ICMA and the International Town-Gown Association (ITGA) recently signed an affiliation agreement that will help advance the missions of both organizations.

Affiliation Agreement

This agreement was formalized earlier this year with support from past ITGA President Tom Fountaine, manager, Borough of State College, Pennsylvania, and former ICMA Vice President; Beth Bagwell, ITGA Executive Director; and current ITGA President Jim Fitzgerald, and community relations chair, University of Virginia. The affiliation will advance the strategic objectives of the organizations through membership development, information sharing, and other services related to the advancement of good local governance, the awareness of the value of professional local governance, and the importance of fostering strong relationships between institutions of higher learning and the communities in which they reside.

Projects of interest include securing additional instructors for the ITGA Certificate in Town-Gown Relations and promoting participation in the second annual International Town-Gown Assessment Survey.

Survey Opportunity - Deadline April 18

The ITGA survey, a partnership between ITGA and Brailsford and Dunlavey, a nationally recognized program management consulting firm, is an attempt to collect information about the unique issues and opportunities facing universities and the communities in which they reside. The goals of the survey include collecting valuable information on multiple town-gown topics, identifying model projects that may be recognized as best of class, and developing case studies focusing on the hurdles and springboards encountered in town-gown relations.

The International Town-Gown Association is encouraging ICMA members to complete the second annual survey. The data collected through this survey represents an important step in establishing key performance metrics with value to elected officials, local government managers and administrators, planners, and public safety managers in cities that host universities. The survey data also provides valuable information for college and university administration, faculty, and staff in the quest to create strong, vibrant college towns. The survey will remain open until April 18, 2014. Participate in the survey.

Participating institutions, community members, and local governments will receive a copy of the survey results summary upon request. Questions about the survey can be directed to B&D by sending an e-mail to survey@programmanagers.com. Participants completing the survey will be eligible for a drawing for a joint local government-university membership or a complimentary pass to the ITGA conference in June 2014.

To learn more about ITGA, the ITGA conference, and membership, visit itgau.org or contact Beth Bagwell at beth@itgau.org.