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University Cities Unite

What do Ann Arbor, Michigan; Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina; Fort Collins, Colorado; Lexington, Kentucky (where I live and where Small Market Meetings is based); Lincoln, Nebraska; and Madison, Wisconsin, have in common?

They all meet the criteria for a new — and small — class of cities called University Cities (universitycities.org), according to Scott Shapiro, who pulled together the statistics that prove these six cities have a lot in common. Shapiro is a senior aide to Lexington’s mayor.

University Cities have a city/metro population of between 250,000 and 1 million, a major research university at their urban core and a student population that is at least 10 percent of the overall population. Because of their size and population mix and the presence of a major research institution, University Cities have the best qualities of big cities and small towns.

On the big-city side, they have highly educated residents, economic resilience, low unemployment, and robust arts and culture. On the Main Street America side, they have low costs of living and low crime rates.

According to Shapiro’s study — interestingly, he consulted with statistical experts at the University of Kentucky (UK) in Lexington on his work — 43 percent of those who live in University Cities have a bachelor’s degree, compared with the national average of 29 percent, and the number of arts and cultural institutions per capita is 47 percent higher than the average for cities of comparable size. In terms of crime, the rate for University Cities is 36 percent lower than for cities of comparable size.

Value of Intellectual Capital

In University Cities, research institutions are pipelines that provide a steady flow of well-educated and often entrepreneurial citizens. This builds significant intellectual capital, which in turn makes the cities good places to have meetings.

“Having so many students in an urban core means these cities have gotten really good at being open, accepting places for new people,” said Shapiro. “And they are really good at being environments where people learn, explore, question and develop new relationships. That is what you need in an academic environment, and that is also what you need in a conference environment.”

University Cities have “such energy and curiosity to them; they make compelling backdrops,” said Mary Quinn Ramer, president of VisitLex.

Ramer believes the intellectual capital that defines Lexington and other University Cities will increasingly become a factor in choosing meeting destinations. As she points out, although appropriate meeting facilities are part of choosing a meeting destination, they are not a differentiating factor.

“Everybody has a ballroom,” she said. “What really separates the destinations from one another are the quality-of-life drivers, and increasingly, intellectual capital is being brought to bear.”

Focus on Medical Meetings

Ramer’s organization is invested in bringing meetings to Lexington, and it has decided to put a major focus on medical meetings, which ties into the city’s University City strengths.

“The reason we want to focus on medical meetings is that first of all, we have players like UK HealthCare sitting in our backyard. This would be a win for both of us,” said Ramer.

Major medical conferences, possibly with direct ties to UK and its health care enterprise, would give the city and the university the chance to shine. The city’s offerings could be a pleasant surprise to a well-heeled, well-traveled audience; the university might convince leading medical experts that not only is it doing impressive work, but it also might be a good place “to hang their hat,” said Ramer.

UK experts could serve as speakers, sharing their knowledge and research. “Attendees would get to learn from the very best,” said Ramer.

Future Connections for the Six Cities

Because of their University Cities designation, it seems likely the six cities will become more connected. Those connections might even spawn some new meetings.

Already, the cities are having conversations with one another, and according to Shapiro, talks are underway about a possible conference at UK that would include representatives of University Cities as well as academics, think tanks and others. And this spring, Wade Troxell, mayor of Fort Collins, will visit Lexington to deliver an annual, high-profile seminar that explores universities and their influences on community. His topic? “Being a University City.”