Each year, the ITGA recognizes members who work toward improving the quality of life in Town & Gown communities. This is an opportunity for university or college professionals, city or county officials and staff, community leaders and/or students to receive recog-nition for the work they do to better their communities. The recipients of the awards will be recognized at the ITGA Conference in Eugene. The  Larry Abernathy Award  is in honor of Mayor Larry Abernathy, the mayor of the City of Clemson, who had a passion for the ITGA. Remembering his deep appreciation for collaboration, recipients will be chosen that best represent the true spirit of the ITGA mission. The ITGA Presidential Excellence Award highlight members who demonstrate exceptional performance in one of the following areas: Leadership, Educational Achievement or Volunteer Service. Nominate someone today! To learn more about the awards, click here.   

UBC News, by Staff Writers

In an expansion of regional cooperation, the University of British Columbia and the University of Washington announced the establishment of the Casadia Urban Analytics Cooperative to use data to help cities and communities address challenges from traffic to home-lessness. The largest industry-funded research partner-ship between UBC and the UW, the collaborative will bring faculty, students and community stakeholders together to solve pro-blems, and is made possible thanks to a $1-million gift from Microsoft. A Boston Consulting Group study showed the region between Seattle and Vancouver has "high potential to cultivate an innovation corridor" that com-petes on an international scale, but only if the regional leaders work to-gether. The study says that could be possible through sustained collab-oration, a skilled workforce, research and a dynamic policy environment. 

WCHL Chapelboro.com, by Steph Beckett

Alcohol and college towns are two things that often go hand-in-hand. But one local group is looking to make sure that high-risk drinking, or drinking that causes ill effects to someone's health or safety, is a thing of the past. Elinor Landess is the director of the Chapel Hill Campus and Community Coalition to Reduce the Nega-tive Impacts of High Risk Drinking. She said it's impor-tant that as many community members are involved as possible. "We're talking about alcohol, but what we're really talking about is a public health problem that affects many difference parts of our community," she said. The town, university and county have come together to help fund the efforts of the Coalition and have helped with projects like starting a best practices program for restaurants and a social norms campaign on campus. 

The community has also helped with late night party patrols. 

Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal, by Andrew Rice

Loud parties, public urination, parking woes and over-crowding were reasons behind the City Council's deci-sion to move ahead with a six-month moratorium on lodging houses, aimed at addressing off-campus hous-ing for Bates College Students. The moratorium will prohibit establishing a lodging house in the Neighbor-hood Conservation B district. The time frame will allow the Planning and Code Enforcement Department to meet with neighbors, property owners and Bates College officials to address the issue. A Bates College spokesperson told the Sun Journal last week that only 170 seniors are allowed to live off-campus. He said each off-campus location has a "house liaison," and that Bates campus security works closely with Lewiston police. Mayor Robert Macdonald and several councilors agreed with residents that the issue is "changing the face of the neighborhood."     

Oshkosh Northwestern, by Noreen Johnson

Jeanne Nelson, retired director of UW-Oshkosh Alumni Relations was one of Learning in Retirement's original instructors providing two learning opportunities: Currently Speaking and Readers' Choice in fall 1998. Members had the option of one course in the morning, adjourned for lunch and then met again in the afternoon for another program. Under the leadership of Dr. Marsha Rossiter of UW-Oshkosh Continuing Education Office, community members and university staff started an adult learning program based in Oshkosh using facilities on campus. For a basic membership fee, the members were provided seven sessions or classes and one filed trip to learn more about the Lake Winnebago sturgeon. Members could choose to participate in as many or as few activities as their calendar and health allowed. Members were exposed to new ideas, recapturing knowledge once learned and enjoyed without the pressure of preparation. What a win-win opportunity. 

EdSurge News, by Ellyson Glance

American higher education, particularly in the liberal arts, is currently on the edge of a precipice. Rising tuition costs have put pressure on schools to prepare their students for a financially successful future. Many students are turning to STEM and other vocational fields in hopes of better job prospects. Another career path that's increasingly popular, but less clear-cut is entre-preneurship. According to the Kauffman Foundation's 2008 report on this trend, entrepreneurship in higher education is growing fast, with formal programs quadrupling from 104 in 1975 to more than 500 in 2006. This trend towards entrepreneurship can be powerful for universities. As Makaela Kinsley, director of the Patricelli Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Wesleyan University notes, "entrepreneurship education is finally bridging the research-to-practice gap that has plagued liberal arts. 

A growing and impressive group of professionals from campus communities across the globe continue to network and share strategies for improving town and gown relations. Join us on Twitter and LinkedIn.  

The ITGA strengthens town and gown partnerships by providing a network of professionals and resources, identifying and sharing leading practices, innovative solutions and professional development opportunities for municipal and university communities.