LOCAL-GOVERNMENT COURSE TO DRAW WILDER CABINET MEMBER

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, February 3, 1993                   TAG: 9302030181
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-6   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: DAVID LEVIN SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: DUBLIN                                LENGTH: Medium
LOCAL-GOVERNMENT COURSE TO DRAW WILDER CABINET MEMBER
New River Community College plans to bring a member of Gov. Douglas Wilder's Cabinet to help teach one night of a 10-week course, "Exploring the Role of Local Government."
The course, starting tonight at 7, was designed for citizens so they can learn more about government and how it works, said Ron Chaffin, director of continuing education at the college.
Among the speakers will be Virginia Secretary of Education James Dyke, on March 17, and Roanoke Mayor David Bowers, on April 7.
Officials from around the New River Valley also will be offering their expertise.
Kurt Hodgen, town manager of Narrows, who organized the course, said, "We wanted to get better local-government information out there to high school students and adults."
The course was developed by a subcommittee consisting of Hodgen; Chaffin; Ken Vittum, town manager of Pearisburg; Don Holycross, town manager of Pulaski; Bonnie Svrcek, assistant town manager of Blacksburg; and Ed Barnes, president of New River Community College.
Each class will be done in a panel-discussion format with talks by two or three speakers, followed by questions from the class.
Hodgen will moderate each session. The first class, tonight, will be an overview of local government in the United States.
Other course topics will include the structure of local government in Virginia, Feb. 10; local government as a service provider, Feb. 17; local government and the environment, Feb. 24; intergovernmental cooperation, March 3; land-use planning and zoning, March 10; public education, March 17; public finance and the budget process, March 24; developing the local economy, March 31; and public policy-citizen participation and government, April
Hodgen expects the class to consist of a mix of college students and other adults in the New River area.
The course costs $41 for all 10 sessions; individual sessions may be taken for $10 each.
Participants who finish the entire course will receive one credit.
For more information, or to receive an outline of the course, contact the NRCC Office of Community and Continuing Education at (703) 674-3607.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB