Town-and-gown partnerships to be topic of Boulder conference
The city of Boulder and the University of Colorado at Boulder have yet another reason to celebrate their long-standing tradition and productive history of positive town-gown relations, as they have been selected to host the Sixth Annual International Town and Gown Association University-City Relations Conference, set for May 31-June 3, 2011.
The only conference of its kind in the nation, the Town-Gown Relations Conference explores ways to enhance existing relationships and build future partnerships between cities and universities by bringing together key practitioners and decision makers within these settings to share knowledge, challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, and create tools for transforming ideas into action.
With a theme of Partnerships in Action, the 2011 conference will boast a platform highlighting the power and promise of university and city collaborations in creating economically thriving, vibrant and sustainable communities. Tracks will include:
Environmental Sustainability:
- Getting People Out of Cars and onto Bikes, Foot and Transit
- Integrated City-Campus Planning
- Coordinated Climate Action
Social Sustainability:
- Alcohol and Other Drug Issues
- Community Engagement
- Judicial Issues
Economic Vitality:
- The Economic Impact of a University
- Tech Transfer
In an environment of municipal spending and taxation limits, state budget cuts and concerns about rising tuition, cities and universities are looking for more ways to share costs of services and programs and achieve high levels of economies of scale. Partnerships in Action will provide this opportunity by creating a cross-disciplinary environment of dialogue among elected officials and professionals, faculty, campus and city planners, mayors, university presidents, law enforcement officials and students.
Information on the call for papers is available at www.itgaonline.org.
For questions, please contact Suzanne Stafford, director of off-campus services at CU-Boulder:Suzanne.Stafford@Colorado.EDU or 303-492-7053.