Law school symposium to explore how rural communities can survive in the modern economy


LAWRENCE — Scholars and professionals from across the nation will gather this week at the University of Kansas to discuss the economic challenges faced by rural communities and how to overcome them.

The University of Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy will host “Preventing the Ghost Town: What Rural Communities Need to Do to Survive in the Modern Economy” from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21, in the Stinson Leonard Street LLP Lecture Hall, 104 Green Hall. The symposium has reached capacity, and registration is now closed. Day-of registrations may be available as space allows.

“I hope that this conference sparks a much-needed dialogue in our state about where we go from here to make sure our rural communities not only survive to the next generation, but thrive,” said Amanda Marshall, symposium editor.

The conference will open with a global look at sustainability of the rural community, followed by a discussion of land use and sustainability. Panelists will explore issues rural communities face when attempting to maximize land usage, followed by a presentation on legal institutions for rural economic development. The symposium will conclude with a final panel discussion on governmental needs and challenges faced by the rural community.

Presenters will include:

  • Gary Green, professor of community and environmental sociology, University of Wisconsin
  • Professor John Nolon, Pace Law School
  • Professor K.K. DuVivier, University of Denver Sturm College of Law
  • Professor David Pierce, Washburn University School of Law
  • Wes Jackson, president, The Land Institute
  • Professor Stephen Miller, director of the Economic Development Clinic, University of Idaho College of Law-Boise
  • Sara Roberts, director of Rural Healthcare in Kansas
  • Patty Clark, Kansas director of USDA Rural Development
  • Donna Whiteman, Kansas Association of School Boards
  • Andrew Kovar, partner, Triplett, Woolf & Garretson

The symposium is funded by the Judge Nelson Timothy Stephens Lectureship Fund. Scholarship from the symposium will be published in a 2014 issue of the Kansas Journal of Law & Public Policy.

Seven hours of CLE credit will be offered in Kansas and Missouri for a $25 fee.

For more information and a complete agenda, visit the symposium website. For more information, contact Amanda Marshall by email.

Members of the media who wish to attend should contact Mindie Paget at mpaget@ku.edu in advance of the symposium.

Tue, 02/18/2014

author

Emily Sharp

Media Contacts

Mindie Paget

Office of Research

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