Conference Explores Best Practices in Building City and University Relations
by Betsy Paterson
More than 80 municipal officials, their staff and university management level employees recently attended a four-day conference for Best Practices in Building University/City Relations at the University of Florida at Gainesville. I attended as mayor of Mansfield, Conn., and chair of NLC’s University Communities Council.
Topics for presentation were numerous and diverse and were representative of the salient issues and trends that town/gown communities are facing and focusing on to improve relations.
Specific topics included town/gown transit partnerships, event security, single family residential issues and changing the culture of student behavior. Participants had opportunities to network, and hear and share workable solutions to navigating obstacles in their communities.
One of the most interesting programs I learned about was one from Monmouth University in New Jersey, that addressed complaints against college students in off-campus housing. A door hanger from the Office of Off-Campus Housing and Commuter Services was placed at the residence of the student, with detailed information about the complaint, and information about how to resolve the issue. It was a simple, yet effective solution to ensure students and city residents can coexist with fewer problems.
Two recurring themes emphasized at the conference were that town/gown officials at the highest levels must signal a clear commitment to collaborate and become partners committed to long term solutions for the community.
Students should also be viewed as important, necessary and positive change agents in their communities. They can quickly mobilize themselves and become resources around issues.
The conference was very beneficial for sharing best practices with a broader perspective that reach beyond the city leadership and consider the university leadership. I will share what I’ve learned from this conference with the members of the University Communities Council at the Congress of Cities in November.
The purpose of the University Communities Council is to:
• create opportunities for elected municipal officials from university communities to become involved in NLC for networking and information sharing;
• provide input and guidance to NLC to ensure that the needs and interests of municipal officials from university communities are included in NLC programs and services;
• support NLC’s advocacy agenda as part of the NLC grassroots network; • assist NLC in meeting its membership goals;
• attract, engage, and sustain the participation of officials from university communities as active NLC members; and
• provide elected municipal officials with opportunities to build and demonstrate their leadership skills.
Details: For more information about the Gainesville conference, visit http://conferences.dce.ufl.edu/bucr/default.aspx?page=242.
For more information about UCC, visit /inside_nlc/committees___councils/8964.aspx or contact Bonnie Mann at mann@nlc.org or (202) 626-3125 or Alice Walkup at walkup@nlc.org or (202) 626-3073.
Betsy Paterson is mayor of Mansfield, Conn., and chair of NLC’s University Communities Council.
|