|
Campus-Community Connections
The official newsletter of the International Town & Gown Association™ October 5, 2020
|
|
Get to Know ITGA Board Members and Leaders
|
|
With COVID-19 closing campuses and straining municipal budgets, the ITGA has never been more relevant. Our mission to strengthen town-gown partnerships comes to life through the work of our Board of Directors, particularly the members of the Executive Board whom we will be profiling, along with other board members, over the course of our weekly newsletters. "Relationships are everything," says Board President Emily Allen, and that is precisely what ITGA provides. Networking and relationships. Professional sharing and expertise. In-depth and sometimes difficult conversations on social issues rocking our nation. Get to know our board members and leaders. We think they will inspire you to become more deeply involved. This "family of like-minded professionals, as President-Elect Britany Waddell calls ITGA, is here to work with you as, together, we navigate a rocky academic year.
Beth Bagwell, MPA
ITGA Executive Director
|
|
Meet ITGA's President-Elect Britany Waddell
|
|
Britany Waddell, AICP, MA, MPS; Raleigh, NC
Britany J. Waddell, a certified planner through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), is president-elect and former treasurer of the ITGA board. An assistant planning director with the City of Raleigh in North Carolina, she has attended every ITGA annual conference since 2008. With 17 years’ experience in community relations, Britany has represented small and large municipalities and a large university in both rural and metropolitan settings. As a land-use planner with a Master of Professional Studies in urban and regional planning, she has worked to help colleges and universities “evolve, thrive and expand” while mitigating the impacts on the surrounding neighborhoods and communities. Calling ITGA “a second family of like-minded professionals,” Britany values the national and international contacts that the organization provides and says financial issues will be a key challenge this year. “We are determined to continue providing services to our membership [despite] ever-rising social unrest,” she says. “We must be fearless to address the tough issues head-on and shine a light in the dark places plaguing our country and world today.” You can contact Britany at Britany.Waddell@raleighnc.gov.
|
|
A Very Successful Town-Gown COVID Alliance
|
|
Sewanee, Tenn - In March 2020, when the University of the South sent home all of its students, the downtown area was devastated without student patronage and even the associated tourism traffic. The small business town innovated to stay ahead of the economic crisis and launched a successful "Pay It Forward" campaign, even before any state of federal help was available. See the story here. To date, more than $73,000 has been raised by townspeople and alums. The Sewanee Civic Association and the Sewanee Business Alliance then launched a 37375 Campaign, raising $14,000 to ensure that all local daycares, nonprofits, schools and businesses have health and safety gear in the Sewanee area. This is a superb example of the University and its community working arm and arm to ride out this storm, a campus and community coming together in Sewanee, Tenn. This article was contributed by Matthew Costello. For questions, contact Matthew at (803) 422-3542 or mwcostello@gmail.com.
|
|
Boosters Aim to Shore Up Downtown Dining
|
|
Amherst, MA - Even with strategies aimed at supporting the numerous restaurants in downtown Amherst, from creating new spaces for outdoor dining and making takeout and curbside pickup more convenient, business has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. Now that autumn has arrived and with it the likelihood of cold weather, the Amherst Business Improvement District is working with town leaders to develop a plan to sustain restaurants hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. BID Executive Director Gabrielle Gould said this week that decisions are being made a month into the fall semester, recognizing that only a portion of the University of Massachusetts population is back in town and the bubble implemented by Amherst College means restrictions for its students. To counter this, the Amherst BID is looking forward to the town getting a Massachusetts Department of Transportation Shared Streets and Spaces grant that will pay to reorganize the current setup and allow the outdoor dining season to be extended. Daily Hampshire Gazette
|
|
Tips for Improving Strained Town-Gown Relations
|
|
Issues in Higher Ed - Universities that previously cultivated strong campus-community connections are faring better than their peers, said Beth Bagwell, executive director of the International Town & Gown Association. “A good town-gown relationship needs to be developed before a crisis or else you’re always being reactive.” The ITGA ran two focus groups with members of university communities, which found that their top concerns were health and economic security. For some, students’ return to campus felt like a boon for struggling local businesses, but it was also of “deep concern” to residents as universities continued to see upticks in COVID-19 cases. Ron M. Jackson, formerly the president of the ITGA and associate dean of students at Arizona State University suggested that universities set up departments to specifically handle off-campus relations – if they don’t have them already – because otherwise, when campus leaders see “wild parties on the news, they have no mechanism to deal with that.” Diverse: Issues in Higher Education
|
|
UQAM Expands Virtual Mentoring Program to Students
|
|
Quebec, Canada - A virtual mentoring program is being launched by the Université du Québec à Montréal in partnership with Élo mentorat. Mentorat UQAM is a digital platform that is designed to meet the growing demand for personal and professional development resources for students. The platform has already been offered to professionals and graduates, but the platform will now provide access for students and other community members. The aim of the app is to create a space for knowledge and skill sharing and connect students with those already in the workforce. The co-founder of the platform says that the virtual space is even more important during the pandemic when students feel isolated and disconnected. UQAM
|
|
Welcome New and Renewing Members
|
|
City of Bellingham, WA; City of Fullerton, CA; City of Hays, KS; Johns Hopkins University, MD; NC State University & the Hillsborough Street Community Service Corporation; Stony Brook University, NY. T o learn about membership benefits, click here or contact Susan@itga.org.
|
|
|
A growing and impressive group of professionals from campus communities continue to network and share strategies for improving town-gown relations. Join us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|