SCYP Kicks-off its Fifteenth Year with Oakridge

A bustling crowd of Oakridge city officials, faculty, leadership, and stakeholders came together in the Many Nations Longhouse for a rousing lunch and kick-off for this year's Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP). The sunny, October Tuesday offered attendees a preview of the upcoming year's activities and classes for the program's commitment with Oakridge. Now in its fifteenth year, SCYP is a dynamic, cross-disciplinary partnership that brings together students and programs from all over the university to help communities expand their capacity to solve today's problems and develop sustainable frameworks for their future work. SCYP is a great asset to Oregon's communities and an important piece of the university's and college's strategic goals.

Photograph of the Dean of the Lundquist College of Business speaking at the SCYP kick-off.

“The University of Oregon and the College of Design are both committed to providing educational experiences that positively impact our community and prepare our students for the workforce and the Sustainable City Year Program is just one powerful, immersive solution," said Dean Adrian Parr Zaretsky. "SCYP has been helping communities of all sizes since 2009 and, in its fifteenth year, is looking to continue its storied history of working in partnership with our communities to provide our passionate students, research, and academic energy to help solve the wicked problems of the day. I want to thank our dedicated faculty, students, and community leadership, and also thank our partners in the Lundquist College of Business and the School of Journalism and Communication for joining us in the two-year engagement with Oakridge.”

Photograph of Yizhao Yang and Christina Bollo presenting their courses to the SCYP luncheon.

On the heels of a successful engagement with the City of Salem last academic year, this year's SCYP will work with the community of Oakridge for the next two years, matching resources from existing university courses to high-priority projects. These resources and expertise will allow the City Council and the Oakridge community the opportunity to solve important issues such as the Oakridge Industrial Park marketing and development, Willamette Activity Center planning and outreach, city website improvements, urban renewal opportunities and research, housing development planning and design, community service program options, and affordable GIS alternatives for the city. 

SCYP courses to address these project ideas include business, journalism, geography, planning, design, nonprofit management, and public administration with more disciplines added throughout this year and next as project and course matches are made to reflect community priorities. Oakridge officials are excited by the upcoming collaboration and university expertise that will be shared with the community over the next two years.

"The City of Oakridge is incredibly grateful for the opportunity to begin our two-year partnership with SCYP,” said Oakridge City Administrator, James Cleavenger. “The expertise and assistance from UO faculty and students will allow us to take on far more projects and endeavors benefiting the city than we would otherwise be able to accomplish due to understaffing and limited funds. As a UO Law School graduate myself, it is especially exciting to be able to work with my alma mater to find solutions to a myriad of complex issues facing the city.”

The resources and expertise offered by the university's faculty and students help ensure that the mutually advantageous work completed by these classes will give Oakridge a unique opportunity to address its complex issues. The backing of a tier 1 research university helps expand the capacity of our local communities to address hardships and local issues with access to resources that might not be available. Thanks to the hard work and support from U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as former Congressman Peter DeFazio, the program and work is supported thanks to the secured federal funding for SCYP through Congressionally Directed Spending and the US Department of Education. Our elected officials understand the program's importance in improving the lives of all Oregonians, especially rural communities like Oakridge.

Photograph of deans talking together.

“UO’s Sustainable City Year Program is a proven model of success, using the drive and expertise of students and faculty to discover solutions that move Oregon communities—both urban and rural—to a clean energy future faster,” said Senator Merkley. “The entire Oakridge community will benefit from becoming an idea-sharing hub over the coming years, which will provide students with tangible, real-world learning opportunities while also making the rural community more sustainable and resilient to climate chaos threats in the future.”

The partnership officially launched with a celebration luncheon in the Many Nations Longhouse with remarks given by Oakridge Mayor Bryan Cutchen, College of Design Dean Adrian Parr Zaretsky, School of Journalism and Communication Dean Juan-Carlos Molleda, Lundquist College of Business Dean Bruce Blonigen, Oakridge City Administrator James Cleavenger, SCYP Director Megan Banks, and SCI Co-Director and Planning, Public Policy and Management Professor Marc Schlossberg. After the remarks, Oakridge staff and UO faculty took a few minutes to unveil the year’s upcoming projects and share specific partnership details for the stakeholders and personnel at the luncheon. Thanks to the longer engagement plan with Oakridge, SCYP will have greater flexibility to address emerging or systemic barriers/problems experienced by Oakridge's community, allowing the university to maximize impact for the community now and for years to come after the engagement is completed in 2026.


Sustainable City Year Program