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Northern Kentucky Forum will host its second "public square" Nov. 12, from 6:45-8:45 p.m. at Northern Kentucky University’s Otto Budig Theater.
The free public event will focus on the presidential election and the challenges ahead for President-Elect Barack Obama.
"The Forum’s next Public Square Event is aimed at not only recognizing what happened in the 2008 presidential election, but also examining what it means for Northern Kentucky as we move forward with a new administration," said Blair Schroeder, chairman of the Forum’s advisory board.
"This event will allow residents to actively participate in the dialogue with a panel of speakers who are leaders and experts not just throughout the region but who are also well respected throughout the nation."
Also as part of the evening, a display from the Associated Press of historic photographs of American Presidents will be set up outside the theater.
The event will begin with reflections from journalist Steve Hurst. He is a widely traveled Associated Press foreign correspondent who returned to the United States last spring and is now based in Washington. Hurst has been providing extensive coverage of the 2008 campaign for AP’s international customers and readers. After his opening reflections, Hurst will take questions from the audience in an open dialogue format that will encourage exchange.
During the second portion for the evening, Hurst will join a panel that will include two elected offices (one from each party) and an economist. Panel participants include Hurst, Kentucky State Auditor Crit Luallen, Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson and NKU Professor Emeritus of Economics Dr. Martin Giesbrecht.
The panel will be moderated by Terry Grundy, director of community impact at United Way of Greater Cincinnati and adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati’s School of Planning.
The Northern Kentucky Forum is a new, joint initiative of NKU’s Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement, Legacy and Vision 2015. The Forum’s public square events are free gatherings open to NKU faculty, staff and students and to the community at large.
The events are designed to engage and inform audiences, often with innovative formats. The Forum’s first public square event, held in October, was a mock trial examining the public policy questions surrounding the teaching of evolution in high school classrooms.
"The Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement works to connect the campus and the community, and Northern Kentucky Forum events are part of that work," said Mark Neikirk, executive director of the Scripps Howard Center.
"The Forum’s events are free and open to the campus community, but also to all of Northern Kentucky, in order to encourage NKU and community interaction. Our partnering with Legacy and Vision 2015 to is designed to bridge campus and community."
While the Forum’s public square events are free, contributions are welcome and can be sent to: Northern Kentucky Forum c/o Scripps Howard Center for Civic Engagement, FH 536, Northern Kentucky University, Nunn Drive, Highland Heights, KY 41099.
