A community greatly benefits from having a college or university within the city. Not only does an institution of higher education bring cultural and social life to a community, but also tremendous economic impact. To state a few examples, the University of Oregon has a statewide economic impact of $1.2 billion each year. The Higher Education Council of Berks County, PA recently released an Economic Impact report stating that Berks County alone gains more than $1 billion in economic benefit annually from its five colleges and universities. Simply stated, college campuses have a huge financial impact on the city, county and state in which they are located.

A Joint Partnership

Buxton has worked with a number of municipalities that have partnered with the university in their city on a retail recruitment project. One of the barriers civic leaders face is how to approach university leadership about a jointly-funded project.

“A community should absolutely include their college/university in their planning process and economic development plan creation,” said Chip Boyles, executive director of the International Town and Gown Association. “Prior to initiating any retail or economic development program, a community, including the college, should have a well-developed plan for what assets the community has, what weaknesses exist and what the overall goal of their local economic development plan should address. By being part of the planning process, the University should be properly positioned to be part of the strategy implementation to reach their shared goals."

Oftentimes an existing structure between civic and university leaders already exists. Examples of these organizations are a Joint City University committee or the Town and Gown Committee that meet regularly and are made up of decision makers of both town and gown. A place like this is where support and understanding of joint programs should begin. If a formal structure or committee is not already in place, an item as important as economic development should be an agenda item on a meeting between the Mayor and the University President, and include the staff members from both organizations who would be charged with working most closely with the program.

Retail's Role in a College Town

Both the city and university benefit from a vibrant retail community. Whether you’re a student, faculty or staff member or a visitor, a high quality of life including retail, culture and a variety of restaurants are all requirements people look for when planning to temporarily live in an area for four years during school, or permanently live their for a career. People prefer to live close to work, but only if that community provides their quality of life assets.

“Just as colleges recruit good students, they also recruit good faculty and staff,” said Boyles. “Faculty and staff are looking for a high quality of life where shopping and cultural exchange is prevalent – pay incentives aren’t enough.”

A vibrant retail community provides local government with revenue sources and opportunities that help to provide quality services to the community and opening opportunities for shared services with the college and its students and staff.

“Faculty and staff normally come in pairs, where not just one job is required, but a person’s spouse will need an environment where they can find a job at the same time. Additionally, a good school system is sought after, just like good recreation, safety and cultural diversity,” said Boyles. “That strong commercial tax base and sales tax base helps to achieve these goals, benefiting town and gown alike.”

Promotion

When promoting your city to retailers, you must identify the right retail mix using psychographic data of both current residents and the student population. While the student population maintains zero income, there is no denying the massive buying power of the 18-22 year-old segment.

In addition to your static and student residents, think of all the tourists that visit a college campus year-round and in the summer. Clemson University routinely has more visitors on campus during the summer months than it has students during the fall and spring semesters. Visitors include prospective students and family, sports camps, conferences and day trip tourists visiting the campus and its amenities. Year-round attractions include sporting events, museums, music venues and specialized speaker series to name a few.

No matter what the situation, it is vital to understand the strengths at hand when promoting your city and the university to potential retailers. Understanding the exact numbers and identifying what the precise retail mix is for a college town is a daunting task, but when done successfully, both town and gown reap major rewards.

About International Town and Gown Association

The ITGA is a non-profit organization headquartered at Clemson University in Clemson, S.C. and serves college town leaders from higher education, local government, students, and business and residential communities. ITGA’s vision is “To become the primary information resource point for common issues between institutions of higher learning and the communities in which they reside. The ITGA will be the global link bringing together practitioners from varying fields addressing immediate issues and future opportunities.” This vision offers a unique opportunity for college town leaders to come together across all jurisdictional and professional boundaries to communicate and learn from each other and to obtain a better understanding of other’s issues.

View the March 2009 CommunityMatters Newsletter