Community Planning Workshop

 

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The Community Service Center (CSC)

The Community Service Center (CSC) 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 CSC is housed at the University of Oregon. The role of the CSC 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. Through the service-learning programs provided by the CSC, student participants gain important service and professional experience by helping to solve community and regional issues.

Through its programs, the CSC works to establish relationships and strengthen the partnerships between faculty and students on Oregon University System (OUS) campuses and community representatives, state and local agencies and non-profit organizations. The CSC provides six interrelated services.

Community Service Center Programs

The CSC is currently administering three programs designed to serve the needs of rural communities in Oregon, and provide OUS students with experiential, issue-focused service learning opportunities.

History of the Community Service Center for Oregon

The Community Service Center (CSC) has been assisting Oregon communities for the past 25 years. In 1976, the Community Planning Workshop was initiated as the first of the service-learning elements of the CSC. Initially, two faculty members managed three to four projects per year. As additional staff members were hired the number of projects grew from four to eight per year. Over the years, CPW student projects have regularly received awards from the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association. In 1991, CPW received a national award from the 1,000 Points of Light Foundation.

In 1994, funding from the Corporation for National Service, the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE), the USDA Forest Service and participating Oregon communities provided support to implement Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE). In the first year, 15 students lived and worked in rural, resource dependent communities helping to improve economic and environmental conditions. In the past six years the RARE Program has grown from 15 to 34 placements per year. Across the country the RARE Program is recognized as one of the most successful applied, professionally oriented, service-learning programs for persons interested in acquiring rural resource and economic development experience.

In 1997-98, the RARE Program developed and funded a third service-learning program called Student Originated Studies (SOS). The primary objective of the SOS Program is to engage students in service-learning assistance to Oregon communities and non-profit organizations through student thesis projects. A panel of state agency representatives and CSC program directors review SOS proposals. Twenty-eight SOS grants have been awarded since 1997.

Community Service Center Staff

A team of eight planning/public policy professionals guide the activities of the Community Service Center. Each of the CSC staff members has an average of nine years of planning/public policy experience serving Oregon communities and regions. The four senior staff of the CSC are:

Jean Stockard is the Senior Faculty Advisor of the CSC.

Bob Parker is a Managing Director of the CSC and the Director of Community Planning Workshop and coordinates the work of four graduate fellows serving as project managers for CPW projects. He is responsible for reviewing and responding to Requests for Proposals, project development and day-to-day management.

Megan Smith is a Managing Director of the CSC and the Director of the RARE Program and oversees the day-to-day operations including contract development and administration, participant and community selection, field support and training. Megan also assists in the development and implementation of pilot programs for the CSC.

For more information on the Community Service Center visit our web site at: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~csco or contact us by phone at: 541.346.3889 or by mail at: Community Service Center • 1209 University of Oregon • Eugene, OR • 97403-1209.

Revised November 15, 2004

Where CPW Lives

The Community Planning Workshop is part of the Community Service Center (CSC). The CSC is composed of several different but related programs. For more information on the CSC and its related programs, please use the additional links below:

The Community Service Center (CSC)

The Community Service Center (CSC) 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 CSC is housed at the University of Oregon. The role of the CSC 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. Through the service-learning programs provided by the CSC, student participants gain important service and professional experience by helping to solve community and regional issues.

Through its programs, the CSC works to establish relationships and strengthen the partnerships between faculty and students on Oregon University System (OUS) campuses and community representatives, state and local agencies and non-profit organizations. The CSC provides six interrelated services.

Community Service Center Programs

The CSC is currently administering six programs designed to serve the needs of rural communities in Oregon, and provide OUS students with experiential, issue-focused service learning opportunities.

  1. Community Planning Workshop (CPW) is a campus-based, two-term required course in which teams of University of Oregon Community and Regional Planning graduate students work under the direction of CSC staff members performing contract research for client groups in Oregon.
  2. Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE) trains and places graduate level students in communities where they live and work for a year helping to improve economic and environmental conditions in rural Oregon.
  3. Student Originated Studies (SOS) provides opportunities for graduate level students to receive grants to develop individual projects that assist Oregon communities and regions resolve important planning/public policy issues.
  4. Proposal Writing Assistance Program (PWAP) provides campus-based grant writing training for undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Oregon by matching the grant writing needs of Oregon communities with student skills and the disciplinary expertise of the campus.
  5. Oregon Natural Hazards Workgroup (ONHW) assists communities by addressing natural hazards through the application of land-use and environmental planning techniques, research, public education and community capacity building; and offering educational opportunities in applied natural hazard mitigation activities to students.
  6. Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) empowers low-income residents to take part in activities that increase individual self-sufficiency, while also participating in community-building activities. Graduate level students assist in this process, including developing local partnerships.

History of the Community Service Center for Oregon

The Community Service Center (CSC) has been assisting Oregon communities for the past 25 years. In 1976, the Community Planning Workshop was initiated as the first of the service-learning elements of the CSC. Initially, two faculty members managed three to four projects per year. As additional staff members were hired the number of projects grew from four to eight per year. Over the years, CPW student projects have regularly received awards from the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association. In 1991, CPW received a national award from the 1,000 Points of Light Foundation.

In 1994, funding from the Corporation for National Service, the U.S. Department of Education Fund for the Improvement of Post Secondary Education (FIPSE), the USDA Forest Service and participating Oregon communities provided support to implement Resource Assistance for Rural Environments (RARE). In the first year, 15 students lived and worked in rural, resource dependent communities helping to improve economic and environmental conditions. In the past six years the RARE Program has grown from 15 to 34 placements per year. Across the country the RARE Program is recognized as one of the most successful applied, professionally oriented, service-learning programs for persons interested in acquiring rural resource and economic development experience.

In 1997-98, the RARE Program developed and funded a third service-learning program called Student Originated Studies (SOS). The primary objective of the SOS Program is to engage students in service-learning assistance to Oregon communities and non-profit organizations through student thesis projects. A panel of state agency representatives and CSC program directors review SOS proposals. Twenty-eight SOS grants have been awarded since 1997.

Community Service Center Staff

A team of eight planning/public policy professionals guide the activities of the Community Service Center. Each of the CSC staff members has an average of nine years of planning/public policy experience serving Oregon communities and regions. The four senior staff of the CSC are:

David Povey is the Director of the CSC and is responsible for the oversight of all CSC programs, staff and finances. He is responsible for securing funds for new and continuing projects, developing and guiding pilot programs, and developing and sustaining relationships with CSC financial partners.

Bob Parker is the Director of Community Planning Workshop and coordinates the work of four graduate fellows serving as project managers for CPW projects. He is responsible for reviewing and responding to Requests for Proposals, project development and day-to-day management.

Bob Choquette is the Director of the SOS Program. Bob coordinates the statewide offering of the SOS grant program administering 10-15 grants annually, and is responsible for the classroom component of CPW.

Megan Smith is the Director of the RARE Program and oversees the day-to-day operations including contract development and administration, participant and community selection, field support and training. Megan also assists in the development and implementation of pilot programs for the CSC.

For more information on the Community Service Center visit our web site at: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~csco or contact us by phone at: 541.346.3889 or by mail at: Community Service Center • 1209 University of Oregon • Eugene, OR • 97403-1209.

Revised November 15, 2004
This page © CPW 2004