Dilvanaz Cama, the Executive Director of Off-Campus Living and Commuter Students Services at the Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus has been confirmed as one of the international guest speakers at the historic Student Cities Summit to be hosted on 26-29 March 2017 at the Krystal Beach Hotel in Gordon`s Bay, Cape Town.
An expert in the area of Off-Campus Living and Commuter Students Services, Dilvanaz will share her 20 years’ experience and her leadership role in making the Ohio State University one of the leading institutions in the Off-Campus Living and Commuter Students Services in the USA and internationally. Visit http://offcampus.osu.edu for more information.
The Student Cities Summit will be attended by delegates from various college or university towns in South Africa – including Mayors and Municipality Managers – who will gather to deliberate on the strategic role of municipalities in making their towns and cities to be conducive for learning, development and success for student communities.
Unlike in other countries, little research has been conducted in the area of Town-Gown relations in South Africa. The International Town Gown Association (ITGA) in the United States of America has been instrumental in driving research and best practice in the area of town-gown relations.
Some of the publications include Optimal Town-Gown Marriage by Stephen M Gavazzi, a book that is dedicated to helping campus and community leaders better understand how the twin components of the “town” and the “gown” come together to determine the relative health and well-being of relationships between institutions of higher education and the communities in which they are located.
Town Gown Relations: A Handbook on Best Practices by Roger L Kemp provides more than 40 best practice case studies from nearly half the states in America, and discusses current and evolving trends in the relations between educational institutions and cities, towns and other municipalities.
The Guide to Building Positive Relationships between the Municipality and its Local Post-Secondary Schools by Michael Fox is another recommended read in this area of practice. Universities and colleges are certainly a significant asset to their communities, yet they present a unique set of planning and community development considerations and challenges, and an increasing number of threats and negative perceptions about off-campus behaviour – especially in those near-campus neighbourhoods where students tend to concentrate. The issue around Student Cities is even more pressing today as university and college enrollments continue to expand in South Africa and internationally. For more information on how to participate in the Student Cities Summit 2017 contact Kelebogile Moeketsi at 012-717-2071 or Kelebogile@sasss.co.za.
To view the summit venue visit www.krystalbeach.co.za
To register online click here
