Media Contact: Dolores Davies, (858) 534-5994

The San Diego Regional Studies Network (SDRSN) will present "Listening to San Diego," on June 9, the second program in a series designed to bring scholars and interested citizens together to stimulate discussion and raise the level of regional consciousness on a variety of San Diego issues. The conference is free and will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Price Center Theater at the University of California, San Diego. To make reservations, please call (858) 822-3124 or e-mail pewcc@ucsd.edu.

The half-day event will include a panel discussion and break-out workshop sessions conducted by San Diego researchers and community leaders. Panelists and their topics include: Lieutenant Jeff Dean, San Diego Police Department, neighborhood-oriented policing; Bernardo Solano, San Diego Repertory Theater, animating democracy; Patricia Sinay, San Diego Foundation, the Intergroup Relations Project; Karen Lin Clark, South County editor, San Diego Union-Tribune, civic journalism; Dennis Sharp, assistant archivist, San Diego Historical Society, the Oral History program; and Professor Richard Madsen, UCSD Department of Sociology, his recent study of religious groups and civic engagement in San Diego.

Earlier this year, the San Diego Historical Society and UCSD’s Civic Collaborative joined forces to establish SDRSN, a clearinghouse for scholars, professionals, and citizens interested in subjects related to San Diego’s history, culture, economy, and environment. On Feb. 20, the group presented its first major effort: a 120-page directory of San Diego County historical resources.

The UCSD Civic Collaborative was established in 1999 with a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts. The aim of the grant was to create a program that would focus on better integrating the university’s research and teaching expertise with the needs and interests of the San Diego region. The Collaborative has organized a number of talks and roundtables on topics of interest to both researchers and community constituencies. Since its founding, the Collaborative has funded nearly 50 research grants focused on a wide range of San Diego issues and problems, ranging from the study of the Plaza Mercado initiative in Oceanside to the development of GIS maps tracking inner-city neighborhood infrastructure investments.

For more information about the UCSD Civic Collaborative or the San Diego Regional Studies Network, please call (858) 822-3125 or visit the Collaborative’s web site at http://ucsd-civic-collaborative.org