Ralph W. Conant
Encyclopedia
Ralph Wendell Conant is a writer and researcher in the areas of social policy, metropolitan governance, and regional planning. Conant is also the former president of Shimer College
and Unity College
.
and a MA
degree from the University of Chicago
, where he studied public administration, urban politics and political philosophy.
His most recent publications are: Toward a More Perfect Union: The Governance of Metropolitan America, with Daniel J. Myers, 1st edition, 2002 (ISBN 0-88316-571-6); 2nd edition, 2006 (ISBN 0883165775) and forthcoming, City of Destiny: Denver in the Making, with Maxine Kurtz, to be published by Chandler & Sharp in 2007.
He served as faculty at several institutions and as a staff member at advocacy groups and research groups.
From 1975-1978, he was president of Shimer College. From 1978-1980, he was president of Unity College in Maine. He lives in Trinidad
, California
.
His recent publications are:
Toward a More Perfect Union: The Governance of Metropolitan America, with Daniel J. Myers, 1st edition, 2002; 2nd edition, 2006, Chandler & Sharp. Foreword to Invisible Cage, A Memoir, Maxine Kurtz, Chandler & Sharp, 2006. City of Destiny: Denver in the Making, with Maxine Kurtz, Chandler & Sharp in 2008.
Forthcoming books are: The Future of Poverty in American Cities, with Daniel J. Myers; Revolution and the Search for World Peace, with Guillermo Owen, to be published by Chandler & Sharp in 2009.
His previous books include: The Public Library and the City, MIT, 1965; The State’s Biggest Business: Local and Regional Problems, Policy Papers for the Connecticut Commission to Study the Necessity and Feasibility of Metropolitan Government, 1967; The Politics of Community Health, Public Affairs Press, 1968; Problems of Research in Community Violence, with Molly Apple Levin, Praeger,1969; The Prospects for Revolution, Harper & Row, 1971; The Metropolitan Library, MIT, 1972; Urban Perspectives: Politics and Policies, with Alan Shank, Holbrook Press, 1975; The Conant Report: A Study of the Education of Librarians, MIT, 1980; Private Means Public Ends: Private Business in Social Service Delivery, with Barry J. Carroll and Thomas A. Easton, Praeger, 1987.
His other writings include:
Monographs: The Politics of Regional Planning, the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce Town Meeting for Tomorrow, 1965; Bibliography of Social Scientific Studies of the Fluoridation Controversy, Journal of Oral Therapeutics and Pharmacology, November 1966; The Nature of Civil Protest, the Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence, Brandeis University, 1969; Public School Finance: Toward a More Level Playing Field for Our Youth, Phelps-Stokes Fund 1993.
A special US Senate study: The Effectiveness of Metropolitan Planning, with Charles Haar et al., prepared for the US Senate Subcommittee on Government Operations, 1964.
Books in the business field: Cutting Loose: From Employee to Entrepreneur: Making the Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur, 1985 and Using Consultants, 1986, both with Thomas A. Easton, Probus Publishing Company.
Unpublished MSS: The Politics of Metropolitan Consolidation in a Michigan Area, doctoral dissertation, University of Chicago, 1960; Metropolitan Problems and Politics: A Seminar, (edited papers), The University of Denver, 1962; An Evaluation of Fair Housing, Incorporated, Boston, Massachusetts, 1966; The Political Aspects of Health Planning in Berkshire County (MA): A Report to the Berkshire County Health Planning Association, 1969; The Professional, Business, and Economic Service Needs of the Residents of the Suburban Library System, Chicago, 1973.
Articles on aspects of metropolitan and regional planning, and on protest and riots.
