Community Events

Discovering Civic Health: Lessons for North Carolina from Wisconsin

Tuesday, November 10, 2026 · 3:30pm · Rankin Science West

App State's Department of Geography and Planning is pleased to welcome back App State alumna Mary Beth Collins ‘99, executive director of the Center for Community and Nonprofit Studies at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. What does a healthy community look like beyond election cycles and party politics? In this engaging talk, Mary Beth will break down the concept of Civic Health — exploring how social connectivity, community trust, and local engagement shape the strength of our places and institutions. As lead author of the upcoming second Civic Health in Wisconsin report and head of the