The Miller College of Business invites the Ball State and Muncie communities to gather for a discussion on the current and future conditions of Muncie at the second annual dean's forum tonight.
Michael Hicks, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research and the event's moderator, said the forum is designed to bring in thinkers on important issues that affect the university and community.
This year's forum will discuss the current and future conditions of Muncie's "Quality of Place" and is expected to have 100 attendees.
"Quality of Place is an area of considerable importance to Muncie and the community," Hicks said. "Within the past three to four decades, Muncie has seen a significant loss of people and the future of the city depends on visions that differ from the past."
Hicks said Rajib Sanyal, dean of the Miller College of Business, wanted to provide a forum that would interest both academics and community members, ecouraging people to talk about issues that matter to the entire community.
"We might learn things [at the forum] that let us go back to study or take action," Hicks said.
There will be two featured panelists: Jud Fisher, president and CEO of the Ball Brothers Foundation, and Aaron Renn, consultant and writer for the blog Urbanophile, one of the most popular urban policy websites in the country, Renn said.
Hicks said it was an easy choice when deciding on who would be the panelists, as Fisher is active in the Quality of Place initiative and advocates for it across the state and Renn specializes in urban policy and has a background in strategic consulting.
Fisher and Renn will speak on issues of small town sustainability and will take questions from the audience about Muncie and the policies affecting its quality of place.
Renn, a Hoosier native, said he expects a thought-provoking discussion on Muncie and its possible future. He said the forum is a tremendous opportunity to really think about the big questions and issues of creating a future community.
It is easy to talk about cities like New York City or San Francisco, Renn said, but Muncie is an everyday American city.
"So how do we create a prosperous city for America that majority of Americans live in?" he said. "We need to have a plan."
The discussion is from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Alumni Center. Those who have not registered but wish to attend are welcomed.
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