The Science Behind Goals
New Year's Resolutions are out. Making goals that resonate with your true desires are in.
But have you struggled with sticking to your goals, whether you're working on personal achievements, coursework as a student, or just everyday work life? Find out what research says about goal setting, and how celebrating the small steps can lead to big change.
“With goals, we want to want them. We have been given a sense of what we should do or what we should want to accomplish, but if we don’t have that desire in our heart of hearts, it will be very difficult to change our behavior,” according to Elliot Berkman, College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) psychology professor and divisional associate dean, Natural Sciences.
Read more about what's happening in the College of Arts and Sciences in the January issue of CAS Connection.
News from CAS
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We Love Our Supporters
Gifts to the College of Arts and Sciences can help our students make the most of their college careers. To do this, CAS needs your support. Your contributions help us ensure that teaching, research, advising, mentoring, and support services are fully available to every student. Thank you!
What’s Happening in CAS?
How can you rethink goals, whether it's for personal achievement, success in the classroom or in everyday work life? CAS Psychology Professor and Natural Sciences Divisional Associate Dean Elliot Berkman offers a way to rethink the "why" behind your goals.
Also in the January CAS Connection issue, find out what new CAS major is equipping students to drive change, how squatting in three US cities influenced housing policies, an alum who leveraged his Spanish degree to. U.S. Department of State job—and more.
Undergraduate Studies
Wherever your academic goals eventually take you at the UO, all Ducks begin their journey with foundational courses in CAS. More than 60 percent of students go on to pursue a major in a CAS department or program. With more than 50 departments and programs, there’s an intellectual home for almost any interest, talent, or career aspiration.
Graduate Studies
The College of Arts and Sciences offers more than 30 master's programs and more than 20 doctoral programs across a diverse range of disciplines. Both as contributors to research teams and through their own scholarship and teaching, our CAS graduate students are indispensable to the vitality of the UO academic mission.
Student Support Services
We provide our students with a variety of resources to help you thrive inside and outside the classroom. Through Tykeson Advising, we provide comprehensive academic and career advising from the start of your journey at the University of Oregon. Learn about career preparation and get assistance in selecting the very best classes. Connect with labs, libraries, IT and tutoring. Find your community on campus.
World-Class Faculty
The College of Arts and Sciences faculty members are a driving force of the high-output, high-impact research activity that has earned the UO membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU). Our world-class faculty members are inspiring teachers.
Among them are five members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, four members of the National Academy of Sciences. They are committed to helping students discover their academic passion. Every day, they work to expand students’ intellectual horizons, preparing them for life after college with real-world knowledge and skills.
Meet our Dean
In the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), we are committed to excellence in research and teaching, student success, and diversity, equity, and belonging.
A liberal arts education—one that offers a breadth of intellectual approaches and perspectives and depth in a major discipline—is the foundation to a purposeful life as a life-long learner, engaged citizen, and leader. The skills you will learn here—from written and verbal communication to analytical and quantitative reasoning, to compassion and understanding—are those that employers seek and will open the door to a wealth of opportunities.
You will find more than 50 majors and a multitude of minors within CAS, and seemingly endless opportunities for personal exploration and discovery. Whether you are an incoming first-year student, a grad student or a transfer student, you can map an exciting future and be part of a fun, warm, engaged liberal arts community here. Come join us. And go Ducks!
The College of Arts and Sciences includes:
Happening at CAS
11:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Did you know you can have someone review your resume before the Winter Career & Internship Expo on 1/30? Drop-in with a career readiness coach or peer coach in Tykeson Hall Commons to get feedback on your resume! Free cookies & hot chocolate too :)
Don’t have a resume? Come learn how to make one!
This University Career Center event is part of the 2026 Winter Career Readiness Week sponsored by Enterprise Mobility. To learn more about all of the week's events visit http://career.uoregon.edu/events
2:00–4:00 p.m.
From Jan. 21 and continuing until March 18, the Northwest Native American Language Resource Center (NW-NALRC) will be holding weekly consultation and assistance times.
From 2-3pm PST we will be providing consultation and assistance with Community Projects and Planning.
From 3-4pm PST we will be providing consultation and assistance for Supporting Language Teaching and Learning.
To join, please fill out this short form https://forms.office.com/r/D2pg3wErfj.
If you are in need of assistance, or if you have any questions, please contact nalrc@uoregon.edu.
6:00 p.m.
Filmlandia Screening Series presents: City Girl (1930). Free and open to the public.
Directed by F. W. Murnau | 90 min. Synopsis: A Chicago waitress falls in love with a Minnesota farmer, and decides to face a life in the country.
The Department of Cinema Studies and the University Film Society celebrate Oregon’s rich film heritage with a new screening series showcasing movies with a unique Oregon connection—from locally shot features to stories written or directed by Oregon filmmakers. Discover Oregon’s reel legacy on the big screen while connecting with the university film community.
Cosponsored by: Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Endowment; Department of Comparative Literature; Department of English; Department of Indigenous, Race, and Ethnic Studies; Native American and Indigenous Studies; Folklore and Public Culture Program; Art House Theater; DUX Present; and Oregon Humanities Center’s Endowment for Public Outreach in the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities.
6:00–7:00 p.m.
The University of Oregon Quant Finance Group (OQG) is now recruiting for its winter 2026 application cycle! OQG is a student-led club dedicated to career development and research in quantitative finance. Through project-oriented learning, members gain hands-on experience in financial modeling, machine learning, and programming applications in finance. Its projects provide portfolio-ready experience that help members stand out in competitive interviews and job searches.
Interested in learning more? Join the group for an information session on Wednesday, January 21. Applications for analyst, front-end, and marketing positions are open until Thursday, January 22 at 11:59 p.m.
We look forward to meeting you and seeing how you can help shape the future of OQG!
Have questions or need help with your application? Connect with us:
- Email: oregonquantgroup@gmail.com
- LinkedIn: Oregon Quant Group
- Website: https://oregonquantgroup.com/
- Instagram: @OregonQuantGroup