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CORVALLIS - A forum to examine the future of economic development in the mid-Willamette Valley will be held this Friday, May 30, from noon to 1 p.m. at Oregon State University.

The free public forum, "Finding the Balance Point: Planning for the Future of the Mid-Willamette Valley," will be held in the Joyce Powell Leadership Center in the Memorial Union.

Skip Rung, a retired Hewlett Packard research and development director, and Tracy Daugherty, an OSU English professor who directs the university's creative writing program, will lead the discussion and then answer questions from the audience.

Part of the discussion will focus on how to create new jobs in the area, what makes a community attractive to investors, and what role OSU and other research institutions play in the start-up or relocation of companies.

Rung is a member of the statewide new Economy Coalition, which supports technology-based higher education. Since his retirement from Hewlett Packard in 2001, he has worked as a consultant in innovation management.

Daugherty is a member of the Corvallis Planning Commission and the Housing and Community Development Commission. A Corvallis resident since 1986, he is the author of seven books and recipient of an Oregon Book Award.