Worcester Business Journal

12 Worcester Business Journal • August 17, 2015 www.wbjournal.com FOCUS Education Strengthening 'town and gown' E ven before he showed up on campus to start his new job in mid-July, Fitchburg State University's new president, Richard Lapidus, had met with major local players such as Mayor Lisa Wong and Roy Nascimento, president and CEO of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. Lapidus said the conversations tended to center on the relationships between the institution and the community that his predecessor, Robert Antonucci, had helped forge during his 11 years leading FSU. "A lot of the conversations were about established relationships and these entities seeking assurances that it was my intention to develop and enhance them," Lapidus said. Antonucci's legacy in tying the university to the city takes a very visible form along North Street, the corri- dor connecting the campus with Main Street. Over his tenure as president, the school bought several run- down properties on the street and relocated buildings there. A capstone in this effort is a new CVS store being built on the corner of Main and North streets as a result of a collaborative effort between the university and the Fitchburg Redevelopment Authority. Chris Iousa has had a front-row seat to changes in the relationship between the city and the FSU student body. He started Destaré Martini Bar on Main Street in 2007 and followed that up with Chaibo Coffee House downstairs three years later. Years ago, Iousa said, he heard that FSU freshmen were warned not to go downtown for safety reasons. Now, he said, the university encourages prospective students to stop in at Chaibo while they're researching the school. "It's changed dramatically over the past two to three years," he said. "We've seen, from our side, a little bit more of a symbiotic relationship." Downtown Fitchburg, with its profusion of dark storefronts, has long had a somewhat sketchy reputa- tion among North Central Massachusetts residents. That makes it a priority for FSU to ensure that the neighboring streets are welcoming. "Students coming into Fitchburg from whatever direction they're coming from are going to see the city," Lapidus said. "It's important they feel comfortable. It's important they feel safe. It's important they have a chance to do things beyond the confines of the campus." The university's entanglement with the city and the region go far beyond its immediate neighborhood. FSU is the largest non-municipal employer in Fitchburg, with 511 full-time employees. It's also, of course, a major source of new recruits for the region's employers. Nascimento, the chamber CEO, noted that the uni- versity has been part of economic development initia- tives, including the North Central Massachusetts Economic Development Council. It's also been involved in efforts to promote the local creative economy. In his conversation with Lapidus, Nascimento said, they talked about revitalizing the uni- versity's work on local economic and policy research. In 2009, FSU created the Regional Economic Development Institute with financial support from Fitchburg-based Rollstone Bank & Trust and Simonds International, with the mission of providing data and analysis con- cerning the region's economy. Over the last couple of years, though, REDI's research efforts have slowed. The university is now rolling it into the existing Douglas and Isabelle Crocker Center for Civic Engagement, which encourages collaboration between university students and local community groups and businesses. More collaborative opportunities Nascimento said he'd like to see the university and local businesses collaborate more in research and development, technology commercialization and trade shows for advanced manufacturing and other area industries. Of course, work with local businesses on internship opportunities and workforce development also remain strong areas of interest for the university and the business community. BY LIVIA GERSHON Special to the Worcester Business Journal New Fitchburg State president plans to build on his predecessor's record in working with city Destaré Martini Bar on Fitchburg's Main Street, and a coffee house downstairs, Chaibo, are among businesses popular with FSU students that have opened in the past several years. New president Richard Lapidus wants FSU students to feel com- fortable in the city. P H O T O / M A T T V O L P I N I

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