When Greater Mankato Growth and its community partners organized the first Welcome Fair for MSU students at the Alltel Civic Center, they had a specific goal in mind: Create a positive connection between the students and the city. And do it early.

It’s a relationship that traditionally has ranged from tentatively polite to downright adversarial. But things seem to be moving in the direction of integrating the mobile MSU population into the city that benefits greatly from their presence.

Not only do students spend millions of dollars with area businesses, they, with their professors and mentors, enhance the creative and intellectual community. Mankato is a better place because MSU is here. There’s no question about that.

Events like the Welcome Fair are a good starting point to creating a more positive relationship with the students and their activities. Many were introduced to not only the products they can consume in the Mankato community but also the opportunities that await them in terms of employment or career growth. We shouldn’t forget some MSU students could continue training or switch training to the other first-rate higher education institutions in the city, including South Central College, Rasmussen, and Bethany Lutheran College. Up the road a few miles, Gustavus Adolphus College also has much to offer.

From that perspective, Greater Mankato Growth has been making efforts to study the career aspirations of students. A survey a few years ago determined that many MSU students want to stay in Mankato to start their careers, but there simply were not enough employment opportunities. In that respect, business groups like Greater Mankato need to continue to assess the needs and connect employers with interested students.

Of course, some will associate the arrival of MSU students with problems for public safety, housing and neighborhoods. While certainly these problems cannot be ignored and some of them are caused by students, just as many or more are also caused by young people who are not MSU students. That distinction should be kept in mind.

The death of young people over the last year — at least three of them MSU students — that involved alcohol should also be a problem the community and MSU should vigorously attack. Clearly, more needs to be done.

The goal to keep in mind as MSU students return is to make them part of the greater Mankato community, contributing to its growth and benefiting from its rewards.