The White Stag Block shines as the new face of University of Oregon in Portland. The building's grand opening takes place October 1 through the 4 and will feature several public events for the community. The 100,000 plus square-foot space contains new classrooms, computer labs, a Duck Store featuring a café, and event space to accommodate 200 people. The renovated block in Old Town Chinatown will provide more opportunities for students and professionals who are interested in journalism, architecture, law, digital arts and product design. Non-credit and weekend courses will be sponsored by UO as well.

Highlights from the grand opening include a panel discussion directed by professors from the School of Journalism and Communication and media professionals from the Northwest who will be discussing the presidential campaign in “Covering the Coverage: A Report Card for Presidential Campaign Reporting” Thursday, October 2 from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. The UO School of Music and Dance and the Oregon Bach Festival will present a free concert Friday, October 3 at 8:00 p.m. Also, an open house with guided tours and exhibits takes place Saturday, October 4 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and offers an excellent opportunity to visit the Ducks’ new Portland home. For a more detailed list of scheduled public events, visit http://pdx.uoregon.edu/index.php?p=grandopening/schedule.

In addition to being a great space for alumni, students and professionals, the eco-friendly building is earning accolades for its environmentally conscience design. Portland Business Journal recently reported that University of Oregon earned a 'gold' standard from the U.S. Green Building Council, the second highest honor offered by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The multi-million dollar renovation recycled unused materials, uses collected and stored rainwater as for toilet water, has space for 85 bicycles, skylights to provide natural light, and several other features that helped it to earn this distinction.