Recently, the mayor of of Pittsburgh, where I started my career in higher education, proposed a tax on the tuition of college students. Similar proposals have surfaced nationally, including Rhode Island, home to my school and eight other independent colleges and universities.

Ensuing debates have not always enjoyed the most civil of discourse but our hometown of Bristol, R.I., and its university have charted a "third path" between the demands of municipal government and politicians and the resistance of its educational institutions. It is a model worth considering.

When I came to Roger Williams University in 2001, I learned quickly that despite being one of the largest employers in Bristol and having an economic impact in the tens of millions of dollars each year, the university was often the target of some local politicians and editorial writers. "We contribute to the well-being of the community," the university would argue. "Besides, we are tax-exempt." Each time the town would fervently retort, "You use our services, so pay up."

Two members of the council demanded a $100 head tax. Others threatened denial of long-anticipated building permits absent a solution. Bad feelings abounded.

Today, the university and surrounding community enjoy a harmonious relationship, even when considering the occasional complaint about noisy students. This is in large measure because we have changed the conversation and opted to collaborate. Instead of the town viewing the university as a cash cow to offset budget deficits and the university invoking its nonprofit status, RWU and Bristol's Town Council leaders adopted a collaborative approach designed to provide resources in a strategic manner while reaffirming the university's tax-exempt status.

The first step was to change the tone. We commissioned an economic impact study, showing the job creation and tax revenues generated by a university that employed nearly 400 local residents and brought 50,000 visitors and thousands of students to town each year.

We encouraged our students to become involved as stakeholders, and they registered and voted in a local election in record numbers. This helped to change the tenor of the debate through the defeat of one council member who was nearly demagogic on the issue of taxing the university. The re-energized town council was then open to civil discourse and dialogue.

Fresh from that election we revisited the issue of a payment to the town in lieu of taxes. Instead of a head tax or monies allocated for the town's general fund, the university and town developed a memorandum of understanding that went far beyond balancing the books for that year.

The town and university identified key needs in the community, such as support for an emergency vehicle, which benefited all citizens. Half-tuition scholarships for every eligible graduate from the local high school; increased student community-service projects in town (including a referendum for a new animal shelter managed by our students); partnerships on school reform; free tuition for town employees, including police officers and firefighters; and discretionary funding for beneficial community activities were all elements of this new collaborative agreement.

In total, Roger Williams University made a commitment valued at $42 million over 20 years; a sum significantly greater than what the $100 head tax would have generated.

Far beyond the money was the creation of a town-university council consisting not of politicians, but of the chiefs of police and fire, the head of parks and recreation, the superintendent of schools and others, matched by their equivalent counterparts at RWU. The group continues to meet monthly -- voting on the allocation of resources while removing perceptual barriers and identifying key areas for further collaboration.

As a result of these new lines of open communication, we have enjoyed watching our capital projects smoothly pass rigorous examination of the town's Planning and Zoning Board, allowing the construction of a record $100 million for new buildings in 16 months.

When combining this with the enhanced sense of community and positive relations that have resulted, RWU has won plaudits from funders, elected officials and neighbors, without any compromise of our tax-exempt status.

Regular meetings of the town-gown cooperative committee have helped bridge the gap between the university and the community. The "Bristol Reads" program involving elementary school students and mentors, discussions about a sciences and technology charter school, neighborhood cleanup efforts and a public-policy coalition designed to develop renewable energy are among the many ideas that blossomed from this new collaboration.

As recent headlines indicate, municipalities are struggling with diminishing revenues and growing expenses while universities continue to wrestle with their own fiscal challenges. The partnership between the town of Bristol, R.I., and Roger Williams University stands as a working example of how collaboration can lead to renewable, long-term benefits for everyone involved.

RWU's mantra is "learning to bridge the world" and it only makes (dollars and) sense for us to build a bridge that keeps us connected to our neighbors. Through this message, perhaps we may encourage college and city leaders in Pittsburgh to do the same.

Cartoonist Rob Rogers does "Rob's Rough," an early look at his work and his creative process, exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.