How a CAS Alum Found Purpose and Community
You can find Sarah Koski on the bus. At a Lane Transit District bus station. Or near the railroad tracks. Wherever you might find the political science and Clark Honors College alum, you'll likely see that she's pulling along her "Koski Cart," a wagon filled with bottles of water or hot drinks—depending on the season—supporting Lane County's unhoused community.
Koski graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science in 2006. But as an undergraduate and soon after graduation, she worried about finding success. After years of searching for a career that offers passion and meaning, she found what she was looking for: Lane Transit District's homelessness and outreach resources liaison.
“A lot of us are taught early on: success equals a big city, a global firm or a high-powered job. But that’s just one version of success and not the only path,” Koski said. “Sometimes, working in your own community or in a smaller market creates a bigger impact because your voice isn’t lost in the noise. You also build trust more quickly, and your work is more visible.”
News from CAS
All news »
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?
Researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences secured $83 million in sponsored grants to fund 199 research projects across the three divisions: Humanities, Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences. This year’s annual report provides a glimpse into the curious minds of researchers and their work.
Also in the November issue of CAS Connection: a physics professor takes the helm of the world's largest particle accelerator, a cinema studies student shares her experience interning for a Portland-based casting company, a data science professor works to make AI be more accurate—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
5:00–7:00 p.m.
Dear friends and supporters of OIMB, Please join us at an exclusive retirement event to celebrate the remarkable career of Professor Emeritus Craig Young, longtime director and professor at the Oregon Institute of Marine Biology (OIMB). With your support, Craig has made many meaningful contributions over the years, both scientifically and in our educational mission, including significant infrastructural and programmatic changes that benefit the local communities. As part of this retirement celebration, Craig will introduce you to our new director, Amy Moran, who received her PhD at OIMB several decades ago, and is now a highly respected scientist from the University of Hawaii. Her many fields of expertise include the biology of animals living in extreme conditions under Antarctic ice. Please join us for a reception honoring Craig and welcoming Amy as we transition to the next chapter of leadership at OIMB.
Kindly RSVP by November 30
7:00 p.m.
Please join the Department of History for the December pub lecture. Nancy Bray will discuss "From Grapes to Mushrooms: The Farm Workers’ Rights Movement in Oregon, 1965-2025."
Free and open to everyone!
The UO Department of History presents a series of talks with scholars about history, from the local to the global. Join us for stories, food, and conversation in a casual setting!
2:00 p.m.
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Physical Chemistry Seminar Series – Rotation Talks
Speakers
- ALEX ZEIMETZ
- JOE MEILEN
- TT ITH
- TEA BEAULIEU
- BRANDON THOMAS
- KATIE SNYDER
- GAVIN VALDEZ
Hosted by Dhiman Ray
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Northwest Native American Language Resource Center.
Designing surveys, choosing effective distribution methods, and using the results.
Participation is on a first come, first served basis. We are capped at 50 participants per workshop.
Register at: https://forms.office.com/r/NjGWyE6sxe