The official newsletter of the International Town & Gown Association™ August 26, 2021
UGA Student Spending Boosts Local Economy
Athens, GA: More than 400 University of Georgia students, ranging from newly admitted to graduate students, visited 26 local businesses in the downtown Athens district as part of North of the Arch 2021. The event, sponsored by the UGA Office of Government Relations, UGA Student Affairs and the Athens Downtown Development Authority, traditionally welcomes first-year students, hallmates and friends, but shifted this year to welcome all students back to Athens. UGA Today
Engage with ITGA: Webinars & Upcoming Events
ITGA is rapidly growing and so are the many opportunities to engage and network with other members. To fulfill the mission and to meet the individual and community needs of its members, ITGA convenes gatherings, educates members and partner organizations, researches topics of concern, shares knowledge, and mobilizes members to ensure the success of communities around the world. Engage with ITGA and register for upcoming webinars and events today. Learn more.
Painful Merging of State Colleges and Universities
In July, the news that Professor Chris Hallen and his colleagues at Bloomsburg University were expecting became official. Their university and two other small universities in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, are being merged to create (what for the time being is called) Northeast Integrated University. In the western part of the state, two universities with weaker finances are being merged with California University of Pennsylvania to form (what for the time being is called) Western Integrated University (WI).University World News
ITGA and ELGL Special Podcast Series
ITGA and the Engaging Local Government Leaders network (ELGL.org) are once again partnering on a special GovLove podcast series about the unique opportunities and challenges in university communities, this time about COVID response and recovery. We are interested in learning about the work in your campus community as it relates to off-campus housing, economic recovery and/or community relations. Learn more.
Community College Hosts Afghan Refugees
Annandale, VA: Northern Virginia Community College welcomed several hundred Afghan and Afghan American refugees to its Annandale campus Saturday, The Washington Post reported. The Fairfax County Office of Emergency Management is using the campus to host those who fled the central Asian country after the Taliban’s recent takeover. The college provided 500 cots set up in a gymnasium, event center and community rooms. Local residents have been volunteering on campus and dropping off donated food and supplies. Inside Higher Ed
Helping Student Develop a Sense of Belonging
United Kingdom: Universities are working hard to explain to students what support will be in place for them before and when they arrive on campus this autumn. There will be lots of outside attention on freshers but all students need help adjusting. Our response to supporting new and returning students is led by our Being, Belonging, Becoming framework, based on evidence first produced by my colleague Catherine Carroll-Meehan as to how students become part of their learning community.WONKHE
ITGA News & Announcements
Job Posting: Virginia Tech - Director of Local Government and Community Relations in the NRV. Learn more.
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