The Power of the ITGA Community
Greetings friends, near and far. It's another day to serve our shared communities, while continuing to virtually lead and bond in historic circumstances. I appreciate everyone who can take time to read this, knowing you're working hard and adjusting to current realities, minute to minute. So, thank you.

It has been a privilege to be ITGA's executive director in recent months, more than ever before. We're increasingly essential and a go-to resource for a growing number of organizations in every sector. Of equal importance is seeing the power of universities, colleges and their home towns responding in a crisis, sharing their immense talents and strong hearts for the common good. I've received related notes and news from all over the world in recent days, represented in part by this send from Stony Brook University's director of community relations Joan Dickinson:

Beth, I wanted to share a piece about the donation drive being held here on campus. Stony Brook University and Hospital have been collecting a variety of items from the community, across the nation and around the globe to help fight COVID-19.
Unfortunately for us, New York is at the top of the list for people testing positive and COVID deaths. Our hospital staff have been working around the clock for months. The need for PPE is very high. In addition, early in March, our campus became a state drive-through testing site, and the Army Corp of Engineers is currently here to build a temporary hospital. There are big changes all throughout
the campus.
Donations and support have been pouring in, thanks to hundreds of generous donors. This article speaks to where we were a few days ago.
Thanks for letting me share this. It's been an emotionally exhausting time for all, and people I know have died.
I hope all of our ITGA members are safe, and look forward to connecting, any way we can.
Best, Joan

Best to you Joan, and friends, please continue to share your stories about challenges and opportunities in spring 2020. They're inspirational and a source of strength.
Finally, we hope you can participate in one of our " ITGA Connects " sessions this week, details below, produced in response to common questions and needs from you, our members and associates.

Beth Bagwell, MPA
ITGA Executive Director
Tuesday's (4/14) ITGA Connects 12:00-1:00pm ET: College Towns in Crisis
Until recently, "College towns: Economic powerhouses," was a common headline about a rock-solid reality. These articles inevitably saluted higher education's role as major employers, with billions in expenditures, and key leadership in creating new companies and local jobs. The strength of college towns was also routinely featured in lists on "Best Places to Live," touting vibrant communities, both rural and urban, in states big and small. In spring of 2020, many of Americas' great college towns are now represented by closed businesses and non-profits, and a collapsed real estate/rental market.
Tuesday's ITGA Connects: College Towns in Crisis, noon-1:00pm ET, will be co-moderated by ITGA Board members Steve Patterson, mayor of Athens, Ohio and Gary Stewart, an associate vice president at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY, with Beth Bagwell, ITGA's executive director, in attendance.
Updates on current events tied to shared economies, community engagement, students in transition, state and federal recovery initiatives, and ITGA's role in related work, will be touched on, with Q&A along the way. To participate, contact beth@itga.org.
Thursday's (4/16) ITGA Connects 12:00-1:00pm ET COVID-19, Student Outreach
How are institutions staying connected to their students in order to provide effective communication and support? Register and learn how to utilize the tools and stakeholders within your community that can help ensure quick, effective and robust messaging.
Thursday's ITGA Connects: Student Outreach, noon-1:00pm ET, University of Colorado Director of Off-Campus Housing & Neighborhood Relations, Jeff Morris, will be talking about his unit's new LiveChat feature, working with student staff, and engaging property managers and landlords on shared messaging. To participate, contact beth@itga.org .
ITGA's virtual conference: More details soonest
As I touched on last week, we're preparing for a world-class virtual conference, date and details coming soonest. Your ideas and inputs will make this a stand-out responsive conference that reflects both ITGA today and tomorrow. In the very near future, we will send out information on how to participate, and related specs on costs, registrations and answers to general inquiries.
This will be a work in process and time-sensitive clarity will lead throughout. Stay tuned and please send immediate questions to susan@itga.org .
International Town & Gown Association www.itga.org