University of Oregon Public Relations Students Help Lane Transit District Connect with the Community

The Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) is once again partnering with Lane Transit District (LTD). With a strong history of collaboration, LTD returns to the program with the experience and insight gained from previous participation, ready to engage in another high-quality partnership driven by student innovation and faculty expertise.

“SCYP has provided a wonderful opportunity to engage the UO student community with real-world transit challenges. Students have provided fresh perspectives on the community impacts of LTD on Health, Housing, Economic Development, and Education.” said LTD Senior Planner, Brandon Melton.

In winter term 2025, three University of Oregon classes collaborated with LTD, including two senior-level School of Journalism and Communication (SOCJ) public relations (PR) classes. 

LTD sought support on how to best engage transit users when developing their Long-Range Mobility Plan (LTD Connect 2045).

Students in Public Relations Planning (J COM 471) provided research and planning documentation on how LTD can engage the community, with a focus on University of Oregon students as a targeted public. Their recommendations incorporated a sustainability lens to guide efforts.  

Students sit at desks and gather in teams while they work on laptops
Students in Public Relations Planning working on their projects
Students and faculty observe slideshow presentation
Public Relations Campaign students presenting their recommendations to LTD

PR and advertising major, Emma McFarland ‘26, reflected on her experience. “Working with a client like LTD allowed me to gain valuable insight into an organization's operational capacity and long-term goals. The most meaningful part of this experience to me was being able to present strategic solutions in person and have the potential to see those solutions implemented on a local level in the Eugene/Springfield area…” she said.

Graphic with a map of Eugene, noting some green spaces
Team Lane Legends in Public Relations Planning proposed a campaign that included a map mock-up for their outdoor program tactic

The second PR course, Public Relations Campaigns (J COM 472) – the capstone for the major, taught by Associate Professor Dean Mundy – also focused on engagement efforts to support the Long-Range Mobility Plan. This team developed a campaign with recommendations for how LTD could approach outreach for two target populations: college students and local businesses. 

“It was amazing to work with LTD and have their team meet with students in person for both the briefing and debriefing sessions. Our ‘ride & reflect’ experience helped students realize how easy, safe, convenient, and clean it is to take the bus to school. These hands-on opportunities brought public transportation much closer to our students and inspired some truly creative plans to help increase ridership,” said Professor of Practice Attila Schillinger. 

As SCYP’s partnership with LTD continues into the spring term, these projects will further strengthen community connections and contribute to the accessibility and sustainability of the transit system in Eugene. 

- Denali Herrick, SCYP Communication and Visual Media Assistant, Master's in Advertising and Brand Responsibility ‘25