{"id":2397,"date":"2024-07-24T23:50:28","date_gmt":"2024-07-24T23:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/?p=2397"},"modified":"2024-07-24T23:50:28","modified_gmt":"2024-07-24T23:50:28","slug":"scott-fairleys-legacy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/2024\/07\/24\/scott-fairleys-legacy\/","title":{"rendered":"Scott Fairley’s Legacy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Connecting communities and building bridges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Scott
Scott Fairley was an avid outdoor enthusiast who was dedicated to serving rural communities across Oregon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Embarking on a journey with her classmates through the bustling heart of Portland, EOU student and Pendleton, Oregon native Addison Bonzani experienced the rush of city life for the first time. But getting here was not a simple process. Two powerful forces conspired to make her adventure possible: the Urban-Rural Ambassador Institute and the indomitable spirit of Scott Fairley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Urban-Rural Ambassador Institute is a collaborative effort between Eastern Oregon University (EOU) and Portland State University (PSU), giving students from both schools residential field trips to learn about commonalities and differences between Oregon\u2019s communities. The program aims to build a critical framework for understanding the nuances of the state\u2019s urban-rural \u201cdivide.\u201d Students from both universities participate in discussions with an array of elected officials and community leaders while building relationships among themselves and with people in different parts of the state.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Scott
Scott Fairley<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cPortland State and Eastern Oregon students are co-enrolled in this class to learn about specific issues,\u201d said Tim Seydel, Vice President for University Advancement, who helped launch the program with former EOU President Tom Insko. \u201cThere are actually a lot of similarities in the demographics of PSU and EOU students: working, nontraditional, first generation. This is an opportunity for them to collaborate, to effectively experience first-hand the similarities and differences both urban and rural areas share.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each year the institute delves into key topics, including transportation, housing, food production\/scarcity, healthcare, natural resources, and more. This was Addison\u2019s first exposure to a variety of issues and opportunities dealing with public transportation, both in Portland as well as in La Grande. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe class demonstrated how issues of urban and rural areas are similar, but manifest differently,\u201d Bonzani reflected. \u201cI had never been to Portland before this trip. And, while I don\u2019t want rural areas to become urbanized, we can take lessons from larger areas to build solid infrastructure in our rural communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe started discussions about a program to help close the urban-rural divide in 2017 and welcomed the first cohort in 2018. We wanted to make it a model for programs in other areas to bridge similar gaps,\u201d Seydel said. \u201cScott just loved the idea of connecting students from different parts of the state on a common topic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott Fairley spent his career working to connect communities with resources through the Oregon Governor’s Office programs, including Regional Solutions and Business Oregon. \u201cWhen the governor began organizing Regional Solutions divisions across the state, we were eager to be a part of the program. We provided office space on campus for their staff and that\u2019s when I started working more closely with Scott,\u201d Seydel recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fairley was raised in Pendleton, and dedicated himself to helping people and communities. According to friends and colleagues, he truly understood rural and urban issues and served the public across the state and in his hometown throughout his life. He unexpectedly passed away in December of 2020 at the age of 53, but his legacy continues. \u201cHe was such a kind, good person. He always found possibility instead of impossibility,” Seydel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI knew Scott for a number of years before his passing,\u201d Bonzani reminisced. \u201cMy sister and I worked in his home and occasionally walked his lovely dogs, Truman and Pearl!\u201d Scott was described as a devoted family man who was heavily involved in his community and his hobbies. He graduated from Pendleton High School and the University of Oregon before beginning his career in public service. Scott worked for the Department of Transportation, and Department of Environmental Quality, served as an ombudsman in the Oregon Governor\u2019s Office, and served on Pendleton\u2019s City Council and Planning and Airport Commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon his passing, a colleague of Scott\u2019s established a memorial scholarship at EOU to honor their urban-rural collaborations and their friendship. \u201cWe are honoring Scott\u2019s legacy in eastern Oregon,\u201d Nate Lowe, Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, shared. “The responses we hear from students who take the course is that it far exceeds their expectations and that it has led them to better appreciate the nuances and complexities of diverse communities in the state. This scholarship supports more students building bridges of understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI know the good he did in his life, so I shouldn\u2019t have been surprised to receive this scholarship,\u201d Bonzani shared. \u201cHe would have been so happy to create this opportunity for students like me. I\u2019m grateful that even years later, Scott is instrumental in teaching me valuable life lessons.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Connecting communities and building bridges Embarking on a journey with her classmates through the bustling heart of Portland, EOU student and Pendleton, Oregon native Addison Bonzani experienced the rush of city life for the first time. But getting here was not a simple process. Two powerful forces conspired to make her adventure possible: the Urban-Rural […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":491,"featured_media":2398,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-foundation-profiles","category-magazine-profiles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/491"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2397"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2399,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2397\/revisions\/2399"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.eou.edu\/foundation\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}