Evanston’s mayor says she sees progress in the latest edition of an annual survey by the Princeton Review, in which for the first time in four years Evanston has dropped off a list of 20 towns with the worst town-gown relations.
Evanston’s mayor says she sees progress in the latest edition of an annual survey by the Princeton Review, in which for the first time in four years Evanston has dropped off a list of 20 towns with the worst town-gown relations.
The survey of about 122,000 students at 373 top colleges asks the students — among many other questions — to say whether town-gown relations are good or poor.
Evanston had showed up ranked either 15th or 16th on the list for strained relations with Northwestern University the previous three years.
Chicago did make the list this year — judged by students at the Illinois Institute of Technology and the University of Chicago to have an unpleasant town-gown climate.
Mayor Elizabeth 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,”
She says the school and city have collaborated on a lobbying day in Springfield, economic development efforts to have businesses incubated on campus grow in the community and using the talents of NU students as city interns.
But are we a “Cinderella” town for town-gown relations — not quite, say the students surveyed by Princeton Review. We aren’t on the short list of 20 favored places on that score, at least not yet. But Tisdahl says that’s “our next step.”