lives," said Bojinka Bishop, Sloan Professor of Public Relations at the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism and one of the main coordinators of the event. "Public participation, when practiced honestly and professionally, can build bridges and bring communities together.

"Some call it consensus building, some call it informed consent, some call it public dialogue, but the underlying principal is that public participation processes are mutual problem-solving processes that can help bring communities together more than tear them apart," said Bishop, a member of the IAP2 Board of Directors.

Other speakers include James E. Grunig, a University of Maryland professor, speaking on collaborative communication; Chris Kloth, a senior partner with ChangeWorks of the Heartland, facilitating a diversity session; and Dave Patton, program leader for public issues at Ohio State University, presenting his work on land-use conflicts.

Speakers from Ohio University include Stephen Howard, African Studies Program director, who will speak on participation in development; Michele Morrone, assistant professor of health sciences, who will discuss a large-scale participation project on environmental issues; and Karl Runser, research associate at the Institute for Local Government and Rural Development, who will lead a session on community involvement in welfare reform.

The conference is sponsored by the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, the Institute for Local Government and Rural Development, the African Studies Program, the Department of Health Sciences and the Great Lakes/Great Plains Chapter of the IAP2. It is endorsed by Ohio University's Political Communications Program, the Council on Public Deliberation and the Athens Area Mediation Service. Many of these organizations already are incorporating public participation and community involvement into their daily work.

IAP2 was formed in 1990 to promote the professional practice of public participation by governments, companies, organizations and communities when dealing with issues that concern and affect the public. The ultimate goal is to show how open lines of communication can be used to determine what actions are fair and acceptable to everyone involved.