Eastern Oregon University

Rural Engagement and Vitality

Websites | revcenter.org

The mission of the Rural Engagement and Vitality Center (REV) is to create partnerships between Eastern Oregon University and entities in eastern Oregon to enhance the vitality of the region and develop tomorrow’s rural workforce and leaders.

The REV is structured as a program within Wallowa Resources, a community-based non-profit organization focused on stewardship of rural communities and the land that supports them. This framework provides leadership and flexibility for working on a wide array of projects with diverse partners.

The REV Center connects university students to neighboring rural communities through carefully designed projects involving students and local citizens to address local issues. These projects address strategies that encourage the revitalization of rural communities and increase the likelihood that students will identify opportunities for work in eastern Oregon after graduating.

Fun Facts About Eastern Oregon University

Eastern Oregon University serves a region of 12 counties covering over 44,000 square miles (about the size of the state of Pennsylvania) where around 212,000 people live (a population of a small city like Boise, Idaho). There are no other 4 year universities located in this vast geography which is dominated by mixed conifer forests and deserts with large tracts of public lands and limited transportation routes. EOU is Oregon’s designated rural university.

Public or Private Institution | Public
Year Program Established | 2020
Country | US
Total Student Enrollment | 3000

Highlight Articles/Videos

Economic research promises better data for rural counties
Harmonizing communities statewide
EOU Sustainable Rural Systems program interview

City Partners

The REV works in partnership with a diverse set of partners across a vast region. Our partners can be individuals or consist of other organized partnerships – the common theme is in their desire to resolve complex issues and contribute to vital rural communities. The REV partners with: 

• Oregon State Parks and Oregon Parks Forever to host Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute; a field studies course where students contribute to ongoing data sets and build solar infrastructure for Oregon parks
• Theater artists, Sarah and Jack Greenman, to produce a verbatim theater piece about the Urban Rural Divide in Oregon
• The Blues Intergovernmental Council and the US Forest Service to produce socioeconomic reports to illuminate potential impacts of forest planning on 14 counties in eastern Oregon and SE Washington
• EUVALCREE, a non-profit organizer of LatinX communities in eastern Oregon and Idaho, to analyze and report member survey data that will inform future directions of their work
• Northeast Oregon Economic Development District and the Eastern Oregon Workforce Board to address the challenges faced by employers to meet workforce housing needs across the region
• We connect faculty and students with relevant community projects and partners including the EOU Sustainable Rural Systems program which includes multi-year project courses within its degree requirements and integrates partner-driven data collection into its environmental science courses.

Contact Details

Grace Donovan
REV Executive Director
gdonovan@revcenter.org