Events & Activities - Forums & Lectures
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2012
Upcoming Events
Balancing the FY13 budget: Has the crisis passed?
The Research Bureau is proud to host its annual budget forum, on the state of public finances at the state and local level. The event will be held at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, 25 Foster St., on March 7, 7:45 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. The event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required (508-799-7169 or email). For more information, click here.
2012 Thomas S. Green Awards
The Research Bureau is proud to announce that the 2012 Thomas S. Green award winners have been selected. The awards ceremony will take place at Assumption College in Worcester on Thursday, March 15, 2012 at 5 p.m. It is free and open to the public. A reception in honor of the recipients will follow. Please RSVP to 508-799-7169 or via email.
2011
- Video available
Healthcare Reform: Is it healing Massachusetts and the nation? (October 24, 2011)
- Presentation available
- Video available
Edward Glaeser, Triumph of the City (September 22, 2011)
- Video available
26th Annual Meeting (May 31, 2011)
- Presentation by JP Aubry, Research Associate, Center for Retirement Research at Boston College
- Presentation by Jim DelSignore, City Auditor, City of Worcester
- Video available
Public Employee Pensions: Is the Current System Sustainable? (May 11, 2011)
- Video available
Superman or Supersystems?: Panel discussion on the 2011 documentary on public education reform "Waiting for Superman." (April 13, 2011)
- Video available
- Presentation by Michael O'Brien, City Manager, City of Worcester
Cutting State and Local Budgets: How sharp are the scissors? (March 3, 2011)
2010
Howard Husock, Manhattan Institute, "Top Ideas for Revitalizing Cities" (Feb 25, 2010)
Video available
Edward Glaeser, Harvard University, "Investing in Urban Resurgence: Transportation
and Infrastructure" (April 28, 2010) Video available
Alan Ehrenhalt, Pew Center on the States, "Demographic Transformation of American Cities" (May 18, 2010) Video available
Sandra Stotsky, University of Arkansas, "Teacher Quality as a Civil Rights Issue"
(Oct 27, 2010) Video available
Jason Riley, Wall Street Journal, "How Immigrants Impact Cities" (Dec 7, 2010)
Video available
2009
Municipal Budgets in Limbo: How Low Can They Go? (Mar. 11, 2009)
- Presentation by Dan Morgado, Town of Shrewsbury
- Presentation by the Executive Office of Administration and Finance
Getting from Here to There: The Central Mass Transportation Network (Apr. 27, 2009)
Closing the Achievement Gap in Public Education: The Last Civil Rights Issue (May 14, 2009)
- Remarks by Christopher Anderson, Massachusetts High Technology Council
- Presentation by Sandra Stotsky, Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education
Diagnosing Health Care Reform: What's the Right Prescription for You? (Oct. 26, 2009)
Worcester's Business Climate: Hot or Cold? (Dec. 11, 2009)
- Presentation by Tim McGourthy, Director of Economic Development, City of Worcester
- Presentation by Christopher Steele, CWS Consulting Group
- Video available
2008
Worcester's Next Superintendent of Schools: Addressing the Challenges (Apr. 10, 2008)
Balancing the FY09 Budget: Rolling the dice with your tax dollars (Mar. 13, 2008)
The Housing Crisis in Massachusetts: Keeping the Roof from Caving In (Nov. 13, 2008)
What's Up With Downtown Worcester?: Prospects For Revitalization (Dec. 12, 2008)
2007
300 Million Americans & Counting: Implications of Demographic Changes for Central Mass (Feb. 16, 2007)
Making Sense of State and Local Tax Dollars in FY08 (Mar. 15, 2007)
