Levin College Forum

About the Forum | Events & Media

Known as the place "where the community gathers to discuss challenges, create opportunities, and celebrate accomplishments," the Forum is a catalyst for thoughtful public debate, innovative thinking, new ideas, and timely action addressing critical issues that impact Northeast Ohio. Since its inception in 1998, the Forum has tackled a broad range of civic issues including the lakefront plan, economic growth and development, affordable housing, immigration, education, the convention center, poverty, race and sustainable development. The work of the forum is based on the premise that an informed and engaged citizenry is a valuable asset for the region's future growth and prosperity. In 2005, the Forum was recognized by Northern Ohio Live as "a springboard for economic and social progress throughout the region" and in 2003 received the national CivicMind award for its Millennium Program, which worked with area high school students to introduce them to careers in public service.

Building Our Future Beyond Foreclosure Series

"Feeding Cleveland" Photo Contest

View Envisioning Cleveland Photo Exhibition

The Just City Forum: “Provide more choices to those who have few, if any, choices.”
Friday, October 29, 2010
5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Leadership, Accountability and the Lessons of the 1960s Black Freedom Movement: Annual Forum Commemorating the Public Service Career of the Late Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Understanding Health Disparities: How Research Can Impact Policy
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
9:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Registration and refreshments begin at 8:30 a.m.

Cuyahoga County Executive Candidate Forum
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
5:30 to 7:30 p.m..

Last November, Cuyahoga County voters decided to restructure County government. On Tuesday, September 7, 2010, voters will choose among the eight Democratic, Republican and Green party candidates to determine who will run in the November election for the first County Executive. The Levin College Forum and the College's Leadership Academy Society Board, The League of Women Voters, The Center for Community Solutions and the American Institute of Architects, Cleveland Chapter are pleased to sponsor this Cuyahoga County Executive Candidate Forum for the candidates whose names will appear on the primary ballot.

Join us on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for two hours of questions and answers with the candidates.Questions from the audience will be interspersed with questions from a three-person panel: Jennifer Alexander, Associate Professor, Director of the Master of Public Administration and Nonprofit Degree programs, Levin College of Urban Affairs, John Begala, Executive Director, The Center for Community Solutions and a representative of the American Institute of Architects. So bring your questions for the candidates!

Women Religious, Leaders in Community
Thursday July 22, 2010
4:00 - 6:30 p.m.

“Understanding and celebrating the history of women religious is essential to understanding and celebrating the history of America.” Cokie Roberts, news analyst and author.

The Levin College Forum Program is pleased to present this forum in partnership with the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America Exhibition on display at the Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage through August 28, 2010.

Join us to hear first hand from some of Cleveland’s own remarkable women whose spirituality led them to play significant roles in many of the most important social issues of our time: environmental protection, community development, affordable housing, women’s re-entry and a wide range of public policy issues related to peace and social justice.

The Long Road Home: The Story of Prisoner Reentry in Ohio
Tuesday June 15, 2010
4:00-6:00 p.m.

Housing, healthcare, family reunification, employment discrimination. These are just some of the issues formerly incarcerated men and women face every day. Ohio has one of the largest prison populations in the nation, holding nearly 51,000 men and women, and over 7,000 of these prisoners are released back to Cuyahoga County every year. Join us to see the recently released documentary The Long Road Home, which tells the story of the barriers faced by prisoners trying to reenter society.

Book Talk and Panel Discussion--Housing Policy and Community Development Corporations
Monday June 7, 2010
4:00-6:00 p.m.

Join us for a discussion with with David J. Erickson, author of The Housing Policy Revolution: Networks and Neighborhoods (Urban Institute Press).

Erikson traces the shift in U.S. housing policy from the Washington-led bureaucracies of the 1960s to today’s highly collaborative, tax-supported networks of advocates, local governments, bankers, and property developers. Through historical analysis and detailed case studies, economic historian David J. Erickson reveals a system that adjusted to a changing political climate and innovated in the delivery of affordable housing.

Book Talk and Panel Discussion--Sustainability and Economic Development
Thursday May 27, 2010
4:00-6:00 p.m.

Join us for a discussion with Joan Fitzgerald, author of Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development (Oxford University Press). Joan Fitzgerald is a Professor and the Director, Law, Policy and Society Program at Northeastern University.

In the absence of a comprehensive national policy, cities have taken the lead in addressing the interrelated environmental problems of global warming, pollution, energy dependence, and social justice. Fitzgerald argues that cities are uniquely suited to promote and benefit from green economic development and that investing in green research and technology may help to revitalize older industrial cities like Cleveland and Toledo. But cities cannot act alone, and Fitzgerald analyzes the role of state and national government policy in helping cities create the next wave of clean technology growth.