University Business - December 2012 - (Page 22)

independent outlook area, and his support was instrumental in leading to a positive outcome. As I am writing this, I can look out my window and see workers putting the final touches on the reversion of the one-way pair to two-way streets. COllabOratiOn: a tWO-Way Street Meanwhile, the city of Wilson continued to act on their strategic Barton Neighborhood priority by funding the Preservation of Wilson. This nonprofit organization targets properties in the Old Wilson Mile, a neighborhood between the college and downtown, for purchase, renovation, and re-purposing. Neighborhood improvement requires time, but changes are already becoming evident across the Barton neighborhood. The college contributes to these changes by utilizing two trustee-approved bank credit lines dedicated to real estate purchases. These lines allow the college to quickly take advantage of opportunities that arise. Gifts of neighborhood properties to the college have also made a difference and given us new options. The Tourism Authority is also an active partner. Athletic competitions, student recruitment, alumni events, cultural events, and other college functions constantly attract visitors to the city. The tourism board understands this relationship and has supported proposals as diverse as athletic facilities and joint marketing. When a community-park initiative arose to feature the unique windmillpowered “whirligigs” of a local folk artist, the college stepped up to the plate by sponsoring events to support this initiative. The college shares the community’s belief that the works of Vollis Simpson, whom The New York Times calls “the creator of some of the most recognizable work in the genre of American homemade art,” will enhance Wilson’s visibility. Installations and exhibits in Baltimore, Atlanta, Raleigh, and Albuquerque of this outsider folk artist underline the increasing appreciation of his work. SeCure in the neighbOrhOOd Our relationship with the Wilson Police Department continues to develop. The police sergeant who is in charge of campus security also teaches criminal justice as an adjunct faculty member. The officers who patrol the campus work out of a campus-based office and are well-versed in student affairs policies and priorities. Officers and student affairs staff work as partners, and police officers are treated by our students as members of our campus community. A key real estate victory emerged from this constructive working relationship. The college purchased a deteriorated tattoo parlor adjacent to the campus and converted it into a satellite division office and conference facility for the Wilson Police Department. The fact that this new facility is adjacent to a problematic convenience store on the edge of our campus is one among many of our deliberate security steps. a “POSter Child” gOeS tO SChOOl The revitalization of a neighborhood requires a strong neighborhood school. Through the support of the district superintendent, Barton’s School of Education now partners with the principal of the neighborhood elementary school. Our work as a “collegiate PTA” has secured a six-figure foundation supporting gift. A secure neighborhood, a strong school, and financial investment are basic for neighborhood revitalization. Unintended consequences can be good. Our 45-second basketball sensation propelled and accelerated the partnerships we were already developing with our community. What’s next? We are working with film industry representatives who have shown interest in telling our “45-second story.” Meanwhile, our partnership with Wilson continues to grow. Norval C. Kneten is president of Barton College in Wilson, N.C. and a member of the Board of Directors of the Council of Independent Colleges, www.cic.org. universitybusiness.com two consultants should work together on issues of mutual interest. One of those issues was the transitional neighborhood that lies between the college and downtown Wilson. Like so many middle-class neighborhoods across the country, our campus neighborhood has experienced deterioration over decades of socioeconomic change. Like so many colleges that are located in these neighborhoods, the degree of deterioration had begun to directly affect the perception of safety by prospective students and their parents. This occured despite the fact that police statistics show the campus environs are safer than the parking lots of the city’s newest shopping center. Our collaborative planning effort resulted in the Barton neighborhood being included in the city’s top 12 strategic priorities. One Way Out The most obvious disadvantage of the campus neighborhood, other than scattered deteriorated rental housing, was a pair of one-way streets that ran along the edge of the campus. This pair of streets was a remnant of state highway corridors through Wilson that had been replaced more than a decade ago by a divided four-lane route around the city. One-way streets are frequently associated with deteriorating neighborhoods, and that association was clearly evident in the Barton neighborhood. A survey of our students revealed that their highest concern was the speed of the traffic on the one-way streets. Their concern was real. In addition to the risks students faced as they tried to pull into speeding traffic, research documents how perpetrators use one-way streets. One-way streets provide easy access to campus, giving opportunities for criminals to enter campus, commit a crime, and escape quickly. To address this issue, we worked directly with the mayor and city manager, staff in the state transportation and city offices, alumni, donors, and friends. We were most fortunate that former fourterm governor Jim Hunt lives in our 22 | December 2012 http://www.cic.org http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - December 2012

University Business - December 2012
Contents
Editor’s Note
College Index
Ad Index
Behind the News
Money Matters
Independent Outlook
5 Reasons Flipped Classrooms Work
Test Driving Mobile
Open Source Myth Busters
Models of Efficiency
1st Annual Readers’ Choice Awards
Education Innovators
Viewpoint
Endowments: New Questions
End Note

University Business - December 2012