(1956-1957); staff, National Municipal (Civic) League (1957-1959); Lecturer, Graduate School of Public Administration, New York University
,1958-1959; Executive Director, Citizens for Michigan (1959-1960); faculty, University of Denver
(1960-1961); as Assistant Director, Joint Center for Urban Studies, MIT-Harvard (1961-1967); Lecturer, Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College
, 1965-1967; Director of Research, New England Economic Research Foundation, 1968-1969; Associate Director, Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence, Brandeis University
(1967-1969). Lecturer, Southern Police Institute, Louisville, KY (annually), 1970-1974.
He was founding President, Southwest Center for Urban Research, Houston and Professor of Urban Design, Rice University
School of Architecture, Professor of Political Science, University of Houston
, Texas Southern University
, Baylor College of Medicine
, and University of Texas School of Public Health
(1969-1975).
President, Shimer College (1975-1978); and President, Unity College in Maine (1978-1980). He was a citizen member of the New England Regional Commission on Comprehensive Health Planning. Since 1980, he has served as a member of the Maine State Board of Education (1984-89), as special assistant to the president at Mercy College (1987-89), a Senior Fellow at the Phelps-Stokes Fund in Washington, DC. Executive Director, Maine Common Cause. He ran twice for the US Congress in Maine’s First Congressional District, 1984 and 1986 and in 1990 for the State Senate in his home district.
He is president of the Asgard Foundation; an author, and president of Conant Associates. He is married to Sheila M. Conant and lives in Trinidad, California. He has a farm in Maine dating to the family settlement in 1771.
Shimer College
Shimer College is a very small, private, undergraduate liberal arts college in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. Founded by Frances Wood Shimer in 1853 in the frontier town of Mt. Carroll, Illinois, it was a women's school for most of its first century. It joined with the University of...
and Unity College
Unity College (Maine)
Unity College is a private, liberal arts college in Unity, Waldo County, Maine. It is located southwest of Bangor, Maine and from the Maine coast. The college offers an undergraduate education that emphasizes the environment and natural resources throughout the academic program. In 2007 the...
.
Biography
He holds a PhDDoctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
and a MA
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he studied public administration, urban politics and political philosophy.
His most recent publications are: Toward a More Perfect Union: The Governance of Metropolitan America, with Daniel J. Myers, 1st edition, 2002 (ISBN 0-88316-571-6); 2nd edition, 2006 (ISBN 0883165775) and forthcoming, City of Destiny: Denver in the Making, with Maxine Kurtz, to be published by Chandler & Sharp in 2007.
He served as faculty at several institutions and as a staff member at advocacy groups and research groups.
From 1975-1978, he was president of Shimer College. From 1978-1980, he was president of Unity College in Maine. He lives in Trinidad
Trinidad, California
Trinidad is a seaside city in Humboldt County, located on the Pacific Ocean north of the Arcata-Eureka Airport and north of the college town of Arcata...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Publications
Ralph Conant is author of books, monographs, and articles (listed below) on social policy, metropolitan governance, regional planning, and conflict resolution. He holds PhD and MA degrees from the University of Chicago and a BA degree from the University of Vermont.His recent publications are:
Toward a More Perfect Union: The Governance of Metropolitan America, with Daniel J. Myers, 1st edition, 2002; 2nd edition, 2006, Chandler & Sharp. Foreword to Invisible Cage, A Memoir, Maxine Kurtz, Chandler & Sharp, 2006. City of Destiny: Denver in the Making, with Maxine Kurtz, Chandler & Sharp in 2008.
Forthcoming books are: The Future of Poverty in American Cities, with Daniel J. Myers; Revolution and the Search for World Peace, with Guillermo Owen, to be published by Chandler & Sharp in 2009.
His previous books include: The Public Library and the City, MIT, 1965; The State’s Biggest Business: Local and Regional Problems, Policy Papers for the Connecticut Commission to Study the Necessity and Feasibility of Metropolitan Government, 1967; The Politics of Community Health, Public Affairs Press, 1968; Problems of Research in Community Violence, with Molly Apple Levin, Praeger,1969; The Prospects for Revolution, Harper & Row, 1971; The Metropolitan Library, MIT, 1972; Urban Perspectives: Politics and Policies, with Alan Shank, Holbrook Press, 1975; The Conant Report: A Study of the Education of Librarians, MIT, 1980; Private Means Public Ends: Private Business in Social Service Delivery, with Barry J. Carroll and Thomas A. Easton, Praeger, 1987.
