The Ohio State University and City of Columbus hosted the 13th annual ITGA City & University Relations Conference. With approximately 400 in attendance from 36 states and provinces, the conference offered more than 80 breakout sessions with a wide variety of topics in economic development, community relations, law enforcement, city/university planning, student affairs, arts and culture and much more. The theme for the Conference was Investing in the Future: Town Gown Relationships and the Future of our Communities. The keynote address was by Alex Fischer, President and CEO of the Columbus Partnership. The ITGA is very appreciative of this year's conference hosts and planning committee for their dedication to making this a great conference experience for our attendees. ITGA.org

The ITGA honored the Ogden Civic Action Network (OgdenCAN) for a plan that will combine the resources of seven long-time Ogden Institutions to strengthen a 10-by-10-block area of the city known as the east-central neighborhood. East central is Ogden's most economically disadvantaged area. Of the 15,037 residents, an estimated 30 percent live in poverty and face challenges involving education, housing and access to health care. The vision of OgdenCAN is to improve the health, strength and engagement of our community-socially, environmentally, educationally and civically," said Brenda Marsteller Kowalewski, associate provost for high-impact programs and faculty development. Click here to learn about OgdenCAN. Weber State University

The University of Denver unveiled plans to transform the core of its campus into a bustling area for shopping and restaurants, starting with a $143 million construction project that will include a new freshman dorm and community commons area. The initiative, called the Denver Advantage Campus Framework Plan, is a 10-year bid to turn the 125-acre DU campus into a vibrant college town in the heart of the city, Chancellor Rebecca Chopp said. It calls for bringing in more retail, affordable housing and restaurants to the campus and even a hotel on its north side. DU wants to blur its campus boundaries while being more visitor friendly to surrounding neighborhoods, Chopp said. The Denver Post

Bowling Green and Bowling Green State University were chosen to be the hosts of the 3rd Annual Ohio Town and Gown Summit this summer. The summit is scheduled for July 18-20 at the Bowen-Thompson Student Union on campus. The summit provides an opportunity for networking and learning more about successful strategies and best practices for universities and their host communities to work together to create a cohesive and thriving community. Discussions and presentations will be designed to strengthen the relationships between Ohio higher education institutions and their respective municipalities, along with focusing on the unique opportunities and challenges that have been minimized with specific approaches.

Sentinel-Tribune

A new report to Toronto's licensing and standards committee recommends more rigorous scrutiny of fraternity and sorority houses, which would require operators to annually prove the status of their properties. Currently, they enjoy a largely unmonitored exemption to the city's rooming house by-law. Toronto's executive committee instructed city staff to consult with stakeholders and prepare the report to address the concentration of fraternity and sorority houses in residential neighbourhoods near the University of Toronto's St. George campus. The city review found that complaints have been lodged concerning 15 of the 19 such houses currently accommodating students. REMI Network

Lumina Foundation, in partnership with The Kresge Foundation, has announced the designation of an additional seven communities across the country as Talent Hubs. These cities, along with 17 others selected in 2017, earned this designation by meeting rigorous standards for creating environments that attract, retain and cultivate talent, particularly among today's students, many of whom are people of color, the first in their families to go to college, and from low-income households. The seven new communities designated as Talent Hubs are Corpus Christi, Texas; Detroit; Elkhart County, Ind.; Las Vegas; Mobile, Ala.; Rio Grande Valley, Texas; and St. Louis. Lumina Foundation