Conference(s) and Openings
Good morning/afternoon/evening from ITGA! It's another day to serve all things town-gown, near and far.

Our conference hashtag is #ITGAVirtual2020. We'll have more information on the conference in next week's Campus-Community Connections, and thanks to those of you who have registered to attend and/or present.

Some key deadlines are coming up and this year's conference will be ITGA's best, in the most challenging of times. Please click here for more information on #ITGAVirtual2020 registration and call for proposals. We need your collective leadership and experiences as never before, and look forward to seeing you in early June.
Looking Ahead to the Fall
As you know, these bottom-line questions remain front and center for the majority of college towns: Will our campus open again, what will COVID-related testing protocols be like, where have opening decisions been made to date, and when might greater clarity on these questions be forthcoming?

It was interesting to read this article from The Chronicle of Higher Education on the University of California at San Diego's plans for bringing students back to campus. Starting today (Monday), UC San Diego, "will put part of the plan to test, concluding a dry run of a monitoring regime that would offer a coronavirus test to the 5,000 students now on campus. Ultimately, the university hopes to run tens of thousands of tests a month, and to allow the 65,000-person campus to achieve a loose semblance of normal operations come fall."

We are interested in hearing about your plans, questions and comments tied to opening, and committed to sharing information on this topic, both in our weekly Campus-Community Connections and other platforms as needed. Please send opening news from your campus and community to outreach@itga.org . And of course, openings and related decision-making and strategies will be part of our conversation that begins three weeks from today, at conference!
UK Connections, May 20
As chair of the UK Town and Gown Association (UKTGA), our UKTGA Steering Group has postponed our November 2020 Conference, and is looking forward to gathering in 2021 at the University of Birmingham.

In the interim, we recognize the importance of continued collaboration, and hope you can participate in an online discussion next week on current COVID-related challenges and opportunities on all our shared town-gown interests. Our virtual forum is May 20 2-4pm, GMT, and here's a short message from me, explaining in more detail.

If you are interested in participating, please email Poppy Humphrey by close of business today, May 11. Along with being Chair of the UKTGA, Cooper Healey is also an ITGA Board member.
Student Power
"University sets up Volunteer Center for Community Response to Pandemic." UVA Today. Learn more .

"10 N.J. universities create N.J. Scholar Corps Program with goal of bringing in-state students home." ROI NJ. Learn more .

"Undergrads giving back." Nevada Today. Learn more .

"Answer the call': Princeton students volunteer to help medical workers." The daily Princetonian. Learn more .

Please continue to share your stories about challenges and opportunities in spring 2020. They're inspirational and a source of strength.

Beth Bagwell, MPA
ITGA Executive Director
International Town & Gown Association www.itga.org