A recent opinion piece in The Hill written by President Shirley M. Collado and Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick discusses the power of cross-sector partnerships during the pandemic. The article highlights how important it is for cities and colleges to work together to do what is right for the community, both the college community and the cities, towns and counties in which they reside.
“That is why Ithaca College and city leaders met regularly before the college decided it is simply not sufficiently safe for our students, faculty and staff or our town for the college to reopen,” wrote Collado and Myrick. “As much as opening would have financially benefitted the college, the pandemic and America’s response to it have become too unpredictable to plan safely otherwise for our campus or city.”
The president and mayor describe how the pandemic has impacted college towns as businesses rely on revenue from students, faculty, staff and campus visitors. The City of Ithaca, for instance, anticipates a $15 million revenue shortfall in 2020 due to the pandemic. Back in June, CNN interviewed Collado about how the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating economic impact on college towns.