His other writings include:
Monographs: The Politics of Regional Planning, the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce Town Meeting for Tomorrow, 1965; Bibliography of Social Scientific Studies of the Fluoridation Controversy, Journal of Oral Therapeutics and Pharmacology, November 1966; The Nature of Civil Protest, the Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence, Brandeis University, 1969; Public School Finance: Toward a More Level Playing Field for Our Youth, Phelps-Stokes Fund 1993.
A special US Senate study: The Effectiveness of Metropolitan Planning, with Charles Haar et al., prepared for the US Senate Subcommittee on Government Operations, 1964.
Books in the business field: Cutting Loose: From Employee to Entrepreneur: Making the Transition from Employee to Entrepreneur, 1985 and Using Consultants, 1986, both with Thomas A. Easton, Probus Publishing Company.
Unpublished MSS: The Politics of Metropolitan Consolidation in a Michigan Area, doctoral dissertation, University of Chicago, 1960; Metropolitan Problems and Politics: A Seminar, (edited papers), The University of Denver, 1962; An Evaluation of Fair Housing, Incorporated, Boston, Massachusetts, 1966; The Political Aspects of Health Planning in Berkshire County (MA): A Report to the Berkshire County Health Planning Association, 1969; The Professional, Business, and Economic Service Needs of the Residents of the Suburban Library System, Chicago, 1973.
Articles on aspects of metropolitan and regional planning, and on protest and riots.
Professional, academic, and civic experience
He has served on the faculty of Michigan State UniversityMichigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
(1956-1957); staff, National Municipal (Civic) League (1957-1959); Lecturer, Graduate School of Public Administration, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
,1958-1959; Executive Director, Citizens for Michigan (1959-1960); faculty, University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
(1960-1961); as Assistant Director, Joint Center for Urban Studies, MIT-Harvard (1961-1967); Lecturer, Graduate School of Social Work, Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
, 1965-1967; Director of Research, New England Economic Research Foundation, 1968-1969; Associate Director, Lemberg Center for the Study of Violence, Brandeis University
Brandeis University
Brandeis University is an American private research university with a liberal arts focus. It is located in the southwestern corner of Waltham, Massachusetts, nine miles west of Boston. The University has an enrollment of approximately 3,200 undergraduate and 2,100 graduate students. In 2011, it...
(1967-1969). Lecturer, Southern Police Institute, Louisville, KY (annually), 1970-1974.
He was founding President, Southwest Center for Urban Research, Houston and Professor of Urban Design, Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
School of Architecture, Professor of Political Science, University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern University is a historically black university located in Houston, Texas, United States....
, Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine, located in the Texas Medical Center in Houston, Texas, USA, is a highly regarded medical school and leading center for biomedical research and clinical care...
, and University of Texas School of Public Health
University of Texas School of Public Health
The University of Texas School of Public Health is one of eight component institutions of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston ....
(1969-1975).
President, Shimer College (1975-1978); and President, Unity College in Maine (1978-1980). He was a citizen member of the New England Regional Commission on Comprehensive Health Planning. Since 1980, he has served as a member of the Maine State Board of Education (1984-89), as special assistant to the president at Mercy College (1987-89), a Senior Fellow at the Phelps-Stokes Fund in Washington, DC. Executive Director, Maine Common Cause. He ran twice for the US Congress in Maine’s First Congressional District, 1984 and 1986 and in 1990 for the State Senate in his home district.
He is president of the Asgard Foundation; an author, and president of Conant Associates. He is married to Sheila M. Conant and lives in Trinidad, California. He has a farm in Maine dating to the family settlement in 1771.