KU News Release

LAWRENCE — Policymakers and industry leaders will offer ideas to advance the state economy at the 2009 Kansas Economic Policy Conference. The event will be held Oct. 22 at the Kansas Union on the University of Kansas’ Lawrence campus with a satellite location at Pioneer Communications in Ulysses.

Robert Litan, vice president for research and policy at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, will deliver the keynote address, titled “The U.S. Economy: Opportunities and Perils.” Litan researches entrepreneurship, regulation, financial institutions, telecommunications and general economic policy. He has written or co-authored more than 25 books, including “Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism, Economic Growth and Prosperity” (Yale University Press, 2007).

“I’m going to talk about immediate problems that will influence the pace of the recovery in the short run and also long-run fiscal challenges for the U.S. government,” said Litan. “Resolution of those challenges will determine our long-term economic fate. Even the best-managed state cannot withstand fallout from an economic recession, and all states benefit when the national economy is doing well. Kansans have a vital interest in the health of the national economy, because it’s very hard to swim upstream.”

The state-of-the-state panels will start by mapping the Kansas economy, with Rex Buchanan, deputy director of the Kansas Geological Survey, discussing the natural environment and Donna Ginther, professor of economics and director of the Center for Economic and Business Analysis at KU’s Institute for Policy and Social Research, looking at the human environment.

“I’m going to be discussing how the economy is growing in Kansas and how that is changing over time,” Ginther said. “We’ll be looking at where people are employed, where people are highly educated and how that’s changed in the last 50 years. We’re examining the economy geographically and seeing what the future holds in the state.”

Another morning panel concerning the financial state of the state will feature Duane Goossen, director of the budget for the state of Kansas, and William Keeton, assistant vice president and economist for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

In the afternoon, a panel will examine possibilities for future economic growth and innovation in key Kansas industries — agriculture, energy, bioscience, aviation and transportation:

Josh Svaty, acting secretary of the Kansas Department of Agriculture, will talk about the management of agriculture and it impact upon the state’s economy.

Alternative energy opportunities and their influence on agriculture will be addressed by Greg Krissek, director of government affairs for ICM Inc., a leader in the renewable fuels industry headquartered in Colwich.

David Vranicar, president of Heartland BioVentures, will discuss commercialization and investment programs in the Kansas Bioscience Authority and their sway on the economy. Bioscience is a growing business for Kansas and the KBA is a leading stakeholder in this sector. The KBA is tasked with expanding the state’s research capabilities, promoting innovation, and encouraging company formation to create high-paying jobs for the future.

Jim Walters, senior vice president for human resources with Cessna Aircraft Co., will speak to the future of aviation in Kansas and that industry’s contribution to the workforce.

Bob Honea, director of KU’s Transportation Research Institute, will follow with a look at policy priorities and opportunities in transportation.

All three panels will include a western Kansas perspective from business and community leaders at the satellite location in Ulysses. These panelists represent interests in agriculture, energy and banking.

The conference is presented by the Institute for Policy and Social Research at KU and co-sponsored by the Office of the Provost at KU, Pioneer Communications and the Grant County Chamber of Commerce.

To register and learn more about the agenda, speakers and locations, visit the conference Web site, or call (785) 864-3701.