Orlando Business Journal, by Rachel Williams

Student housing at the University of Central Florida's future downtown Orlando campus will include 10,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, giving businesses new opportunities to set up shop. This ground-floor commercial and retail space is just one of the new details that has emerged regarding UCF Down-town's future student housing complex. An MOU be-tween UCF, Creative Village developer Ustler Development Inc. and KUD International Inc. will be reviewed by UCF's Finance & Facilities Committee June 27, and later brought to the university's board of trustee for final approval. The MOU documents state Ustler Development and KUD International intend to create a joint-venture agreement for the develop-ment of UCF student housing. It also states that once adopted, the developers will begin a feasibility study  to determine the number of beds needed to accommodate the first phase of the downtown campus.  

Waterloo Regional Record, by Aleksandra Saganians

The work-life balance in European countries seems the stuff of dreams to many Canadians. France has a 35-hour work week and recently gave employees the right to disconnect from email after they leave the office. Sweden, meanwhile, offers workers a minimum five weeks paid vacation time. And many Scandinavian companies have implemented a system of flexible hours and working from home as management encourages employees to craft schedules they fit their personal needs. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has found that average the Canadian works 1,704 hours annually, more than in Germany and Australia although less than those apparently tireless workers in the United States. But as younger generations in Canada move into the workforce, companies will have to implement concrete policies to attract and keep talented workers, says one researcher who's studied the issue here for more than 20 years.  

Congratulations to Normal Police Officers Amanda Street and Greg Leipold, Inspections Director Greg Troemel, Janice Blair and Harriett Steinbach, both from Illinois State University, for receiving the innovation by a Team Award from ISU! The innovation by a Team award is a category of the STAR Awards, which recognize "Staff That Are Remarkable" within the Division of Student Affairs and have made significant contributions to the University during the year. The award recipients are members of the Neighborhood Action Team (NAT) and have worked closely to develop and deliver an innovative re-sponse to student needs. They have created a proactive system to manage topical issues that result from the University being centrally located in the Town of 14,000 of the 21,000 students residing off-campus. NAT has increased livability in near campus neighborhoods and helped students understand their role as community members. 

WSU and the City of Ogden, by Staff Writers

Campus Compact has created a perfect opportunity for town and gown to collaborate. Campus Compact has developed an action statement that encourages univer-sities, colleges and communities to come together and develop locally based civic action plans. These plans are intended to provide a collaborative approach to pro-actively establish common goals for civic engagement and ultimately better prepare the next generation of college students. Currently, there are 395 university presidents and chancellors who have made a public commitment to develop a civic action plan by March 20, 2017. Ideally, the civic action plans will be created with the communities that host the campuses. On June 14, 2016, the City of Ogden, Utah became the first municipality to endorse the Campus Compact Action Statement and  commit to collaborate with Weber State University to develop a civic action plan. A copy of the sample resolution is available online. 

Nottingham Trent University, by Staff Writers

The UK Town and Gown Association will host the 'Town and Gown: Today and Tomorrow' Conference, a two day national event, Nov. 15-16, held at Nottingham Trent University. The conference will share leading practice in relation to off campus activity within the context of the HEI sector. The format follows on from the National Community Conference held at Manchester, UK in November 2014. Having recently attended the 2016 ITGA Conference in Chicago, we would be delighted to extend the invitation for colleagues to attend the UK Conference. This conference is aimed at officers  who lead or contribute to town and gown relations. This will include officers from within Universities, Student Councils, Police, City Officials, Fire Service officers, Private Hall representatives and third sector organisations, as well as others, working to this agenda in a professional capacity. To register your interest, contact Poppy Humphrey , Off Campus Student Affairs Officer.   

Delaware Public Media, by Megan Pauly

It's so long that the list-normally posted online-is closed until further notice. Newark does have special vouchers for landlords agreeing to rent affordable housing units, but George says even with guaranteed payment of rent, it's still hard to convince many landlords. Because of this-and the growing issue of student overflow taking away from affordable housing opportunities-Newark has called in experts to study the housing landscape and make recommenda-tions. In a presentation Tuesday from Urban Partners, different models were presented to help incentivize landlords to rent out more affordable housing units. Michael Fortner, Development Supervisor for the City of Newark, agrees that it will take some convincing to entice landlords to rent to low-income families. "The student housing market has priced a lot of non-student housing rental market out," Fortner said.

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.