University of Oregon
EN-10: Community Partnerships

Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) is an AmeriCorps program administered through the University of Oregon's Institute for Policy Research and Engagement. The mission of the RARE Program is to increase the capacity of rural communities to improve their economic, social, and environmental conditions, through the assistance of trained graduate-level participants who live and work in communities for 11 months. Participants assist communities and agencies in the development and implementation of plans for achieving a sustainable natural resource base and improving rural economic conditions while gaining community building and leadership skills. Communities that complete an application for assistance and are able to provide a $23,500 cash match will be considered as possible host communities.

RARE participants assist communities in the development and implementation of projects for achieving a sustainable natural resource base and improving rural economic conditions. The RARE program is now in its 26th year and during this time has placed more than 500 volunteers and served nearly every Oregon county. As each community has individual needs, each participant focuses on community specific projects typically in the following areas: downtown development, public health, transportation planning, community education, economic development, food systems improvement, and natural resources planning. https://rare.uoregon.edu/

Sustainable Cities Institute (SCI) focuses on sustainability and cities through applied research, teaching, and community partnerships. We work across disciplines that match the complexity of cities to address sustainability challenges, from regional planning to building design and from enhancing engagement of diverse communities to understanding the impacts on municipal budgets from disruptive technologies and many issues in between.

SCI focuses on sustainability-based research and teaching opportunities through two primary efforts: our Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP), a massively scaled university-community partnership program that matches the resources of the University with one Oregon community each year to help advance that community's sustainability goals; and our Urbanism Next Center, which focuses on how autonomous vehicles, e-commerce, and the sharing economy will impact the form and function of cities. We share our expertise and experiences with scholars, policymakers, community leaders, and project partners.

We further extend our impact via an annual expert-in-residence program, SCI-China visiting scholars program, study abroad course on redesigning cities for people on bicycle, and through our co-leadership of the Educational Partnerships for Innovation in Communities Network (EPIC-N), which is transferring SCYP to universities and communities across the globe.
The website URL where information about sustainability partnerships is available:
https://sci.uoregon.edu/

The Institute for Policy Research and Engagement (IPRE) of Oregon is an interdisciplinary institute that assists Oregon communities by providing planning and technical assistance to help solve local issues and improve the quality of life for Oregon residents. The role of IPRE is to link the skills, expertise, and innovation of higher education with the economic development and environmental needs of communities and regions in the state of Oregon, thereby providing service to Oregon and learning opportunities to the students involved. Projects last anywhere from a few weeks to multiple years. We have additional research partnerships, such as the TallWood Institute and Sustainable Cities: Year of the City, that are community priorities for regular engagement with the Eugene-Springfield area.

The Holden Leadership Center engages the University and the broader community in reciprocal partnerships to create educational programs for students, to promote leadership through service, to foster and promote inclusive environments and to advance social justice and civic engagement. One of the center's many goals is to partner with student groups, campus units, and community agencies to create and support meaningful opportunities for Oregon students to work with K-12 youth and schools to increase educational equity and achievement. Another goal is to develop and implement quality programs in the community addressing real community assets and needs, designed with students, faculty, and community members as genuine partners. Projects last anywhere from a few weeks to multiple years. Projects include quarterly days of service, including Earth Day of Service, which plants thousands of trees in the local community in collaboration with the community nonprofit Friends of Trees. The UO funds and provides space and resources for the Holden Leadership Center. http://leadership.uoregon.edu