ITGA staff, board and host committee are in final planning stages for our May 19-22 conference in State College that's expected to draw record attendance. We hope you can join us. Professional development workshops are offered Sunday, May 19 and are filling up quickly, so please register soon. The conference begins Monday and ends Wednesday afternoon. Per custom, various sessions and networking opportunities will allow conference-goers to learn about new and diverse strategies tied to town-gown challenges and opportunities. At the conference, results for the Data Digest Survey will be distributed and discussed. This important collection of town-gown inputs has evolved as a valuable tool for campuses and local governments. The survey closes Friday, March 15 and if you haven't taken it, your participation is essential and appreciated. Click here to take the survey.

A two-decade effort to bring a transit line to Durham, N.C., hit a possibly fatal stumbling block last month when Duke University effectively backed out of a $3.3 billion light rail project. The planned 17.7-mile route would have linked the UNC at Chapel Hill with Duke, downtown Durham and NC Central University. The plan required Duke to donate about four blocks of land along a major street, but the private university said the project still had to overcome several long-standing safety and health obstacles before officials would sign off. Gary Stewart, a board member of the ITGA, said reliable transportation systems are "a needed staple in every college town," but that getting them often takes years of cooperative planning, "hard work, joint strategies and budget decisions." Inside Higher ED

The Newark City Council unanimously passed a law Monday that could dramatically affect the way University of Delaware students party off-campus. It's a rule that students who live in off-campus housing fear could be used to shut down the parties that are so famous the university was named the country's No. 1 party school last year by the Princeton Review. First-time offenders are required to pay $500 and complete 20 hrs. of community service. The penalties increase with each offense: $1,000 and 32 hrs. for a second offense, $1,500 and 48 hrs. for a third offense and $2000 and 60 hrs. for each subsequent offense. If the ordinance is not effective, the council will consider implementing a second part that also would hold landlords accountable, officials said. Delaware Online

What many are calling the worst admissions scandal in higher education emerged Tuesday, with federal authorities announcing 50 indictments in a scheme that allegedly involved faux athletes, coaches who could be bribed, cheating on the SAT and ACT, million-dollar bribes and "guarantees"that certain applicants would be admitted to highly competitive colleges. Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, both actresses, were among the wealthy parents indicted. Others may not be well-known nationally but are leaders in business, law and other fields. At a briefing on the indictments, Andrew Lelling, U.S. attorney, said that some parents paid up to $6.5 million "to guarantee admission" for their children to elite colleges. Inside Higher ED

European universities need to embrace change by continuing to forge alliances with innovative companies and independent research groups to use and develop their knowledge in cooperation with the outside world, experts agreed at the March launch of the European University Association's new report. The study shows how universities and their partners in regional innovation systems can, should and do join forces "to build such bridges across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, look for new collaborative formats and spaces in order to address shared challenges, and shape their own changing roles in the process." University World News