\n<\/p>\n
Historically, colleges have few friends closer than their local community.<\/p>\n
Localities tend to highlight institutions of higher learning in their areas as a means for workforce development, and colleges routinely brag about their economic impact on the area\u2014often pumping millions of dollars into the community and supporting hundreds or even thousands of jobs at larger universities. Colleges also provide rich cultural opportunities, especially in small towns, where they may house the only local theater, orchestra or other fine arts offerings.<\/p>\n
But what happens when that symbiotic relationship breaks down? Two recent examples offer some insights as colleges square off with localities and lawmakers over campus property and signage, showing how relationships can go from harmonious to heated in some cases.<\/p>\n
In Pennsylvania, 17 acres are at the heart of a brewing battle between Radnor Township and Valley Forge Military College.<\/p>\n
Local officials have begun the process of taking the college\u2019s land by eminent domain. But college leadership says the land, which houses integral parts of the campus, isn\u2019t for sale. They feel blindsided by the effort to seize the property, which the town wants for a recreational center.<\/p>\n
John English, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Valley Forge Military Foundation, compared the situation to President Donald Trump\u2019s efforts to acquire Greenland. Like Greenland, Valley Forge\u2019s land isn\u2019t for sale\u2014but the township wants to take it anyway.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re still in a state of shock,\u201d English said.<\/p>\n
Particularly galling for English is the fact that the property that Radnor Township wants to take by eminent domain includes the college\u2019s health center, gym and dining hall. He argues that those facets of campus are exceedingly important for a military college such as Valley Forge, which has around 100 students. The campus itself spans more than 70 acres.<\/p>\n
\u201cLast time I checked, it\u2019s hard to run a college where you can\u2019t feed them, you can\u2019t house them and\u2014for a military college\u2014you can\u2019t work them out. And if anyone gets injured or they get sick, you have nowhere to send them. All of this for what, open space and a basketball court?\u201d English said.<\/p>\n
Jack Larkin, the member of the Radnor Township Board of Commissioners who is behind the eminent domain push, said he was under the impression that the land was for sale. Larkin notes that Valley Forge has sold off other parcels of land in the past and fielded a recent offer from a developer.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s impossible for me to tell the difference between posturing in an arm\u2019s-length transaction and the reality of the situation with the school. All I can tell you is that there was another bidder, and the bid was being considered by the school with some degree of seriousness,\u201d Larkin said.<\/p>\n
(Phil Rosenzweig, a lawyer for Valley Forge, noted at the board\u2019s Feb.\u00a09 meeting that while a developer had extended a $20\u00a0million deal for a parcel of land, \u201cthat offer was not pursued.\u201d)<\/p>\n
Larkin also noted that township officials engaged in prior talks with Valley Forge as it looked for a site for a new recreational center. But Rosenzweig emphasized at the board meeting that those conversations included a \u201cless ambitious\u201d plan and smaller plot.<\/p>\n
Although college officials insist the targeted parcel is not for sale, Larkin argues they are \u201ctrying to weaponize the media\u201d to get a better price. He expects a deal to come together in the end. <\/p>\n
English, however, said Valley Forge is resistant to the sale and has appealed to both local and federal officials given the unique nature of the small, private military college, which offers a fast-track program that allows students to commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army. English said that he informed the U.S. Army that \u201cwe are under attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
He also suggests that town officials sensed \u201cblood in the water\u201d after the foundation voted to close the affiliated Valley Forge Military Academy, a private prep school that the foundation oversees in addition to the college. English also questioned how supportive local officials are of Valley Forge\u2019s presence.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe question I have that I will be asking the township officials is: Do you even want us here?\u201d English said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, 1,700 miles to the west, Colorado State University\u2019s decision to install electronic billboards, which are prohibited by city ordinances, has stirred anger in Fort Collins and prompted legislation to bar additional signage.<\/p>\n
Colorado State officials have used the billboards to plug sporting events and advertisements for local business but also other uses, such as weather advisories. Local media reported that at least eight of 12 planned electronic billboards have been installed, the largest of which are 11 by 22 feet. Seven of the billboards are visible to the community off campus property.<\/p>\n
Located on state property, Colorado State is legally within its rights to install the electronic billboards. While Fort Collins prohibits such billboards, the state does not\u2014even if they are clearly visible to the city. But, some locals are still heated about the decision, including State Sen. Cathy Kipp, who authored a bill to block such billboards.<\/p>\n
Kipp told student media her bill stemmed from complaints about the billboards as well as noise related to campus events, particularly home football games. Her bill would require CSU to comply with local noise and sign ordinances but also allow the city or county to grant waivers.<\/p>\n
Colorado State officials told Inside Higher Ed<\/em> they hope to reach an agreement on the issue.<\/p>\n “CSU has been in dialogue with Sen. Kipp regarding her proposed noise and signage legislation and has sought for months to reach a compromise on this issue. We have great respect and appreciation for the senator and her point of view,\u201d spokesperson Nik Olsen wrote by email.<\/p>\n Olsen added that the bill \u201cwould set a concerning precedent for the management of state lands throughout Colorado,\u201d would have a negative economic impact on the region and would erode \u201cpublic safety infrastructure the campus has put in place to support students and the broader community.\u201d<\/p>\n A hearing for Kipp\u2019s bill is set for Thursday.<\/p>\n Stephen Gavazzi, an Ohio State University professor who written about town-gown relationships, argues that college and community connections are somewhat akin to a marriage.<\/p>\n \u201cThe difference between a marriage and a town-gown relationship is you can\u2019t get divorced,\u201d Gavazzi said.<\/p>\n But, like a crumbling marriage, he believes strained town-gown relationships can be repaired. Gavazzi calls disputes like those unfolding in Radnor Township and Fort Collins classic \u201cedge and wedge issues\u201d\u2014flashpoints that arise at the physical edge of campus and drive a wedge between institutions and their neighbors. The two big issues are student misbehavior and land-use. But often, he said, the concerns have more to do with how the university plans to use or acquire land, thus rendering it untaxable. Eminent domain cases are exceedingly rare, he said.<\/p>\n Like any relationship, healing requires partners to come together in good faith. The work is hard, but he cautions against fatalism, noting leaders should work proactively to keep relationships strong. But when they do break down, it\u2019s up to leaders to essentially kiss and make up lest those relationships further deteriorate and cause additional problems.<\/p>\n \u201cCampuses and communities can get themselves out of binds if they can cooperate and collaborate with one another, even in the midst of a crisis. But it\u2019s very difficult to do,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s easy to say, harder to do in practice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Historically, colleges have few friends closer than their local community. Localities tend to highlight institutions of higher learning in their areas as a means for workforce development, and colleges routinely brag about their economic impact on the area\u2014often pumping millions of dollars into the community and supporting hundreds or even thousands of jobs at larger<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45292,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[6662,5022,10257,23354,4205,3048],"class_list":{"0":"post-45291","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-education","8":"tag-battles","9":"tag-brew","10":"tag-colorado","11":"tag-gown","12":"tag-pennsylvania","13":"tag-town"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45291","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45291"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45291\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/45292"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45291"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45291"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45291"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fixing Fractured Relationships<\/h2>\n