Session Descriptions

THEME AND OBJECTIVES OF CONFERENCE

The 2009 4th Annual Best Practices Conference: “Town & Gown, A Partnership in Excellence” seeks to highlight projects and programs of “Teaming Across Campus and Community”. The objective of the conference is to showcase how cross-jurisdictional communication creates a culture of positive inter-relationships and sustainability between people, programs, and governance. Presenters will focus on how their subject program, research, perspective or policy forges links between these areas in order to advance sustainable outcomes. Presentations will focus on local, regional, national or global issues.  

The mission of the 2009 4th Annual Best Practices Conference is to create an environment of deliberative dialogue between students, faculty, staff, elected officials, decision makers and the public at large, and to empower the creative development and implementation of innovative solutions.  Novel papers and presentations that address these themes are invited from municipal and college staff, students, business and industry leaders, faculty researchers, citizen advocates, and professionals with local, national, or international perspectives. Municipal and collegiate administration officials are encouraged to participate in presentations.

The conference theme will have three primary tracks: (1) Teaming Across Campus and Community, (2) Civic Engagement/Service Learning, and (3) College and Community as Economic Engines.  Each of these tracks will present numerous conceptual themes that can be addressed through various forms of presentation at the conference.

Track One: Teaming Across Campus and Community

  • Leadership Models – creating models of cross-jurisdictional communication and leadership programs incorporating the diversity of college communities
  • Inter-jurisdictional programs – jointly planned, funded, and operated programs and projects increasing effectiveness, efficiency and economic benefit to direct and indirect beneficiaries. Utilizing collaborative efforts to reduce expenses and increase services for college and community.
  • Communication – development of communication models between students, visitors, citizens, law enforcement and community
  • Housing – off-campus housing programs and efforts integrating students into the community
  • Sports – home-run opportunities and tackling problems

Track Two: Civic Engagement/Service Learning

  • Campus and Community as a living laboratory – student involvement in community
  • Students as Citizens / Citizens as Students – local citizens learning from student life while students learn about community life
  • Student & Faculty Field Research – joint community and college research projects in the field

Track Three: College and Community Together as an Economic Engine

  • Town & Gown Partnerships – creation of economic development programs at a local level benefiting college and community
  • Research as Economic Engines – teaming between higher education, local and/or state governments and private sector to create economic stimulus efforts
  • Legislation – joint programs between town and gown to affect change at the local, state and national legislation.

Past National Conferences

Fort Collins, Colorado and Colorado State University, 2006
Clemson, S.C. and Clemson University, 2006
Gainesville, Florida and University of Florida and Santa Fe Community College, 2007
College Station, Texas and Texas A&M University, 2008

Invited Speakers

Dr. Randy J. Dunn, President Murray State University
Dr. Bob Long, Kellogg Foundation
Dr. Constantine Curris, President, American Association of State Colleges and Universities
Sylvia Lovely
Chip Boyles

 

Conference Questions should be directed to Kim Griffo, conference director, Coordinator for Advancement Services, Murray State University,
kim.griffo@murraystate.edu or phone (270) 809-4415

For more information on Murray State University or Murray, Kentucky see www.murraystate.edu
For more information on the International Town & Gown Association initiatives,
see www.town-gown.net

Creative presentations are encouraged!