July 17, 2025

The ITGA Campus-Community Connections Newsletter

Fosters, Connects, and Supports Higher Education and Municipal Partnerships

Welcome to the ITGA Newsletter!

Dear Members and Partners,

Welcome to the latest edition of the ITGA Newsletter — your hub for insights, updates, and innovations at the intersection of campus and community life. As the only organization dedicated exclusively to strengthening town-gown relationships, ITGA is proud to bring you news that highlights the collaboration, challenges, and successes shaping college towns around the world.

In this issue, you'll find inspiring stories from other town-gown communities and resources to support your work. Whether you're a city official, campus leader, or community advocate, we’re glad you’re here — and we’re stronger together.

Warm regards,

The ITGA Team

ITGA News & Announcements

Interested in Joining ITGA?

Join a growing network of campus and community leaders from the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. ITGA is the only professional association uniting town-gown leaders to share best practices and address today’s key campus-community challenges.

#MembershipMonday Highlight

We're highlighting @DLRGroup for their commitment to designing spaces that strengthen both campuses and communities. Their work supports student success, workforce development & local impact.

Inside the ITGA Conference: Session Spotlight

College communities offer unique retail opportunities with stable institutions, strong purchasing power, and a built-in customer base. However, success requires understanding demographic trends, seasonal fluctuations, and real estate challenges. This session provided a data-driven approach to retail growth in town-gown markets, featuring a case study of Maryville, Missouri. Click here for briefing memo.

Presenters: Greg McDanel, ITGA President and City Manager, Seaside, CA; Ryan Heiland, City Manager, Maryville, MO; Elliott Cook, Director of Real Estate, Retail Strategies

National & International News

UWaterloo, Partners Launch Initiative to Drive AI Adoption Across Canada

Bringing together leading experts on technology adoption and public policy, the Canadian AI Adoption Initiative (CAIAI) is tasked with addressing the long-standing productivity crisis in Canada.

Community Resilience: New Grant Awards $5K For Interdisciplinary Teams

The program will award $5,000 to three interdisciplinary proposals that strengthen community resilience and enhance the relationship between Illinois State University and the Bloomington-Normal community.

Embed! How to Save the Civic Agenda

Every university does civic things but this is not the same as being a civic university. James Coe makes the case for a civic agenda about tweaking, rearranging, and embedding the civic everywhere.

Dakota Wesleyan Cares about Town-Gown Relations

"In what ways does the university contribute to the local economy, and how does the local community invest in the university?" DWU President Dan Kittle writes.

Bringing Oak Island's Shoreline to Life: Town Partners with UNCW on Resilience Project

Oak Island approves a memorandum of understanding with the University of North Carolina Wilmington with a goal of improving shoreline erosion in their marshes.

Spotlight

The Office of University Partnerships

In 1994 HUD established the Office of University Partnerships (OUP) in an effort to encourage and expand the growing number of partnerships formed between colleges and universities and their communities.

Share This Email

International Town & Gown Association

Visit Our Website