Forums for the Fourth
The NIF network at age 25
By Joyce Hanna
In 2006, in my role to promote, encourage and publicize celebration of NIF’s 25th
anniversary under the banner of Forums for the 4th, I contacted as many members of the
NIF network as possible. Through the use of the NIFI website, emails, telephone calls
and in person interviews, I gathered information not only on anniversary activities, but on
how public deliberation is being carried out in locations throughout the U.S. To those of
you who gave so generously of your time, I thank you again. The following represents
only a very brief summary of some themes which I reported to the National Issues
Forums Institute (NIFI) Board at their December 2006 meeting:

NIF practitioners continue to increase their outreach capabilities through the
use of websites and other technologies: CA-Carole Patterson,
cpaterson@ucdavis.edu (CA issues forums website www.nifica.org ;) KS-Donna
Lauffer laufferd@jocolibrary.org (Johnson County Library website
www.jocolibrary.org, uses OPAL Online Programming for All Libraries
software;) MN-Jane Cunningham, jane@minnesotahumanities.org (Minnesota
Humanities Commission website www.minnesotahumanities.org;) MO- Sandra
Hodge, hodges@misswouri.edu; (University of Missouri Extension website
www.ssu.missouri.edu/commdev/pubdelib/index.htm) MO- Dennis Minzes
minzesd@muswsouri.edu , website outreach.missouri.edu/greene and David
Burton, burtond@missouri.edu, website outreach.missouri.edu/greene, David has
a blog, (both sites have a link to U. of Missouri site;) MT- Matthew McKinney,
matt@umtpri.org (University of Montana Public Policy Research Institute issues
forums site www.umtpri.org;) NH- Joni Daugherty, dohertj@fpc.edu (New
England Center for Civic Life issues forums site fpc.edu/neccl;) NC- Carol
Conway cconway@southern.org (Southern Growth Policies Board website
www.southern.org;) OK- Renee Daugherty, renee.daugherty@okstate.edu (issues
forums site okdeliberates.org;) PA-David Dillon, ded11@scasd.k12.pa.us (issues
forums site Public Issues Forums of Centre County website pif.schoolwires.com;)
TX- Taylor Willingham, taylor@texasforums.org, (Texas Issues Forums site
www.texasforums.org and LBJ Library site www.lbjnow.org). Taylor also has a
blog and does pod casts.

NIF becomes or is on the way to becoming institutionalized: AZ- Bernie
Ronan, Director, Center for Civic Participation, Mesa Community College,
bernie.ronan@mcmail.maricopaedu , Martin Gilson, mgilson@asu.edu ,
Associate Director Corporate Leadership Program, Arizona State University; CTScott McLean, scott.mclean@quinnipac.edu , Associate Professor of Political
Science, Quinnipiac College; FL- Deborah Mikolajczyk,
dmikolajczyk@gulfcoast.edu , Lifelong Learning, Gulf Coast Community
College; GA- Veronica Adams Cooper, Veronica.adams-cooper@asurams.edu,
Center for Public Deliberation and Engagement, Albany State University; HIDolores Foley, Dolores@hawaii.edu, Public Policy Center, College of Social
Sciences, University of Hawaii; IN- Mike Menefee, menefeem@purdue.edu,
Department of Organizational Leadership, Purdue University; KS- David Procter,
drocter@k-state.edu, Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy, Kansas State
University; MA- Donna Haig Friedman, Donna.Friedman@umb.edu, Center for
Social Policy, McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies, University of
Massachusetts Boston; MO- Sandra Hodge, hodges@misswouri.edu, Extension
Associate Professor and State Policy Specialist, University of Missouri; MTMatthew McKinney, matt@umtpri.org, Public Policy Research Institute,
University of Montana; NH- Joni Daugherty dohertj@fpc.edu, New England
Center for Civic Life ; NY- Michael D’Innocenzo, hismzd@hofstra.edu,
Professor of History, Center for Civic Engagement opening 2007, Hofstra
University; Joel Diemond, diemond@sunydutchess.edu , Professor of
Government, Dutchess Community; OH - Dave Patton, Ohio State University
Extension (retired) patton.4@osu.edu : OK- Renee Daugherty,
renee.daugherty@okstate.edu, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension;
PA- David Dillon, ded11@scasd.k12.pa.us, Public Issues Forums of Centre
County; Harris Sokoloff, harriss@gse.upenn.edu, Graduate School of Education,
Center for School Study Councils, University of Pennsylvania; SC- Barbara
Brown, babrwn@clemson.edu Sumter County Cooperative Extension Service,
Clemson University; TX- Jule Zimet, jule1@ix.netcom.com , NIF El Paso Del
Norte; Taylor Willingham, Texas Forums, LBJ Presidential Library and Museum,
taylor@texasforums.org ; VA- Nancy Gansneder, njg5w@virginia.edu, Director,
Academy for Civic Renewal, Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service,
University of Virginia; Larkin Dudley, dudleyl@vt.edu, Program Chair, Center
for Public Administration and Policy, Virginia Tech; WV- Betty Knighton,
knightonb@aol.com, West Virginia Center for Civic Life.

