(International Town & Gown Association News Release)

Clemson, S.C. – The International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) announced today at its Executive Board meeting that Eastern Kentucky University and its host college town, the City of Richmond, KY, have joined the ITGA as Full General Members.

Association Executive Director, Chip Boyles, told the committee that,” it is exciting to bring on another combined university-college town general member to the association’s growing membership roles. Joint memberships such as EKU and Richmond offer valuable opportunities for other colleges and college towns to experience existing successful partnership like EKU’s and Richmond’s. The leaders of the Richmond college community will quickly take an active role in working with the ITGA.”

The International Town & Gown Association is a non-profit organization that brings together leaders from college and university campuses and communities from across the US and Canada.

Member representatives include Mayors, Elected Officials, City Administrators, Police Chiefs, Planners, University/College Presidents, Business Officers, Chief Public Relations Officers, Student Affairs Officers, Campus Planners, Student Housing Staff, Off-campus student staff, Parking & Transportation Officials, Students, Neighborhood Officials, Private Housing Developers, and many others sharing a unified town-gown vision. The ITGA acts as a communication, education, consulting and training resource for decision makers of colleges and college communities in areas of shared resources, programs, planning and project opportunities while addressing existing and potential conflicts.

Members of the ITGA will join Eastern Kentucky University and the City of Richmond leaders in open lines of communication and educational training helping promote college town leadership in Richmond and across the Americas. Members receive access to sample documents, publications, training conferences and best practice examples of college town issues and receive ongoing communication between national members through newsletters, on-line forums and web based information.

In deciding to jointly join the ITGA, Eastern Kentucky University with the City of Richmond, Eastern Kentucky University President Dr. Doug Whitlock stated, “the City of Richmond and Eastern Kentucky University have always enjoyed a mutually supportive relationship. We think the International Town & Gown Association will give us a means to take our partnership to a new level as we will have access to ideas and best practices from many institutions and communities.”

Mayor Connie Lawson of the City of Richmond, agreed, “For more than a century the City of Richmond and Eastern Kentucky University have worked side-by-side in the areas of economic, educational, lifestyle and cultural progress. As a result of our partnership throughout the years, it should come as no surprise that Richmond and Eastern are viewed to be among the fastest growing and most progressive communities and universities across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. I am proud to be joining EKU President Doug Whitlock as we enter into this heightened collaboration through the International Town & Gown Association and as we seek to develop networks across the nation and parts of the world with other college communities such as Richmond.”

Richmond and EKU are the second university – college town team to join from the State of Kentucky along with Murray and Murray State University. The International Town & Gown Association was founded in 2008 by the City of Clemson, SC, Clemson University and the Clemson Joint City University Advisory Board. The Association now has additional Founding Members of Murray State University, California Polytechnic State University, City of Boulder, the University of Colorado – Boulder, and Michigan State University.

The ITGA now supports over 127 total members made up of Founding, General, Individual and Corporate participants.