COSPRA Meetings & Events

Northern Region Meeting Sept. 17, 2:30-4:00p.m.
Open to all COSPRA Members (location TBD)

Leading this workshop for us will be Martin Carcasson, director of the CSU Center for Public Deliberation (before I go any further - a big 'thank you' to Ellen Laubhan for getting me connected with Martin). For those of you not familiar with the Center for Public Deliberation, here's a brief from its website:

The Center for Public Deliberation (CPD) was founded in August of 2006 within the Speech Communication Department at Colorado State University, and serves as an affiliate of the National Issues Forum (NIF) network.

The CPD is non-partisan. Working from a communication perspective, CPD staff and students focus on the process of deliberation, not necessarily its product. Deliberation requires safe places for citizens to come together, good and fair information to help structure the conversation, and skilled facilitators to guide the process. The Center is dedicated to providing these three key ingredients to Northern Colorado.

The CPD has three broad goals:

 - Enhance the Local Civic Culture

 - Expand Collaborative Decision-Making

 - Improve Civic Pedagogy

 
The director of the CPD is Martin Carcasson, assistant professor in the CSU Department of Speech Communication. He is assisted by an advisory board consisting of community leaders, including representatives from the City of Fort Collins, Poudre School District, the Coloradoan, and various campus institutions such as the Student Leadership and Civic Engagement office and the Colorado Institute of Public Policy. The primary work of the CPD is completed by a core group of especially selected CSU undergraduates who commit to serve as "Student Associates" for two semesters, during which they receive class credit.