IPPSR began its September 2019 Public Policy Forum with the tragic remembrances of 9/11 and a call for all of Michigan to step forward and be counted in the 2020 population census.
Leaders from the Michigan Complete Count Committee, regional director for the U.S. Census Bureau, vice president of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek and a professor in Michigan State University's School of Planning, Design and Construction's Urban & Regional Planning Program each called for a complete count of the state's population in the 2020 Census.
Planning for the national census kicked off in spring 2018, and has moved to the current in-field address canvassing. Alaska opens the first counting tasks in January 2020, followed by household invitations to complete online census forms and household visits in April 2020. Followup to those who haven't yet responded starts in May. The complete count is to be delivered to President Donald Trump in December 2020 with redistricting files to be delivered to the states the following March, under the U.S. Census Bureau's timeline.
Registration is open for IPPSR's second fall Public Policy Forum set for Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019 at 11:30 a.m. in the Anderson House 
Office Building, 124 N. Allegan Ave. The House Office Building – or HOB – is across Capitol Avenue from the state Capitol.
There is no charge to attend the forum. A light lunch is provided on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration is online at http://bit.ly/IPPSRForum. All are welcome to attend.
September’s Public Policy Forum also outlined how census data may effect Michigan, challenges for data gathering in stressed communities and best practices for ensuring public participation and an accurate count, said AnnMarie Schneider, who leads IPPSR’s program and planning unit, including IPPSR Forums.
“The decennial census drives decision making on a number of important factors, including voting districts and allocation of federal resources to states. Citizen participation is critical,” she said.
September speakers included:
- Noah Durst, Ph.D., assistant professor in MSU’s Urban & Regional Planning Program. His research examines the intended and unintended effects of planning and policy-making on issues of social equity. See Professor Durst's presentation.
- Joe Scantlebury, J.D., vice president for program strategy, W.K. Kellogg Foundation. He leads strategic programming efforts to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families in the foundation’s priority locations, including Michigan.
- Marilyn A. Sanders, regional director for the U.S. Census Bureau, Chicago. The Chicago regional office is responsible for data collection on people and the economy for a geographic service area including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin. See Director Sanders' presentation.
- Kerry Ebersole Singh, Michigan Statewide Census Director, Office of the Governor. She's former CEO of Persuasion, LLC, public affairs firm and has more than 20 years of experience in national, state and local politics and government affairs. See Director Singh's presentation.
IPPSR’s popular Public Policy Forum series invites a broad audience of decision makers and community members to explore critical, policy-relevant issues discussed by state and regional leaders.
Future Public Policy Forums are scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2019.
Presentations and videos from past IPPSR Public Policy Forums are available on IPPSR’s website at http://bit.ly/2nImpSR.
As a unit of the College of Social Science, IPPSR is focused on public policy, political leadership and survey research. It administers the Michigan Political Leadership Program, the Michigan Applied Public Policy Research Program, the Office for Survey Research and State of the State Survey.
It is also known for its Michigan Policy Wonk Blog, State of the State Podcast, Michigan Policy Insiders Panel, Correlates of State Policy, Public Policy Fellowships and IPPSR Affiliated Faculty from across the MSU campus.
Watch for upcoming topics and 2020 IPPSR Forum dates on ippsr.msu.edu, #IPPSRForums on Twitter and IPPSR on Facebook.