Urban Rural Ambassadors Institute challenges urban-rural ideas

Jillian Hoefer, The Observer, La Grande, Ore.
Updated ·2 min read

Mar. 27—LA GRANDE — The Urban Rural Ambassadors Institute, a course for Eastern Oregon University and Portland State University students meant to bridge the gap between urban and rural settings, is returning for the first time since 2020.

In a partnership between Oregon's most urban university and its most rural, the Urban Rural Ambassadors Institute, a three-credit course this year, will take place over five weeks from May 1-May 22. The focus of this year's course is transportation.

"We are still in the early stages of planning everything, but we are hoping to talk with Oregon Department of Transportation, county commissioners and people from city planning so that students can hear and learn from them," Shannon Donovan, EOU Sustainable Rural Systems professor, said.

Students from Eastern Oregon University will spend a weekend in Portland during the third week of the course, and students from Portland State University will spend a weekend in La Grande the fourth week.

Plans are still tentative and subject to change in the coming weeks.

The course is three credits this year instead of six because the previous week-long trip was not convenient for all students who wanted to partake.

The Scott Fairley Memorial Scholarship Fund can help EOU students with the cost of the class, sometimes covering the entire cost of the course depending on how many EOU students register for it.

Students will attend remote lectures, hear from a wide variety of elected officials and participate in panel discussions in the weeks before the trips.

While PSU students are in La Grande, students from both universities will travel to Elgin to see the Joseph branch trail as part of their learning experience.

Plans are still being made for EOU students making the trip to Portland, but students will be staying at a hotel near Portland State University.

Students will also visit sites in Portland that are relevant to the topic of transportation so they can compare and contrast the differences between transportation in urban and rural areas.

Interested EOU students can contact their advisers or Donovan to register for the course.

"The program is meant to challenge preconceived ideas the students might have about urban-rural differences," Donovan said.

Jillian Hoefer is a reporter for The Observer. Contact her at jhoefer@lagrandeobserver.com.