The nation was stunned in 2007 when a mentally disturbed student at Virginia Tech University in Blacksburg, Va., shot 32 people on campus to death and wounded 25 before taking his own life.

A state-appointed review panel after the massacre criticized the Virginia Tech administration for failing to move more swiftly following the initial shootings. The tragedy resulted in changes to Virginia state gun laws and approval of the first major federal gun legislation in more than a decade.

The incident also produced an even closer partnership between the university and the Town of Blacksburg, particularly in the area of public safety.

On Thursday, Nov. 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Town and Gown Tallahassee (TAG) will host a public forum on public safety partnerships. Presenters will be the two co-chairs of the Town of Blacksburg-Virginia Tech Town-Gown Committee: Frank Shushok Jr., Virginia Tech’s associate vice president for student affairs, and Steven Ross, the Town of Blacksburg’s deputy town manager.

The forum – in the Leon County Commission chambers on the fifth floor of the county courthouse – is the third “best practice” TAG forum. It follows similar programs on environmental and communications partnerships respectively. The forums are part of TAG’s initiative to make Tallahassee a better place to live and work by building stronger bonds between its institutions of higher learning and the broader community. (Get specifics on forum HERE.)

TAG asked Shushok and Ross how the town-gown relationship in Blacksburg changed after the shootings.

TAG: According to a 2006 document, the Town of Blacksburg was already collaborating with Virginia Tech and several other agencies and jurisdictions with regard to public safety and other areas of concern. After the campus shootings in 2007, what changed in terms of public safety partnerships? How has it affected your ways of work?

Shushok and Ross: Although Virginia Tech has enjoyed a strong and collaborative relationship for many years, it is difficult for a tragedy of the magnitude of the Virginia Tech shooting not to influence all aspects of life, including efforts to ensure a safe and secure environment. One thing is sure: We understand and appreciate each other more than ever, and have navigated the days since April 16, 2007, together—which no doubt makes us a safer community. We value and appreciate one another very much, communicate regularly, and therefore, are able to collaborate more effectively. Good collaboration, of course, leads to solid operations and better problem-solving!

TAG: Is there evidence that the public safety partnership between Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg has actually made the campus and town safer, or is there just a shared sense that it’s safer? Besides the desirable objective of collaboration, are there specific data to support town-gown public safety partnerships?

Shushok and Ross: Yes, and frankly, most college campuses in America, and the towns surrounding them, are safer. We are more attentive because something once unthinkable is no longer such.

TAG: What recommendations would you make to other college communities with regard to public safety partnerships?

Shushok and Ross:
1. That time and space be created at all levels of organizational life to nurture and maintain authentic relationships within and among all constituencies in the town and university.
2. That ongoing systems be in place to ensure frequent communication, especially when problems, concerns, or tension are absent.
3. That members of the town and university create opportunities to celebrate their partnership in a regular way.

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–Bill Berlow