PSU, city honored for partnership
Monday, June 20, 2016 2:00 AM
News
Pittsburg, KS
Pittsburg State University and the City of Pittsburg were honored this summer for their partnership in a recent land exchange.
The university and city together were honored by Brailsford & Dunlavey and the International Town & Gown Association with its ImpACT Award: Putting Practice into Action for the Betterment of Communities. The award recognizes universities and communities that collaborate for the benefit of both institutions.
The ImpACT award given to Pitt State and the City of Pittsburg recognizes the land exchange that took place in November 2015. Under terms of the exchange, the city received 72.7 acres, valued at $283,550, located just south of the Bitner Addition in the southeast part of Pittsburg. Pittsburg State received 25.10 acres of land just south of its current Baja competition site and the 5.18 acres of land on which its rugby field sits. This land is valued at $283,992.
Shawn Naccarato, Pitt State’s executive director of the Center for Innovation and Business Development and director of government and community relations, accepted the award on behalf of the university.
“It’s an honor to receive an ImpACT Award from the ITGA,” Naccarato said. “We are committed to making our partnership with the city the model for town-gown communities and relations. This initiative is a natural outgrowth of such a commitment and effective alignment in goals and planning.”
Jay Byers, Pittsburg’s assistant city manager, said the city’s partnership with PSU is vital to the community’s continued success.
“Earning in ImpACT Award is wonderful in and of itself, but I think the best part is that it highlights the success that the city and the university can have when they work together,” Byers said. “We’ve worked closely with Pitt State on many occasions, and we look forward to continuing that partnership now and in the future.”
The ImpACT Award given to PSU and the City of Pittsburg was one of three awarded by ITGA this year.
Bowling Green State University and the City of Bowling Green used the Not in Our Town program to enhance and celebrate diversity after a series of racially-motivated graffiti, vandalism, and social-media posts affected the community. Cornell University and the City of Geneva created a successful incubator space for agricultural, food, and beverage companies on a former agricultural landfill.
ITGA is a membership-based organization that provides a network of resources to facilitate collaboration between colleges and universities and their surrounding communities.