"The Iowa team submitted a spectacular proposal with this year's focus on Sustainable Partnerships for the Future.  The fantastic support from their campus and community along with their ability to draw outstanding keynote speakers and national leaders from university/cities from all across the nation has set the stage to cover new ground in town-gown relations and projects.  The ITGA commends Ames and Iowa State on the leadership provided by Julie Weeks and Julie Kieffer with this conference.  Their dedication and teamwork with their host committee has already taken the energy level for this year's conference to new heights," said Kim Griffo, executive director of the International Town and Gown Association.

There is growing recognition of the benefits of positive town-gown relations.  The universities and their host cities that make town-gown relationships a top priority often create stronger communities and high quality living and learning environments. In an environment of municipal spending and taxation limits, state budget cuts, and concerns about rising tuition, cities and universities need to find more ways to share costs of services and programs and leverage economies of scale. The International Town & Gown Association and Best Practices conference provides the forum to do just that.  The Ames, Iowa conference, scheduled for June 1-4^th will attract participants from across the nation and across a wide range of professions to discuss the dynamics and importance of results-driven town-gown relationships.  What makes this event unique is the cross-disciplinary nature of the conversations.  Only at the Best Practices in Building University /City Relations Conference will you find elected officials and city administrators alongside university leadership and staff, campus and city planners, mayors, university presidents, law enforcement officials and students. The conference energy empowers the creative development and implementation of innovative solutions. 

The ITGA strives to promote an environment of deliberative dialogue among students, faculty, staff, elected officials, decision makers and the public at large. The ITGA is the National and Global link bringing together practitioners from varying fields addressing immediate and future opportunities for Town-Gown communities and regions they serve. The International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) headquarters is located in Clemson, S.C, at Clemson University.  The City of Clemson and Clemson University are widely considered to be national models for building and maintaining positive and mutually beneficial town-gown relationships.