Framing of local issues remains important: AZ- Bernie Ronan,
bernie.ronan@mcmail.maricopaedu; CA- Carol Patterson,
cpaterson@ucdavis.edu; DE- Bill McGowan, billmcg@udel.edu Community
Development Extension Agent, Sussex County; FL- Deborah Mikolajczyk,
dmikolajczyk@gulfcoast.edu , Lifelong Learning, Gulf Coast Community
College;HI- Dolores Foley, Dolores@hawaii.edu; MO- Sandra Hodge,
hodges@misswouri.edu; NH- Joni Daugherty, dohertj@fpc.edu; NY- Michael
D’Innocenzo, hismzd@hofstra.edu; Joel Diamond, diamond@sunydutchess.edu;
OK- Renee Daugherty, renee.daugherty@okstate.edu; PA- Bill DiMascio,
wd@ix.netcom.com , David Dillon, ded11@scasd.k12.pa.us; VA- Larkin Dudley
dudleyl@vt.edu ; WV- Betty Knighton, knightonb@aol.com

Teaching others to carry on the work: Whatever a convening entity calls the
periodic teaching of concepts and skills necessary for others to carry on the work;
each has taken the concept of PPI and adapted it to meet local needs.

Adapting to changing times: CA – Carole Patterson, cpaterson@ucdavis.edu
Website - www.nifica.org Public deliberation, including NIF, local issue framing
and forums, is conducted to meet specific requests and tailored to meet the needs
of organizations, civic groups, elected officials, and others.

NIFI website and online communication are crucial to the network’s ongoing
maintenance and growth. The network is ever increasing its role in
using/supporting the website and in online communication.

For the third time in its 25 year history, the NIF network has deliberated the
issue of governing.

Yes, we do have a network; with each entity unique and independent.
There is nothing like talking to a variety of NIF practitioners, to know that each
convening entity has its own identity, its own take on issues and its own special
relationship with its community. The call by NIFI to celebrate NIFs 25th
anniversary under the banner of Forums for the Fourth and to use Democracy’s
Challenge was embraced soundly by the network. Many entities added these
forums to already scheduled forums. Others rearranged schedules to
accommodate the issue. However, others in the network chose not to mark the
anniversary or hold forums on Democracy’s Challenge. Many of you have heard
Dr. Mathews talk about a “free and unterrified American public.” My experience
in 2006 has confirmed a free and unterrified NIF network. Although a
participating entity may look to NIFI or the Kettering Foundation for support and
guidance when needed, the network does not think of the Kettering Foundation in
Dayton, Ohio as “the home office of NIF.” As I write this, a knowing smile
comes across my face. As someone who is now referred to as a “veteran” and a
“pioneer”, I believe that the current state of NIF shows a network and a pretty
healthy one at that. For those of us who have been involved since the early years;
we have seen the birth of a movement, the dependency of childhood, the rebellion
of the teen years and finally the independence and confidence of the young adult
years. Happy 25th NIF network!
Joyce Hanna began her involvement with NIF in 1985. A moderator, convener,
trainer and observer of public deliberation, Ms. Hanna lives in Laguna Niguel,
CA.