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
2:00–8:00 p.m.
The ROAR (Radical Organizing Activist Resource Center) is partnering with the Decolonial Philosophies Collaboratory (among others) to bring over 40 scholars from all over the world to the UO for a three-day conference. This year's theme is Decolonization and Global Justice. The conference will be held in the Erb Memorial Union. Please email the roarcenter@gmail.com with any questions or if your organization is interested in collaborating on this project.
Conference is available both in person and online. Please RSVP to receive the streaming link.
REGISTER: https://airtable.com/appA8If5KJdZl8CDx/pag0tUc5MceknPWpk/form
Website with more information, including program: https://www.decolonialphilosophiescollaboratory.com/about-6 Erb Memorial Union map: https://map.uoregon.edu/99437f5fa3:00–4:00 p.m.
This information session is for students interested in applying for or learning more about the Portland Internship Experience. For link to Zoom, register HERE!
We will cover topics including: the application process and tips, curriculum and expectations, and the resources and support available throughout the summer. There will be plenty of time for questions.
The Portland Internship Experience is an exclusive opportunity for UO undergraduates to gain professional experience through an internship while making a difference in the community. Students will get a $7,000 stipend while working full-time for 10 weeks at a small business, nonprofit, civic, or educational organization in the Portland area (20+ to choose from!). Learn more at https://pdx.uoregon.edu/portland-internship-experience.
3:30–5:00 p.m.
Join Global Education Oregon for an information session on our summer 2026 Environmental Design in England program! This info session will provide you with additional program and application information.
To learn more about the Environmental Design in England program, visit our website: https://geo.uoregon.edu/programs/europe-united-kingdom-england/environmental-design-england
The Environmental Design in England program's final application deadline is March 15.
4:00 p.m.
Join the Department of Geography for the Colloquium Series talk with Schmitty Thompson on "Our Icy Planet Through the Ages: Glaciers of the Past as a Key to a Rapidly Warming Future."
Free and open to the public
Our planet's recent history is characterized by the growth and decay of glaciers, and their larger cousins the ice sheets, as part of ice age cycles. Understanding how and why glaciers change during the ice ages helps us not only put together a picture of the past, but provides clues on how our planet's ice may respond to the anthropogenic climate change which characterizes our future. I will walk through my research on different time periods in the last ice age and discuss how the results fit into a larger picture of our planet's icy past and rapidly warming future.
Schmitty Thompson is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Geography at the University of Oregon. They study the Greenland ice sheet and how it has changed over the last few centuries, as part of a larger interest in how ice has shaped the history of our planet. Additionally, they are passionate about earth & climate science communication through classroom visits, museum outreach, and talking about rocks to anyone who will listen.