Conference 2010 - April 12-14, Bloomington, MN
Building Bridges for Sustainable Communities
Social Capital in the Capitol City
Visit St. Paul, our Minnesota state capitol, and learn more about social capital, "the glue
that holds communities together". We’ll showcase the important role of leadership cohort
programs in building relationships with state legislators, community-building success stories
in a changing urban neighborhood, and the importance of this place in history. This tour will
give you a foundation in understanding social capital first-hand, from stories of those who are
doing it and making a difference in Minnesota.
Wine and History in a River City
See, hear, and enjoy historic Stillwater, Minnesota and its growing wine culture. See the city
of Stillwater on St Croix River, vibrant lumbering industry hub in the city's early days, now
a national historic downtown and national scenic riverway. Hear from local leaders and development
professionals about what it means to be labeled a "tourism" community, dealing with
issues including downtown vs. suburban strip mall development and historic preservation vs.
modern housing development, and the challenges of highway and bridge construction. All tour long,
enjoy this beautiful riverfront community, its historic downtown, and its locally produced wines.
Evaluation Bootcamp
Get your hands dirty at this practical workshop in which you develop an evaluation plan for one or
more programs that you can actually implement when you go home. This workshop will not merely
be an opportunity to learn "about" logic models. You will actually need to create or
revise a logic model for a specific program you offer or plan to offer. Based on your logic model,
we will identify the various evaluation research questions and the research design and data
collection strategies that best answer these questions. The workshop includes use of the TurningPoint
audience response system to test your knowledge, teach about uses of audience response systems, and have fun.
The workshop will be co-led by a team of University of Minnesota Extension evaluation staff, including Mary Marczak, Ph.D., evaluation specialist for the Center for Family Development, Ben Winchester, M.A., research and evaluation fellow for the Center for Community Vitality, and Scott Chazdon, Ph.D., evaluation and research coordinator for the Center for Community Vitality.