June 26, 2012

Milwaukee’s Future in the Chicago Megacity

Event Information:
Date: Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Time: 8:15 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.
Place: Marquette Law School, Eckstein Hall

Marquette Law School and Milwaukee Journal Sentinel announce conference to examine region’s future

MILWAUKEE – Major business, political and civic leaders will come together to discuss Milwaukee’s economic future as part of the tri-state region at a conference sponsored by the Lubar Fund for Public Policy Research at Marquette University Law School and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “Milwaukee’s Future in the Chicago Megacity” will take place Tuesday, July 17, at Marquette Law School’s Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan Street, from 8:15 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.

The conference will feature Tom Barrett, mayor of Milwaukee; Toni Preckwinkle, Cook County Board president; Paul Jadin, CEO and Secretary, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation; Jeff Joerres, chairman and CEO of Manpower; Gale Klappa, CEO and president of Wisconsin Energy Corp. and We Energies; Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee; John Gurda, author of The Making of Milwaukee; Richard Longworth, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and author of Caught in the Middle: America’s Heartland in the Age of Globalism; William Testa, vice president and director of regional programs at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago; Joseph Szabo, federal railroad administrator; and many others. A full list of conference participants is available.

Chicago, as an international hub of commerce and finance, is the de facto capital of the Midwest and one of the world’s emerging “megacities,” ranked No. 6 in Foreign Policy magazine’s Global Cities Index (behind only New York, London, Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong). An expansive new report from the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) argues that closer ties between the Milwaukee region and Chicagoland are of singular importance—ties that can be strengthened through transportation links, commerce, and services.

The conference will consider Milwaukee’s opportunity to strengthen its stature as part of this global megacity. It will address the central questions of how closely the Milwaukee region should connect its future to Chicago and how that might be accomplished through public policy and business might. 

The event is open to the public. Cost is $20 and includes lunch. Seating is limited; register by July 9.

Media interested in attending should contact Brigid Miller in the Office of Marketing and Communication at (414) 288-7445 or brigid.miller@marquette.edu.