Lane County recognized as University of Oregon Outstanding Community Partner

Lane County on Tuesday received the University of Oregon's Outstanding Community Partner award for a multi-year Policy Lab partnership that connects county government with university coursework, internships and applied student projects.

County staff and University of Oregon faculty described the partnership, launched in February 2018, as a sustained program that has produced more than 50 collaborative projects across courses such as public budgeting and public administration, created experiential learning opportunities for hundreds of students and expanded engagement into rural parts of the county.

Professor Ben Clark of the University of Oregon and county staff including Jeff Kinkade, Greg Ryckoff and Steve Adams were acknowledged during the meeting; the county said the partnership has helped move student-developed policy ideas through local decision-making and, in some cases, state legislation.

Why it matters: Commissioners praised the partnership as a model for county-university collaboration, noting it brings research capacity and student labor to local government problems and strengthens rural outreach. Professor Ben Clark also was recognized for impending promotion to full professor.

Reactions from commissioners Commissioner Ford thanked Professor Clark for leadership and noted Clark's service on a county Charter Review Committee. Multiple commissioners praised county staff leads and said the partnership has produced tangible policy outcomes, including projects that reached the state legislature and benefited rural communities such as Mapleton.

Ending The board thanked the Policy Lab team and asked staff to continue the partnership and to consider sharing the model with national county associations.