To: ITGA Members and Friends
From: Ron Jackson, ITGA Board President
Race, Equity, And Leadership workshop by Leon Andrews
Happy new year! With a new year comes opportunities to serve and grow and I am grateful to have you all engaged with ITGA.

Looking forward to the ITGA City & University Relations Conference in Boulder, June 1-3, we are super excited to bring back Leon Andrews, Director, Race, Equity, And Leadership (REAL) with the National League of Cities to host a special pre-conference workshop.

Leon will continue his conversation from last year's exciting line-up of keynoters where he highlighted elements of his training. The one-day workshop, REAL Action : Advancing Racial Equity and Leadership in Town-Gown Relations , will allow participants to unpack how bias manifests in our personal and collective decision making, policies and practices and what this means for the safety, growth and unity of our communities. Not only will this be an opportunity for municipalities and universities to send teams to participate in this daylong workshop, attendees will have opportunities to network with others as they work through what can be life-changing constructs.

This will not be an ordinary inclusion training, so register and join us in Boulder on May 31, 8:30am-4:00pm, for this interactive learning opportunity. To learn more about the workshop and REAL, click here . To register for this pre-conference workshop, click here . Seats are limited so register today! We look forward to seeing you in Boulder!

Please feel free to contact me RonJ1906@att.net or Beth@itga.org with comments or questions.
Emily Allen, ITGA Board President-Elect
Certificate in Town-Gown Relations
by Instructors Emily Allen and Michael Fox
Take the advice of one of last year's participants and don't miss out on "one of the most welcoming, warm, and fun places I've been in at a conference!"

The ITGA is proud to once again present Certificate Level 1 in Town-Gown Relations. Join theorists and practitioners as they provide a foundation for understanding the complex issues in starting, repairing, and/or strengthening relations in town and gown communities. This pre-conference workshop, held on Sunday, May 31st, 8:30am-4:00pm, will cover everything from understanding Studentification to how you can implement a plan in your community to expand your town-gown partnership.

Certificate Level 1 is designed for practitioners who are new to the area of town-gown relations. Whether you are from an institution of higher education or from a municipality, the certificate covers a breadth of areas that are applicable to you. The emergent university-community relationship includes strategic governance, planning, and a teaching and learning function where the university and civic leaders play a significant role in maintaining a healthy partnership with local residents, institutions and community groups. This interactive session is designed for participants to engage with the instructors and each other in a reflective process of planning for the future in their community.

Again, take it from last year's attendees and join us on Sunday, May 31st.

  • "I loved that it was the day before the conference. It made me feel like I had a sense of community..."

  • "It required me to analyze the relationship between town and university in a defined framework. I am continually analyzing the world around me, but often it is less unless there is a framework to use."

  • "I appreciate the balance of theory and practice."

  • What I appreciate was the "...networking, meeting peers, having an opportunity to feel like I belonged/was connected before the actual conference began. I felt like I could attend day one of the conference hitting the ground running."

  • 90% of 2019's attendees said the certificate level course is applicable to any attendee.

To register for this workshop, click here . For questions, contact emily.allen@colostate.edu .
ITGA Conference Reminders and Deadlines
We hope you will join us in Boulder on May 31st, 8:30am-4:00pm for one of the workshops above. Also, the special early discount rate ends January 31st. To take advantage of this early rate, click here .

Remember to submit your conference proposal ideas by February 3rd. To view tracks and submission details, click here .

Finally, we are excited about the special membership opportunity. Please consider inviting friends and colleagues to join our growing and essential network! For questions about the special membership discount, contact Susan@itga.org .
International Town & Gown Association www.itga.org