The University of Florida highlighted three community partnerships and gave its Win Phillips Town Gown Relations Awards during a Friday Board of Trustees meeting.  

The awards went to  

• Dr. Read Hayes for his Safer Places Lab inside the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering 

• Santa Fe College and UF Health for its nurse training partnership started three years ago 

• And a host of partners for safe college gameday operations, including the Gainesville Police Department, Gainesville Fire Rescue, Florida Highway Patrol, the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office, Alachua County Fire Rescue and the University of Florida Public Safety Team. 

Chuck Clemons, UF’s senior vice president for community relations, said the region reaps benefits through these collaborations. 

“We know that the university thrives when it works in true partnerships with its community, all of our communities, and that our community benefits when the University of Florida is fully invested,” Clemons said.  

Gainesville Mayor Harvey Ward said it takes hundreds of staff working seamlessly across different agencies to pull off gameday each season.   

Thanks to decades of experience and continual tweaks, he said Gator fans and out-of-town visitors likely don’t even notice all the personnel making the gridiron spectacle, plus pre- and post-game celebrations, run without a hitch.   

UF’s Brandi Renton, vice president for business affairs, said the gameday operations team has created a model looked to by other communities.  

“Their efforts continue long after the final whistle to help the city return to normal quickly and safely,” Renton said.   

Ward pointed out that not many small cities share the college gameday dynamic. The Swamp has one of the largest stadiums for college football inside a city that is only 13th for population in Florida.   

He said other universities have big gamedays but also big cities, like Ohio State University. Ward said Gainesville’s town-gown relationship for gameday rivals any other in the nation.   

When tens of thousands of fans flood streets and pack stadiums to cry “War Eagle” or “Go Gators,” it’s different in Auburn, Alabama and Gainesville, Florida, versus an Austin, Texas.  

“It’s an interesting experience, and again, it’s only for a handful of communities around the country. It’s nice to be a part of that,” Ward said.   

Hayes started the Safer Places Lab and Loss Prevention Research Council to protect the retail industry from theft, fraud and violence. The council brings in law enforcement and large corporations to explore how to improve the retail system.  

The council also hosts an annual summit in Gainesville.  

Shakira Henderson, dean of UF’s College of Nursing, said the partnership with UF Health and Santa Fe College has strengthened the pipeline of nurses by expanding faculty capacity, clinical training, creating new pathways for working adults and removing common barriers for students.  

“As both institutions have emphasized, training the next generation of nursing is essential as we serve an aging population, prepare for future health challenges and maintain the highest standards of clinical care for each patient who walks through our door,” Henderson said.  

The university gave its final award for gameday operations, specifically during football season, but also mentioning NCAA basketball championship celebrations and other one-off events.