Vine Neighborhood Association director to speak on campus
Jan. 15, 2003
KALAMAZOO -- The director of one of Kalamazoo's most successful neighborhood associations will be on the Western Michigan University campus Tuesday, Jan. 21, to discuss how a community organization effectively works with city government.
Speaking at 11 a.m. in Room 3512 of Knauss Hall, Suzie Suchyta, executive director of the Vine Neighborhood Association, will discuss "The Vine Neighborhood Association and its Role in Kalamazoo's Urban Politics."
"Our goals are very much the same as the city of Kalamazoo," says Suchyta. "We exist to improve the quality of life in the Vine neighborhood, which includes everything from organizing neighborhood watch programs to providing information to our residents about home rehabilitation government incentive programs."
The lecture is part of the Urban Politics Guest Speaker Series, sponsored by WMU's Institute of Government and Politics and the Department of Political Science. Other speakers in the series and their topics include:
"Downtown Development in Kalamazoo," Kenneth Nacci, president of Downtown Kalamazoo Inc., Thursday, Jan. 23;
"The Commission-Manager Form of City Government," Sean McCann, Kalamazoo city commissioner, Thursday, Jan. 30; and
"Preserving Historic Buildings: A Race Against Time," Pamela O'Connor, chairperson of the Kalamazoo Historic Preservation Commission, Tuesday, Feb. 4;.
All lectures in the series begin at 11a.m. in Room 3512 of Knauss Hall and are free and open to the public.
Media contact: Matt Gerard, 269 387-8400, matthew.gerard@wmich.edu