Message from ITGA President Emily Allen
I hope this message finds each of you and your loved ones safe and healthy!
 
Today, more than ever, I am needing to feel grounded. This feeling is getting harder and harder to find and so I look to, and sometimes carry around, one item in my life that I came upon at the beach – a heart shaped rock (a woman standing close by on the beach had the nerve to ask me if I was going to keep the rock!). When I saw the rock at my feet, I immediately felt my grandmother’s presence and a sense of calm washed over me. Seeing and feeling the rock now, helps me to find a little more ground under my feet.
 
Maybe you have something in your life you look to in order to center yourself. I’d like to offer up ITGA as another tool to use to bring some stability to your ever-changing chaotic worlds. You are not in this hard work alone and we are actively bringing together practitioners and leaders who are in the thick of things to talk about ways they are navigating today’s challenges. Please join your fellow peers in ITGA’s Connects and Courageous Conversation  Series . Upcoming topics include: 
 

 
Please register for any of these important sessions and we encourage you to share with any and all who could benefit. Additionally, if you have ideas for future topics or would like to participate/lead/facilitate a conversation, please email Beth Bagwell ( Beth@itga.org ).
 
Thank you for your commitment to ITGA and for your commitment to the communities you love and are invested in!
 
In solidarity,
Emily Allen
Congress Proposes Shortened Census Count
Census Bureau officials appear to be moving toward wrapping up the process of counting all inhabitants of the U.S. a month earlier than planned as a result of direction from the Trump administration and Congress' failure to agree on an extension. The Census Bureau had planned to continue knocking on doors, along with telephone and online efforts, to obtain population data until Oct. 31, a date that was moved back earlier this year because the global pandemic disrupted the agency's field operations.

Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities, stated, "The shortening of census non-response follow up threatens to create an undercount for communities of color, immigrants and hard-to-count communities. We need to have an accurate census to ensure the $1.5 trillion in federal spending over the next decade is allocated fairly and appropriately." The Washington Post and NLC .
COVID-19 and College-Town Trends
This College Town Wants Its Students to Return, Chronicle of Higher Education ; DePaul Interim Provost Discusses Fall Quarter, Learning at Virtual Seminar , The DePaulia ; Opinion: Athletes are Paying Attention, Don't Like What They Hear in Push to Start College Football, USA Today ; Colleges Lease Hotel Rooms for Students, Inside Higher Ed.
NLC's Race, Equity, And Leadership (REAL) Training
REAL Action : Advancing Racial Equity And Leadership in Town-Gown Relations, Sept. 9 (2:00pm-6:00pm) & Sept. 10 (11:00am-3:00pm) EDT.

NLC's Race, Equity And Leadership ( REAL ) department has developed curriculum to guide participants toward an expanded understanding of racial equity and how it can impact our leadership and interactions. The two-day virtual training will focus on equity and inclusion practices/policies with a specific focus on leadership and community building to better support universities and municipalities. For a full description, click here .

Seats are filling up quickly so reserve space for you or your team today. We are offering special rates for teams of five or more. Contact Beth@itga.org for more information. Registration is open until Friday, Sept. 1st or until full.
Join us on Social Media
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 .