The Community Service Center (CSC) of Oregon, a research center affiliated with the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management at the University of Oregon, is an interdisciplinary organization 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 the CSC is to link the sk
ills, expertise, and innovation of higher education with the transportation, 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. Would you like to follow current news about CSC's projects, students, RARE participants, alumns and community partners? Visit the new blog here: http://blogs.uoregon.edu/cscenter/
Community Service Center Programs
The CSC is currently administering four programs designed to serve the needs of rural communities in Oregon, and provide OUS students with experiential, issue-focused service learning opportunities. Community Planning Workshop – Community Planning Workshop (CPW) is an experiential program within the Department of Planning, Public Policy and Management at the University of Oregon. Students work in teams under the direction of faculty and Graduate Teaching Fellows to develop proposals, conduct research, analyze and evaluate alternatives, and make recommendations for possible solutions to planning problems in Oregon communities. The CPW model is unique in many respects, but is transferable to any institution that desires to link pedagogy with community service. Resource Assistance to Rural Environments - The mission of the Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (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. Partnership for Disaster Resilience - The Oregon Partnership for Disaster Resilience (Partnership) is a coalition of public, private, and professional organizations working collectively toward the mission of creating a disaster resilient and sustainable state. Developed and coordinated by the Community Service Center (CSC) at the University of Oregon, the Partnership employs a service learning model to increase community capacity and enhance disaster safety and resilience statewide. Economic Development Administration Center - The mission of the University of Oregon (UO) Economic Development Center is to link UO resources with communities for the purpose of enhancing regional sustainable economic development. The primary emphasis of our program is providing technical assistance to distressed communities throughout the state of Oregon. The focus of the program is creating sustainable local economies through capacity building, applied research, and partnerships. The program is a partnership between the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA), the University of Oregon, state and local government, and private industry.
