Vincent Gray

University President Steven Knapp, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray and President of Trinity University Patricia McGuire, along with other local university leaders, discuss how the schools can collaborate on city initiatives Wednesday evening at the D.C. Chamber of Commerce Policy Forum. Ashley Lucas | Hatchet Staff Photographer

This post was written by Hatchet Staff Writer Rachel Getzenberg.

University presidents met with the D.C. mayor Wednesday to discuss how the educational institutions can complement a city plan to expand economic capabilities.

University President Steven Knapp – alongside presidents from Trinity College, the University of the District of Columbia, Howard University and Graduate School USA – emphasized their current involvement with the District community and proposed how to better aid the community during the D.C. Chamber of Commerce Public Policy Forum.

Universities in D.C. play a major role on the local economy, Gray said, creating 16,000 jobs and millions of dollars in payroll for District employees.

“The impact of the university is immeasurable. It is felt, it is seen,” Gray said.

This conference followed Gray’s call last month for colleges to power the city’s “new” technology-driven economy.

“We ought to work in a cooperative, collaborative spirit and try to figure out how these universities can help us meet some of the needs of the city and the people who live in the District of Columbia,” Gray said yesterday. “I would like D.C. to be the Silicon Valley of the East.”

GW provides many ways to do just that, Knapp said, noting an innovative international student population with diverse ambitions and talents.

“This was an opportunity to talk about the contributions that we are making and can make in the future and how important it is that our institutions have the flexibility to do that,” Knapp said.

The college administrators discussed challenging relationships with District neighbors, which Gray said can be seen as ivory towers. The presidents agreed that media outreach is an important component of better integration with the city.

“I think one of the things we tend to do as universities is we tend to do things with the expectation that if we do good, people know we are doing good. If you don’t tell them, no one will know it,” President of UDC Allen Sessoms said.

Knapp said the District’s colleges central location has woven them into into the fabric of the city.

“We all tend to bridge the gap between theory and practice in a much more active way than is true of many other universities because we are part of the city,” Knapp said.