Evanston-Northwestern Relations on Upswing According to Princeton Review
According to a recent Princeton Review survey, town-gown relations in Evanston have gotten better in the past year.
This week the Princeton Review released its 2011 edition “The Best Colleges” which includes a survey of students at 373 top colleges to rate their schools on dozens of topics and report on their campus experiences at them. The 62 ranking lists are based on surveys of 122,000 students (average 325 per campus) during the 2009-10 and/or previous two school years. The 80-question survey asked students about their school's academics, administration, campus life, student body, and themselves.
Among the survey listing is the category “Town Life: Town-Gown Relations are Strained” asking whether students get along well with
members of the local community. For the first time in years, the City of Evanston and Northwestern University have not made the top 20 list of strained university/community relations. In the 2010 edition of the survey, Evanston and Northwestern ranked number sixteen on the list. In 2009 and 2008, number fifteen on the list.
Evanston Mayor Elizabeth B. Tisdahl credits a new City Council, a new university president and a renewed commitment by both to make Evanston the jewel of the North Shore for residents and students alike.
“It has been so enjoyable to work with Northwestern President Morton Schapiro since I have been in office and this comes as great news for both the City and Northwestern University. The new survey serves to highlight the fact that we have collectively committed ourselves to making Evanston the best place to work, study and live for everyone,” explained Mayor Tisdahl. “Our next step is to make the ‘Town-Gown Relations Are Great’ list and I look forward to working with the community as a whole to make that happen.”
The City of Evanston and Northwestern University have been working very closely over the past year on several projects including a lobby day in the State’s capitol; economic development in working to locate Northwestern incubated businesses here in the community; working together on the Evanston Green Ribbon Committee to reduce the community’s green house gas emissions; and utilizing the many varied talents of Northwestern’s student body in the roles of interns and work study positions.