The Impact of Globalization on Manufacturing in Central Massachusetts (Apr. 25, 2007)
School Autonomy: Can it improve student achievement? (Oct. 26, 2007)
Life Sciences in the Worcester Community: A Vision for the Future? (Dec. 11, 2007)
2006
State and Local Spending in FY07: Diagnosing Our Fiscal Health (Mar. 3, 2006)
Government Regulation & Housing Prices: What's the Connection? (Mar. 29, 2006)
The Education Gender Gap: Why are boys not making the grade? (May 19, 2006)
Commuter Rail: Is Worcester on the Right Track? (Nov. 2, 2006)
Measuring Up: The Cost of Doing Business in Massachusetts (Dec. 12, 2006)
2005
Making Sense of Public Spending: Do We Owe Our Citizens Change? (Mar. 3, 2005)
Getting Around Central Massachusetts: A Transportation Update (Mar. 23, 2005)
The Next Chapter in Education Reform: A Community Campaign for Proficiency (May 5, 2005)
Worcester Regional Airport: The Region's Ticket to Takeoff? (Dec. 8, 2005)
2004
Making Central Massachusetts More Competitive: A Report of the Governor's Regional Competitiveness Council (Feb. 2, 2004)
The State of the City's Finances: How will Worcester balance its budget in FY05? (Feb. 27, 2004)
Worcester as a Bedroom Community: Will it mean curtains for Economic Development? (April 23, 2004)
The New Urban High School: A Report Card (May 12, 2004)
Supporting Growth and Competitiveness: Opportunities for Central Massachusetts (Oct. 28, 2004)
Solving the Housing Crisis: A New Approach (Nov. 17, 2004)
Regional Economies and Urban Entrepreneurs in Massachusetts (Dec. 7, 2004)
2003
Charter Schools: Their Future in Massachusetts (Feb. 26, 2004)
State of the City's Finances (Mar. 20, 2003)
Can We Solve the Housing Crisis in Massachusetts? (Apr. 22, 2003)
The Life Sciences Cluster: Opportunities and Challenges for Central Mass (Nov. 18, 2003)
Transforming Labor/Management Relations in Public Education (Dec. 1, 2003)
2002
State of the City's Finances (Feb. 28, 2002)
Downtown Living: Worcester's Newest Neighborhood (Mar. 21, 2002)
Colleges & Workforce Development (Apr. 23, 2002)
Worcester Regional Airport: Will It Take Off? (Sept. 19, 2002)
English Language Immersion or Bilingual Education: A Debate on Ballot Question #2 (Oct. 29, 2002)
Main Street Worcester: Should it be our main street? (Dec. 11, 2002)
2001
State of the City's Finances (Feb. 27, 2001)
The Status of Worcester's Transportation Projects (Mar. 28, 2001)
Community Preservation Act: What is it and should we adopt it? (May 17, 2001)
Promoting Regional Economic Development (Sept. 20, 2001)
Round Four: Understanding and Interpreting Results of Statewide Testing (MCAS) (Oct. 19, 2001)
Health Insurance – Costs and Benefits (Nov. 16, 2001)
Immigrants and America: Before and After September 11th – Tamar Jacoby, Senior Fellow, Manhattan Institute (Dec. 10, 2001)
Transporting the Worcester Area into the 21st Century
2000
Promoting Regional Economic Development
The Case for Expanding or Relocating Your Business in Worcester
Revitalizing Worcester's Neighborhoods: Distressed Properties
Revitalizing Worcester's Neighborhoods: Community Development Corporations
Revitalizing Worcester's Neighborhoods: The Business Associations
Revitalizing Worcester's Neighborhoods: The Neighborhood Associations
Round Four: Understanding and Interpreting Results of Statewide Testing (MCAS)
What do we expect of our high school graduates and what are we doing about it?
Round Three: Understanding and Interpreting Results of Statewide Testing (MCAS)
Worcester's Financial Outlook: FY01 and Beyond
1999
Community Revitalization from the Grassroots Up, Robert Woodson, President of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprise
Information Technology: A New Industry Cluster for the Worcester Area?
Can the Worcester Area Become a Medical Capital?
