Agnes Scott College and the City of Decatur are strengthening a town-gown partnership focused on climate resilience as Georgia faces extreme heat waves and flooding. The collaboration is positioned as a shared problem-solving effort, with college and city officials arguing that neither entity can address climate risks alone. The report describes coordination in response to local hazards that can strain campus operations and community infrastructure simultaneously. The partnership is framed as an extension of ongoing civic engagement, but with a sharper focus on resilience planning and implementation. For higher education leaders, the model reflects how universities increasingly manage community-facing climate work through partnerships that can inform emergency planning, sustainability investments, and student learning through real-world projects. As extreme weather drives operational disruptions, town-gown cooperation may become a key mechanism for institutions to translate sustainability strategies into measurable community outcomes.
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