Fort Collins residents soon will be able to conduct face to face businesses with select city and CSU departments without traveling to campus or across town. Campus West Connections, a new city of Fort Collins office operated in partnership with CSU, is scheduled to open Sept. 13. The office will be a place for residents to meet with a code enforcement clerk or pick up a police report. Students will be able to register their parties and bicycles as well as find guidance on off-campus rental property issues. The facility is intended to provide residents a convenient way to connect with services that are pertinent to them and their living situations, said Eric Keselburg, code compliance supervisor with Fort Collins Neighborhood Services. The area around Campus West is home for students and longterm residents who are concerned about preserving the livability of their neighborhoods.  

In his past university presidencies, Ohio University President Duane Nellis has always held strong ties with city administrations. Nellis said a good relationship with the City of Athens is vital for OU's success. Nellis was named businessperson of the year for 2015 by the Chamber of Commerce in Lubbock, Texas, which shows his "visibility in the community and commitment to work closely with community leaders." Athens Mayor Steve Patterson said he and Nellis met several times to discuss OU's relationship with Athens. Patterson said he and Nellis are continuing a tradition that began between former Athens Mayor Paul Wiehl and former OU President Roderick McDavis. "These meetings that we've had have all been strong meetings looking at ways to benefit our community as a whole," Patterson said. The relationship between the city and university is better than it's ever been.  

The College Park Partnership, by Staff Writers

The College Park City-University partnership is a com-munity development corporation founded as a partner-ship between the University of Maryland, College Park and the City of College Park. Similar to many town-gown organizations, it began at a time of increased tension as a platform for revolving issues and engaging in joint projects. The Partnership is financially supported equally by both the city and the university. Now, the Partnership is working to implement the University District Vision 2020, a collaborative community vision focusing on five strategy areas: Revitalization and Redevelopment, Public Safety, Transportation, preK-12 Education and Sustainability. Please join us to learn about this collaboration, the dynamic changes happening in College Park and how the Partnership represents a new way of thinking about campus communities nationwide. To learn more, click here. 

The Seattle Times, by Cascadia Innovation Corridor

At last fall's inaugural Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference, held in Vancouver, the Boston Consulting Group released a study highlighting how the major city-regions around the world are becoming centers of innovation and economic growth. Think Singapore, San Francisco, London. The shared strengths in Seattle and Vancouver offer a unique opportunity to collaborate and raise the region's profile as an innovative hub. Governor Jay Inslee and then B.C. Premier Christy Clark energized the Cascadia Innovation Corridor partnership with a former MOU to enhance collaboration in research, trade transportation  and education. The momentum builds this fall as Inslee and other key players from government, academia and business, including Microsoft, Hootsuite, the University of Washington and the University of British Columbia, meet in a second annual conference.  

The Lantern, by Kaylin Hynes

Good news for Ohio State employees itching to buy a house near campus: the university recently expanded its Homeownership Incentive Program which provides forgivable loans to staff looking to buy in the University District and the Near East Side. The program provides a zero-interest forgivable loan for down payments on a house. In this case, 20 percent of the original loan would be forgiven each year. The program is administered by Campus Partners, the university's nonprofit development extension, which oversees the University District Incentives areas-and Partners Achieving Community Transformation, which handles the incentive area on the Near East Side. The PACT and Campus Partners program are offered to staff members and faculty who are 50 percent employment or greater at Ohio State. The house must be their permanent residence, and in the incentive area to qualify. 

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.