CAS Student Is a Rhodes Scholar Finalist
Valerie Owusu-Hienno, a fourth-year College of Arts and Sciences and Clark Honors College student who aspires to be a physician, researcher, and global health advocate, has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, the oldest international fellowship in the world.
Owusu-Hienno is majoring in neuroscience, with minors in biology, chemistry, and global health. She said she grew interested in public health, particularly maternal health, when taking classes in neuroscience and health and through her involvement in Students for Global Health, a student organization on campus.
The UO has produced 20 Rhodes Scholars since 1904, most recently in 2023 when neuroscience major Nayantara Arora was selected. Six Oregon students have been national finalists in the past three years and nine in the past five. The Rhodes Trust is based at the University of Oxford in England. Each year, the organization sends 32 students from the United States, and dozens more from around the world, to the venerable university with full tuition paid for two to three years.
Photo by Brooke Taché, CHC Communications
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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?
Students in the Department of Human Physiology are getting hands on experience in the medical industry, whether that's helping Ducks sports programs on the sidelines or shadowing local physicians in the emergency room. It's one way that CAS undergrads are getting prepared for medical careers after college.
Also in the October issue of CAS Connection: Celebrating the genius of comics creator Jack Kirby, NASA scientists visit campus, CAS researchers give antibiotics a boost—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
10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
GIS Day is celebrated across the world to facilitate learning about geography and the real-world applications of geographic information systems that are making a difference in society. • See where GIS is used in research and our community • Explore aerial photography and remote sensing equipment • Map arts (and crafts) - Fold your own paper globe - Decorate a square for the UO Map Quilt - Make map-themed bookmarks and pins • Lightning talks • Snacks
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Northwest Native American Language Resource Center.
Principles and importance of community-based planning in Native communities and community engagement.
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
3:30–4:30 p.m.
Curious about career paths that value your academic training but exist beyond the traditional professor track? This workshop will introduce you to the world of “academic-adjacent” careers, that is roles in higher education, administration, management, research, nonprofits, industry, and more. Learn strategies for exploring opportunities, tailoring your materials, and showcasing your graduate skills in new contexts. It’s never too early or too late to broaden your options and discover where your expertise can take you.
This workshop is intended for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. Please register at https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/0198e30437197e34a62676b34bfe2e41 to receive the Zoom link.
This event is part of the GradEdge: Midweek Career Workshops series. Join us every Wednesday afternoon this term!
5:00–6:00 p.m.
Attend this information session to learn more about Global Education Oregon's Environmental Change and Community Development program in Senegal and The Gambia. If you're interested in subjects like community resilience, sustainable development, environmental health, and the socio-ecological well-being, this study abroad program might be of interest to you.
This event is part of International Education Month. Learn more about International Education Month here: https://international.uoregon.edu/IEM