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Contact: Marvin Hunt, KU Continuing Education, 785-864-7857.

Bridging rural, urban divide in Kansas is focus of economic policy conference at KU

LAWRENCE - Business people, researchers, and others who follow the Kansas economy will convene on the University of Kansas campus Oct. 19 for the 2001 Kansas Economic Policy Conference.

This conference continues the former Economic Outlook Conference into its 25th year. Interested persons may register via the Web at www.kuce.org/app/kepc.

At this year's conference, "Economic Development in the Two States of Kansas: Bridging the Rural/Urban Divide," participants and presenters will focus on the major shifts that have occurred in Kansas during the past 50 years. A half-century ago, 60 percent of Kansans lived in nonmetropolitan areas and farming contributed $1 of every $4 earned. Now only 40 percent of Kansans live in nonmetropolitan areas and the service economy dominates, generating $1 of every $4 earned, while agriculture produces less than $1 of every $20.

The conference will explore strategies to promote prosperity in both urban and rural areas and to establish and reestablish urban-rural linkages.

The keynote speaker will be Marianne K. Clarke, research director for the State Science and Technology Institute. Mark R. Drabenstott, vice president and director of the Center for the Study of Rural America, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, will give the luncheon address.

Other presenters are:
 •David Burress, research economist with the Center for Economic and Business Analysis, Policy Research Institute, KU;
 •Charles Ranson, president, Kansas, Inc.;
 •Charles Krider, KU professor of business and co-director, Kansas Center for Community Economic Development;
 •Larry McCants, president, First National Bank, Goodland;
 •Mike Germann, director of public relations and governmental affairs, Boeing Commercial Airplane Group, Wichita;
 •Susan Catts, Intellectual Property Management Group, Overland Park;
 •John Voeller, senior vice president, CKO, and CTO, Black & Veatch, Kansas City, Mo.;
 •Kent Glasscock, Kansas speaker of the house from Manhattan and Republican candidate for Kansas governor; and
 •Joshua Rosenbloom, KU professor of economics and director, Center for Economic and Business Analysis, Policy Research Institute.

Topics will include crisis in the rural economy, aerospace and aviation at risk, work force readiness, communications infrastructure planning, and problems of inadequate economic development funding.

The conference is sponsored by the Policy Research Institute at the University of Kansas and KU Continuing Education.