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Campus-Community Connections
The official newsletter of the International Town & Gown Association™ March 25, 2021
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Conference Update & Upcoming Events
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This year's host, the City of Milwaukee and Marquette University, in partnership with ITGA, have been working overtime to provide you with a premier conference experience. We are super excited about the educational sessions, keynote speakers, and networking opportunities offered at this year's ITGA City & University Relations Conference. We are bringing the City of Milwaukee to you in unique ways! You will not want to miss this event. The schedule will be made available in early April. To register, click here.
Below are opportunities designed with you in mind. The ITGA Board is composed of members serving in a leadership role. The deadline for nominations is rapidly approaching. The Town-Gown Turn Around - Round Table is the third in a series of discussions moderated by ITGA Board member Sara Bloom. This has been a very popular series! Finally, the ITGA Awards are ways to highlight the extraordinary accomplishments of our members.
Open Nominations for Board of Directors: We need you! As a member of ITGA, you have the privilege of nominating yourself or another member to serve on the ITGA Board of Directors. We are seeking dynamic professionals who want to take a more active role in ITGA by serving in a leadership position. The openings are for two-or- three-year terms, beginning July 1, 2021. This leadership role offers you the opportunity to expand your professional network and to help advance the organization. If interested, click here to learn more. Applications are due Friday, March 26.
March 31, 1200 pm (ET): Town-Gown Turn Around - Round Table: ITGA will continue the virtual networking and information sharing monthly through the Town-Gown Turn Around series. We will maintain our focus on strengthening partnerships between town and college/university stakeholders in 2021 and beyond. If you would like to address a particular topic, please email the info to sara@downtownhays.com. To register, click here. Registration closes Tuesday, March 30.
The 2021 ITGA Awards Submissions are open! ITGA is now accepting nominations for the Presidential Excellence Award and the Larry Abernathy Award. Topics in the past included healthy communities projects, revitalizing a downtown, and creating a sense of place. Recipients of the awards will be recognized at the 2021 virtual ITGA City & University Relations Conference in May. Submissions are due Monday, April 19. To see past submissions, click here.
We hope that you are doing well and that you feel supported in the work you do. ITGA is here for you, so please reach out to us anytime with request for resources, professional development or to share new ideas. We will continue to keep you informed on the expanding range of professional development opportunities and partnerships that are in the works. This is an exciting time to be an ITGA member!
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Colleges Short of Cash: Sell the Campus?
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Akron, OH: One thing the pandemic has demonstrated is that many businesses can function reasonably well without their employees leaving home. Big corporate skyscrapers or even massive college campuses maybe are not needed. While much of the collegiate experience involves social interaction that usually requires some degree of physical closeness between members of the university community, many colleges have had vast amounts of essentially deserted classroom, administrative office and housing space for almost a year without perishing. Yet a combination of falling enrollments and special Covid-19-related expenses have put most campuses into weakened financial condition. What to do? According to news reports, the University of Akron has decided it might sell up to one million square feet of the eight million it owns, the equivalent of one pretty big skyscraper. Forbes
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Pubs Could Require Vaccine Passports
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The UK: A review is looking into whether people should have to prove they have been vaccinated, as lockdown measures ease. A government source told the BBC that the option of allowing people to show a negative test was also being looked at. But Tory MP Steve Baker said it was a "ghastly trap" and unfairly penalised those advised not to have a vaccine. Mr Johnson also said it seemed "wholly responsible" for care companies to require their workers to be vaccinated. Speaking to the House of Commons Liaison Committee, Mr Johnson added that "the principle is there" in terms of professions requiring certain vaccines when "entrusted with care of a patient." But the idea of asking pub goers to show a vaccine certificate was strongly rejected by Mr Baker. "First they said we'll need them to watch the football, and today that it may be papers for the pub," he said. He warned that such a situation would prevent pregnant women - who have been advised not to take the vaccine - from "taking part in society." BBC News
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DePaul Nursing Students Help Vaccinate Chicagoans
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Chicago, IL: In all, 20 DePaul faculty and 150 students are volunteering to help the Chicago Department of Public Health at vaccination sites. Chicago nursing students are jumping off the sidelines, straight into the fight against COVID. This comes at a pivotal point as vaccinations ramp up, and veteran health care workers feel the strain one year into the pandemic. Associate Professor Kim Amer leads a group of nursing students volunteering at the vaccination site inside Truman College on Chicago’s North Side. "I volunteered. I didn’t have to do this, but I just think that it’s fabulous we have this vaccine. It’s almost a miracle we have vaccines available," said Amer. Beyond helping, this is real world experience - which during the pandemic has been hard to come by for nursing students. Many of these students say this work convinced them they are on the right career path. Fox32Chicago
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President/Mayor Engage in Door-to-Door Campaigns
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Ewing, NJ: College President Kathryn Foster said she would be engaging in a door-to-door campaign alongside Ewing Mayor Bert Steinmann to bridge Ewing and College communities, ensuring that students would be aware of maintaining the safety of those around them. Foster announced that the two would be visiting off-campus student houses, particularly those with larger groups such as athletics, sororities or fraternities, in hopes of convincing students to follow CDC Covid-19 guidelines, social distancing and mask wearing. “The idea is to show our support for students,” Foster said. “We know that students who live off campus, who are choosing to come to campus, are essentially what we would call the campus community this semester …. safety measures, compliance, testing, those are all things that are essential to keeping the campus safe.” The Signal
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ITGA News & Announcements
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Registration: The ITGA 2021 Virtual City & University Relations Conference registration is open. To learn more about the conference or register, click here.
Sponsorship: Interested in being a conference sponsor? We welcome sponsors wishing to support strong town-gown relationships while showcasing their services and products and interacting with hundreds of campus-community stakeholders from the UK, Canada, the US and beyond. Learn more.
Contact Susan@itga.org to discuss conference registration, sponsorship opportunities, or ITGA membership.
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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.
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