National Policy Consensus Center

Urban Rural Ambassadors

Bridging the Divide

Urban-Rural Ambassadors Institute

Bridge over a canyon

Time Magazine, "How Students in Oregon Are Bridging the Rural and Urban Divide" article and video, 2020.

Urban Rural Ambassadors

Urban Rural Ambassadors is an immersive field-based class created jointly by the state’s urban university - Portland State University and the state's rural university - Eastern Oregon University (in La Grande, Oregon). It is open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Portland State University or Eastern Oregon  University in any major or program. (Students at Eastern Oregon University enroll in the course through their university.) Students with an interest in community development, environmental management, political science, public administration, urban planning, and more have taken this class. The class is also open to any member of the public wishing to take the class as a non-degree student.

In this three-credit class, students learn about commonalities and differences across Oregon communities. That knowledge serves as a critical framework for becoming a leader who works collaboratively across what has been described as Oregon’s urban-rural divide. Urban Oregon and rural Oregon share many public challenges, such as environmental health, housing, and climate change, though the geographic and policy context, and the requisite strategies, may often be quite different. Oregon’s capacity to address important public issues is, in large part, dependent upon the ability of the state’s urban and rural interests to work together, and – where there are important differences – to work through those differences for the common good.

Media about the Urban Rural Ambassadors

Time Magazine

See a Time Magazine film about the program: Carlisle, Madeline. 2020. How Students in Oregon Are Bridging the Rural and Urban Divide, Time Magazine.

Read the Time Magazine article

The Other Oregonian

Hughes, Dick. 2019. Urban-Rural Ambassador program bridges the divide. The Other Oregon/A Voice for Rural Oregon.

Read The Other Oregonian article

REV Center Intern Experience

Read about an intern whose course experience led her to rural Oregon (PDF).

Read the story of a REV Center intern
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Spring 2026 Offering

In 2026, the course will be hybrid. It will include one weekend-long residential field trip to La Grande and one weekend-long residential field trip to Portland as well as several online sessions with guest speakers and activities to complement the field outings.

The course schedule is as follows:

  • Online session #1: April 23, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
  • Online session #2: April 30, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
  • Online session #3: May 7, 12:00-1:30 p.m.
  • Portland field trip: May 15-17
  • La Grande field trip: May 22-24
  • Online session #4: June 4, 12:00-1:30 p.m.

Portland State University students, please note:  The Urban Rural Ambassadors course is limited to 10 PSU seats and is open to any student enrolled at PSU in any major or program or level (it will likely serve as an elective in your program). Sign up now to secure your spot. The spring 2026 course number is PA510.

Eastern Oregon University students, visit your school's website for information about signing up for the course.

QUESTIONS?

Contact Kristen Wright, kjwright@pdx.edu or the National Policy Consensus Center at npccdesk@pdx.edu

Endorsement from Governor Kate Brown

In April 2018, Governor Brown visited Eastern Oregon University to sign a bill allocating $9 million toward building a field house on the campus. At the media event, she took the opportunity to announce Portland State University’s collaboration with Eastern Oregon University on the Urban-Rural Ambassadors Institute.

“I am very happy to announce the launch of the Urban-Rural Ambassadors program. This is a new partnership with EOU and with PSU and Oregon Solutions. It will challenge students, whether from La Grande or Portland to provide creative solutions to meet the needs of our diverse communities and support our local thriving economies.”