My Simple Community

May 30, 2010

If you are lucky enough to live in a college town, you are pretty lucky. Colleges are the world’s absolute best amusement parks. They have nearly every imaginable wonderful everyday experience available all in one location.  The only thing really missing is the welcome mat.

The International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) was formed to create the best two-way mat possible for college towns – welcoming the town to the campus and the campus to the town.

When you think of it, colleges often exist off in a corner, up on the hill, and somewhat secluded… for two historically good reasons.  First, very young adults are off on their own for the first time in their lives and parents want to be sure they are safe. So universities built many decades ago placed a priority on being sure schools were somewhat like fortresses that kept students safe. Second, we didn’t want students to be distracted from their studies by all the wonderful things available in the local town.

Keep in mind, however, that the college campus model was created more than a century ago. A clearly different time with different social needs for students. The vast majority of colleges were built on the old time model – walls out, windows in.

Take a look at your campus.  Do most of the buildings at the edge of campus have bare walls facing the town while all the interior walls, facing the campus green, have windows?  That’s great for the student experience but sends a very strong signal to the town “Vistors not welcome.”

In fact, look at the signs.  Do you have to be a member of the campus community to know what the Schmenkie Building is for?  Yes.  The signs are for insiders. They rarely consider – let alone welcome and guide – the town as a whole.

The ITGA is changing that.  And I believe this is an organization with the potential to take a leading role in reviving American community. Check them out at:  www.town-gown.net.

Over time, this blog may seem to bounce around a lot, but it’s always going to be about community and, in time, maybe it will become the hub of the revival of American community.

That said, I am sitting in a very interesting seat.

I am getting to watch community blossom in high school, college, minor league sports, parks, senior citizen centers, Chambers of Commerce, small newspapers and more. The more I do, the more folks come to me and to www.mysimplecommunity.com to see what we are all about.

Today I want to introduce you to the International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) – www.town-gown.net.  This is an amazing, and relatively new cooperation in college towns between the leadership of schools and the towns where they reside. Kim Griffo, the very new Executive Director, is on a mission to make the most of community through the potential of relationships between towns and municipalities.

Today, just an introduction, but keep an eye on ITGA. Reviving community is neither a race nor a competition, but sometimes it looks like a horse race.  Some days the activity in high school appears to be breakthrough, then NCAA Division II.  At the moment, the group to watch is clearly ITGA.

Breakthrough would be good for all of us.  It means people, groups and companies are committed, passionate, and invested in doing more to really connect us all together.

With this post, we start the “ITGA” tag where you will find posts about how college towns are making community happen.