ITGA's Statement, REAL Action and Board Highlight
Greetings ITGA members and friends;

ITGA shares the feelings of many of our campus and community colleagues about systemic racism and racial violence in America. We are saddened and angered by the murder of George Floyd and all of the persons of color whose lives were lost at the hands of law enforcement officers.

There are no easy answers. As leaders, we are dedicated to creating more equitable communities with respect for all human rights. There is a lot of work to do to make our organization and communities more diverse and inclusive. We must listen, learn and take action to reform, rebuild and reframe the conversations to create positive change.

One way we are doing this is through a Courageous Conversations Series. One of the most powerful vehicles for change is actively listening to the personal experiences of others. We are working closely with the People of Color Group to learn from and embrace the change that will help heal our nation. We are partnering with NLC's Race, Equity, And Leadership (REAL) Director Leon Andrews to facilitate the discussions needed to move this conversation toward action. We hope you will join us in building relationships, trust and lasting change in our communities.

ITGA will launch the Courageous Conversations Series, Wednesday, July 15, noon-1:00pm (EDT) . This discussion will be moderated by the People of Color Group. Registration opens next week. This webinar is free for ITGA members. The date and details for NLC's REAL Training will be announced soon. Questions? Contact [email protected].
ITGA's Certificate Program: Your Feedback Requested
ITGA will be launching a NEW virtual Certificate in Town-Gown Relations. According to a recent article in the New York Times , "Efforts to stem the pandemic have squeezed local economies across the nation, but the threat is starting to look existential in college towns." In addition to the new Certificate program, we will offer "ITGA Connects: Hot Topics" sessions this fall. Please take this quick survey that will help us build the content most relevant to your campus-community needs. To learn about the Certificate program and content from last year's workshop, click here .
Board Member Highlight: Gary Stewart
  • Gary Stewart, associate vice president at Cornell University, has served on the Board two years. During his time on the board, Gary:
  • Managed ITGA-branded regional conferences, including the 2019 gathering attended by presenter, ITGA Board member Athens, Ohio Mayor Steve Patterson.
  • Produced as award-winning weekly radio show "All Things Equal" that has featured ITGA staff, board members and friends of ITGA as guests, including Lisa Dvorak, Past-president of ITGA, University of Vermont's Joe Speidel and Leon Andrews.
  • Staged an annual Town-Gown Awards event that recognizes notable collaborations and local leaders, an impressive gathering with Cornell University's president that I was honored to speak at in 2018.
  • Saw the need for both an ITGA outreach committee and intern program, and got them off the ground in 2019. Cornell's Office of Community Relations was home to ITGA's first intern.
  • Launched the first Community Service Project at the 2019 ITGA City & University Relations Conference in the State College Community at the Taproot Kitchen.
  • Thank you Gary for your service and devotion to the ITGA, including in many other areas that have been largely under the radar. Beth Bagwell, ITGA Executive Director
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 .