In June, Centre County residents and businesses received some welcome news: Penn State and State College Borough was chosen to host the 2019 International Town & Gown Association’s City and University Relations Conference. The annual event, which aims to foster ’town-gown’ collaboration between select institutions of higher learning and their local municipalities, is expected to bring in 300 to 400 visitors for three days next May—so it could mean big things for the area.

But cooperation is nothing new for Penn State and State College. “Since the University’s founding, Penn State and State College have had a rich history of partnership focused on improving the lives of students, faculty, staff, community members and visitors,” the university said in a statement to Journeys. Notable partner projects between school and town have included business accelerator Happy Valley LaunchBox, economic-development initiative Invent Penn State, Global Entrepreneurship Week and co-working space New Leaf Initiative.

Local business and school leaders expect even more good things to come as a result of the event next year. Here are several ways in which the conference is likely to affect the Borough, university, local enterprises and those considering starting or moving a business to the county.

An Economic Infusion


The arrival of several hundred people, all of whom will need places to stay and eat while they are in town, essentially guarantees an injection of capital.

“There will be a direct impact on the restaurant and lodging industry—in fact, conferences and business travel are good for the local economy,” Vern Squier, president and CEO of the Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County, said. “When we think about visitors to the areas, tourists immediately come to mind, but individuals here on business [compose] a significant percentage of ’heads in beds’ at local hotels.”

But the economic boost doesn’t necessarily end with the last day of the conference. “Any time the county hosts a conference, doing so offers the chance to put our community, quality of life, entrepreneurial ecosystem and recreational opportunities on display to what hopefully will turn into return visitors,” Squier said.

An Influx of Entrepreneurs


When it comes to entrepreneurship, State College is already on the map—and the ITGA Conference could focus even more attention on the area. The Borough is among rankings site livability.com’s top 10 U.S. cities for entrepreneurs, Douglas Shontz, spokesperson for the Borough’s Office of Community Engagement, said.


“[S]hining a national light, like the ITGAT Community & University Conference, on this strong ecosystem should have a positive impact on local entrepreneurs and hopefully attract other entrepreneurs to State College,” Shontz said.


While making a direct connection between any future State College businesses and the Borough’s hosting of the conference would be difficult, “it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the connections that can be made during ITGA could very well open doors to new business investment opportunities,” Squier said.

A Closer-Knit Community

The already close relationship between State College Borough and Penn State is one of the qualities that have made the area a great place to live, Shontz said, but events like the City and University Relations Conference serve to strengthen it even more, increasing quality of life for all.

“The State College Borough’s Office of Community Engagement has had many positive years [of] enhancing the unique town-gown relationship between Penn State University and the Borough of State College by providing the community with robust experiences that bring Penn State University students, permanent residents and community leaders together for healthy dialogues,” Shontz said.

Better Best Practices


The conference will also provide an opportunity for those in academia and government to discuss what’s effective in town-gown relationships nationwide and locally, as well as what isn’t.


Such “peer-to-peer discussion about best practices and innovative initiatives, about what works and doesn’t work, is helpful in local efforts to continue growing and strengthening opportunities for entrepreneurship,” Squier said. “An added bonus is that in hosting ITGA, we are highlighting our entrepreneurial ecosystem, offering a first-hand look at successes some attendees have only read or heard about.”


In fact, other schools are already looking at the relationship between the Borough community and Penn State as a successful model. In 2015, Chamber of Business & Industry of Centre County, on behalf of the local community, and the school “signed a memorandum of agreement to work collaboratively on economic and entrepreneurial development,” Squier said. Kansas State University and the University of Alabama are among those schools looking to emulate the agreement, which outlines how the school and community can work collaboratively to boost economic and entrepreneurial initiatives in the area.

Inspiration Diffusion


With session, event and discussion plans for the 2019 conference already well underway, those involved in the event’s careful planning are hoping attendees take home more than just hotel shampoo.


“Conference participants will have the opportunity to learn about how the University and State College Borough collaborate to promote a diverse and welcoming community, boost community engagement and safety and expand local entrepreneurial efforts and other economic and job creation initiatives,” the university said in its statement to Journeys. “We hope those in attendance will be inspired to incorporate new knowledge and ideas within their own universities and communities.”