The next town/gown committee is tonight - November 30, 2005 - from 7-8 PM at the Cazenovia Village Municipal Building (90 Albany Street).
Letters from the Cazenovia College Community Committee (Four C's) and Dr. Tierno (college president) are included here for context.
Four C's Letter:
In early 2004, Dr. Mark J. Tierno, the President of Cazenovia College met with an interested community member to talk about Village/College relations. During their conversation it was suggested that a Town and Gown committee be formed to facilitate communication between the College and the community. The task force was created to explore this concept.Our group, the Cazenovia College Community Committee (‘Four C’s), went through a process of interviewing Village leaders, College administrators and students, neighbors and local business people. We made an effort to understand the concerns and wishes of each. We also reviewed the College’s Master Plan, economic impact statement, and other publicly available financial information.
We came away convinced that that the College is an extremely valuable asset for the community. The campus is a center of culture. It acts as a park and historic site, and it serves as a hub of activities, not only for its students and staff, but also for the larger population of the town and region. It is both an environment for learning and a public space commanding an important presence in the center of the Cazenovia Village.
Our effort also convinced us that the Cazenovia community is an equally valuable asset for the College. The unique charm of the Village, and the beauty of the greater Cazenovia area, attracts both students and faculty to the College.
While the relationship between the College and the surrounding community is mutually beneficial, it also presents challenges. We learned during our process that the College will eventually need growth to survive. This growth must be planned and controlled, as it will undoubtedly impact the community. It may affect the tax base, create parking and noise issues, and it certainly will challenge the local infrastructure.
Given the issues the College’s growth will present, we whole-heartedly support the creation of a formal, ongoing Town and Gown committee. Working together is the best way to confront the challenges ahead and maximize the benefits that the College and the community provide to each other. Our local leaders need to actively plan for the future, now, and a Town and Gown committee can assist greatly in this regard. The College’s interest in the issues to be addressed is grounded in the desire to be a good neighbor and to preserve a positive environment around the campus. There is great potential for the College to serve as a catalyst, resource, and partner in contributing to the resolution of community issues.
Based on the results of our process, the Four C’s task force has prepared a proposal to establish a formal Town and Gown Committee. Our proposed plan focuses on suggested agenda items that would involve the College in a leading role. It includes both short-term items that we think should be quickly pursued and recommendations for ongoing communication to identify and resolve issues as they arise. The proposal also strongly supports continued coordination on long-term challenges like infrastructure.
We recognize that our proposed plan is just a beginning. The Village trustees and the College administrators have the primary responsibility for determining what actions need to be taken. They will need to develop detailed implementation plans complete with specific budgets and target dates. It is our hope that during the process of developing these details, under the auspices of a formalized Town and Gown committee there will be continued coordination with various community constituencies. The majority of the committee members should be neighbors and village and town residents. These members could include come from the engineers, lawyers, university professors and business leaders that who are the neighbors and the public. We believe that such coordination will ensure that the manner in which challenges are faced is both fair and effective. With this anticipation, the Four C’s task force respectfully submits its Town and Gown proposal to Dr. Tierno and the Village Mayor, Tom Dougherty.
Copies of our proposal, along with copies of the College’s Master Plan, its economic impact statement, and summaries of interviews that we conducted, are available at both the Village and College libraries.
Members of Cazenovia College Community Committee (Four C’s) include:
From the village-
Jack Rooney – Chairman
Russ Brownback
Rod McDonald
Chuck Read
Pringle Symonds
Kurt Wheeler
From the Town-
Leigh Garber
Ann Redfern, MD
Tierno response:
Communities thrive when they develop and effect plans which assure desirable growth and development. While growth can be intimidating, it can benefit everyone involved if it is thoroughly considered and carefully planned.Posted by jimj at November 30, 2005 11:04 AM | TrackBackCazenovia College understands its responsibilities to its neighbors and to the wider community. We are constantly striving to be a good neighbor. As a result, the College makes major efforts to foster communication with local governments, community members and neighbors.
Recently, the College has invited members of all community groups to participate in important building initiative meetings. We have asked for advice on proposed plans and continually strive to include or incorporate as much of the input as possible. For example, public comments made pertaining to the recently constructed Art & Design building were influential in the planning process.
We believe a thriving, healthy college is good for the community. Likewise, a thriving, healthy community is good for the College. Working together to achieve common goals is a win-win situation. For this reason, the College looks forward to participating in a formal Town Gown Committee. Such a group, consisting of various representatives from the community, will help to enhance and formalize the communications between neighbors, community members, government officials and the College.
Planning for the future of the College and participating in our community is our responsibility. Cazenovia College looks forward to continued work with community members and government representatives in efforts to achieve positive outcomes for all concerned.
Mark J. Tierno
President
Cazenovia College