Living in Downtown Worcester
New England's Other College Town
Round Two: Understanding and Interpreting Results of Statewide Testing
Worcester's Financial Outlook: FY00 and Beyond
1998
The Wealth of Cities, Mayor John Norquist, Milwaukee
Selling Worcester
Redeveloping Union Station and its Environs
Brownfields: Reclaiming our Urban Land
Trains, Planes, and Automobiles: Destination Central Mass€€
Round One: Understanding and Interpreting Results of Statewide Testing
Education Reform: The Impact of Statewide Testing, Paul Cellucci, Governor of Massachusetts
Worcester's Financial Outlook: FY99 and Beyond
1997
Ending the Dead End: Plans for North Main Street
Recapturing Community in our Nation's Cities, Alan Ehrenhalt, Executive Editor, Governing
Testing Ahead: An Orientation to the New State Testing System
Worcester's Financial Outlook: FY98 and Beyond
1996
Convention Center Update
Community Policing: Is It Working?
Financing Urban Economic Development Projects
Worcester's Regional Transportation Network
Why School Reform Has Failed and What Parents Need to Do, Professor Laurence Steinberg, Temple University
Promoting Academic Excellence: Local and National Models
What's a Charter School and should Worcester have one?
Vocational Education: What is its future?
1995
Tenth Anniversary Lecture Series I: The Future of Cities: Re-empowering Local Government
Tenth Anniversary Lecture Series II: The Future of Cities: Redefining Citizenship
Tenth Anniversary Lecture Series III: The Future of Cities: Regional Governance Without Regional Government
Tenth Anniversary Lecture Series IV: The Future of Cities: The Political Economy of Cities
What's Happening to Our Neighborhoods?
1994
Visions of Worcester's Future
Filling Potholes, Building Stadiums and Purifying Water: New Perspectives on Public Works Operations
Total Quality Management: What is it and how is it applied to Municipalities?
Downtown Worcester: A Year and a Half After the Charette
Union Station and Washington Square: What is the Scope of the Project?
The Future of Worcester Airport
Why Should I Send a Child to the WPS?
Worcester Financial Future: Controlling Costs, Increasing Revenues
1993
The New Worcester City Hospital
Visions of Main Street
The Future of Worcester Center Boulevard
The Education Reform Act of 1993
Fiscal Stress: Can Worcester Cope?
1992
The Future of Health Care Delivery in Worcester
A Discussion of the Pros and Cons of the Proposed Charter
Grouping Students by Ability: Pros and Cons
The Other Crisis in American Education
Recycling in Worcester: some Proposals to Implement the Mandate
1991
Common Sense: A Discussion of the Plans to Redesign Worcester Common
A Discussion of the Pros and Con of the Non-Binding Referendum Questions on the November Ballot
Attracting Downtown Development: What Does Worcester Have to Do?
Mass Pike/Route 146: The Worcester Connection
Worcester's Colleges: A Discussion of their Impact on the Community
Thinking About School Choice
1990
The Future of Worcester Airport
Downtown Parking: Is the Demand Greater than the Supply?
Ability Grouping in the Schools: Boon or Bane for Public Education
The Educational Reform Movement: Where are we now?
Municipal Finance: How do we pay the Bills Now?
The CLT Petition: What it Means for Worcester
1989
What is Worcester? Shaping Our Image for the 1990s
Getting In and Out of Worcester: Our Regional Transportation Network
State of State's Finances 1989
Property Revaluation: What Is It and How Will It Affect Worcester?
1988
Is There Still a Housing Problem in Worcester?
The Pike and the Park: What are the Latest Plans?
Striving for Excellence: Enhancing Programs for the Academically Talented
The Proposed Zoning Ordinance: Notes and Recommendations
1987
Parks and Open Spaces
Worcester's Master Plan: The Final Draft
The Place of Local Government in the American Constitutional System: A Bicentennial Celebration, Professor Murray Dry, Middlebury College
How the Charter Works
The Status of the Mass Pike/Route 146 Connector
The Future of Worcester Airport
Racial Balance and the Future of the WPS
1986
Worcester's Master Plan: An Introduction