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2012 Chapter Planning Awards and
Scholarship Information
The Annual APA-Minnesota Chapter Planning Awards are an exciting opportunity
to give credit to outstanding projects and people that have contributed to the
planning profession. The awards will be given at the APA-MN Annual Planning
Conference on September 26-28, 2012. Winners will be notified ahead of time
and asked to attend to accept their award.
DOWNLOAD PDF FORM HERE >
Thank you and we look forward to receiving many great proposals!
YEAR OF THE PLANNER: EMPOWERED TO LEAD
The 2012 APA MN state conference will be held September 26-28 at the Arrowwood
Resort and Conference Center in Alexandria, MN.
2012 is known as the Year of the Dragon in many Eastern cultures. For the Chinese,
dragons are divine mythical creatures that are associated with royalty. It is said that
Dragons are born with the potential to be great leaders. Astrologists say the Year of
the Dragon is also a time to explore innovative ideas and begin big projects. Words
associated with the Year of the Dragon are: Innovative, Wise, Optimistic, Potential, and
Successful. The Dragon is the only mythological creature in the zodiac. It is made
up of many parts of the other animals in the Chinese zodiac, bringing with them their
knowledge, background, and experiences. This is much like the multiple disciplines,
backgrounds, and experiences we all bring to the planning profession.
It is possible to see the correlation between this astrologically significant year, and
this year's conference theme "Year of the Planner: Empowered to Lead". At previous
conferences we explored the challenges and opportunities in "planning for the new
decade" and learned skills for planning in these tough economic times by "riding
the waves of change." We have also learned to be adaptable in the "new normal."
As planners we have gained the innovation, wisdom, optimism, and potential to be
successful. Now is the time to take all we've learned and move forward. This year's
conference will continue to build on this gained knowledge and provide the tools for
empowerment and leadership that will help us guide our communities, clients, and
classrooms in the right direction into the future.
The Conference Planning Committee has made great progress in developing a
worthwhile and valuable conference experience. We are pleased to announce that
we will soon be opening up the Request For Proposals process for presenters at the
conference.
The RFP will be posted to the MNAPA website on Thursday, February 16th. The
deadline for proposal submission had been extended to March 23, 2012. New this year, there
will be two (2) RFP's: The standard conference session proposal form, and an RFP
for a "Speed Planning" session. The Speed Planning Session is intended to provide
attendees an opportunity to share ideas, discuss strategies, and learn about what their
colleagues around the state are doing via short, 15- to 20-minute presentations. Each
speed planning session will feature multiple presenters on a range of topics. Each
presenter will have his/her own table or station, and will be expected to lead a 15- to
20-minute presentation/discussion on one discrete topic. Attendees will have the option
to choose which presentation they would like to hear. After 20 minutes, attendees will
be asked to move to another table and the process repeats itself. Speed planning
sessions are particularly well-suited to case studies about new developments, planning
projects, or recent innovations in the field of planning, although other topics might also
be appropriate.
Looking for ways to get involved? We still have room on several planning committees,
including Technology, and the Events and Mobile Tours group. If your current
schedule doesn't allow you to get involved at this point, there will be plenty of volunteer
opportunities at the conference for session moderators, registration desk duties, etc. If
you are interested in getting on a committee or volunteering at the conference, contact
one of the co-chairs.
Looking forward to seeing you in September!
Stephanie Scott-Sims and Greg Wagner, AICP, 2012 Conference Co-Chairs
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