Visiting Scholar Program: Census 2020

Former U.S. Census Director visits COCC to discuss census essentials

With the U.S. Census looming on the horizon—the government-mandated survey takes place on April 1 of next year—the Central Oregon Community College Foundation’s Visiting Scholar Program is hosting John H. Thompson, former director of the U.S. Census Bureau, to discuss “The 2020 Census: Why it Matters & What to Expect,” at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, October 8, at the Coats Campus Center. Tickets to the event are $10.

Thompson will discuss the function and impact of this once-a-decade national headcount, outlining how the data is used for reapportioning Congress and the Electoral College, its role in developing policy, how it affects the redrawing of voting districts, and how federal funding allocations are determined. The presentation will also include survey methodology and identify issues and potential problems ahead of the census. The U.S. Census, overseen by a nonpartisan government bureau, has served to count the population of the country since 1790.

A statistician who served as director of the bureau from 2013-17, Thompson is currently a consultant with expertise in social science and survey methodology. He served as an expert witness for the plaintiffs in the New York and Maryland lawsuits aimed at preventing the inclusion of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census.

For more information on this event, contact Charlotte Gilbride, coordinator for the Foundation’s Nancy R. Chandler Visiting Scholar Program, at 541-383-7257 or cgilbride@cocc.edu. This event is sponsored by the Bend-based Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund and the Associated Students of COCC.

In advance of college events, persons needing accommodation or transportation because of a physical or mobility disability, contact Joe Viola: 541-383-7775. For accommodation because of other disability, such as hearing impairment, contact the Office of Disability Services: 541-383-7743.