2024 URA visited a community garden in Portland, up against commercial and residential properties

2024 URA visited a small farm in Cove, at the base of a mountain

Time Magazine: Bridging an Urban-Rural Divide

FEATURED IN TIME MAGAZINE

How Students in Oregon Are Bridging the Rural and Urban Divide

SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE

The Scott Fairley Memorial Scholarship Fund provides tuition for undergraduate students from Eastern Oregon University to participate in the Urban and Rural Ambassadors Seminar, a partnership of Portland State University and Eastern Oregon University. Those who worked closely with Fairley knew well his advocacy for eastern Oregon, whether it was through his work as a state employee or his time on the city council. He was known as a collaborator with an uncommon ability to bring people together on divisive issues. He took his positivity, combined with his breadth of knowledge, to bridge discussions in Salem often for the good of communities of eastern Oregon. The memorial fund is a fitting tribute to a public servant who understood rural and urban issues and served the public across the state.

EAGLE CAP PARTNERSHIP

The Eagle Cap Partnership works to provide opportunities for greater understanding of working public landscapes and includes active community engagement. The partnership was established in 2016 with leaders from four local organizations: Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, Wallowa Resources, Wallowa Mountain Hells Canyon Trails Association, and Eastern Oregon University.

COLLABORATING ACROSS THE URBAN-RURAL DIVIDE

Eastern Oregon University (EOU) and Portland State University (PSU) are leading an effort, along with their community partners, in providing the Urban Rural Ambassadors course to build awareness across the urban-rural divide and better understand and appreciate similarities and differences surrounding common social and economic issues. The course was recently featured in TIME magazine.

In 2024, the class included one weekend-long residential field trip to La Grande and one weekend-long residential field trip to Portland as well as online sessions with guest speakers and activities to complement the field outings.

The Urban-Rural Ambassador program allows tomorrow’s leaders to learn from each other about regional commonalities and differences. Students develop the capacity to forge a path through the tension and stalemate which often is the result of the urban-rural debate, and to find solutions that fit local economies, values, and ways of life for the advancement of Oregon as a whole.

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