Ducks Give 2026
How Economics Explains Rising Gas Prices
Since Feb. 28, the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow channel between Iran and Oman, has been closed due to the Iran war. Although the US gets a small fraction of its oil exports from the Strait of Hormuz, why is cost of fuel rising? What would a prolonged closure of the strait mean for the global economy?
College of Arts and Sciences economist Keaton Miller weighs in on the Iran war and why rising gas and diesel prices are hitting Americans in more ways than just at the gas pump — from energy bills at home to groceries.
“This is a pretty classic supply side, inflationary story of when energy prices go up that makes everything a little bit less efficient, a little bit more expensive,” Miller said.
Read more about Miller's perspective on what the strait's continued closure means for the global market.
Ducks Give is May 14. And We Need Your Help!
Ducks Give is the University of Oregon’s annual 24-hour fundraiser. On Thursday, May 14, your gifts — no matter how small — can support programs that benefit undergraduate and graduate students, including experiential learning and scholarships that are making a real impact to prepare them for careers after college.
Join Ducks from around the world to support current and future students. Let’s rise together on May 14!
Congratulations, Graduating Ducks!
The College of Arts and Sciences’ departments will hold commencement ceremonies on Monday, June 15, 2026.
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?
Why is storytelling so important for College of Arts and Sciences students, whether they're pursuing creative writing or neuroscience? With the advent of AI and constant technological innovation, it's more important than ever to bring humans together. Find out more how the craft of storytelling is preparing students for an ever-changing world.
Also in the April CAS Connection issue, an economist weighs in on why the war in Iran and closure of the Strait of Hormuz leads to high prices around the world; alum, filmmaker and Olympic runner Alexi Pappas shares her perspective on ambition and failure; and a chemist shares research on how we can make labs more accessible for students — 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
2:00–3:20 p.m.
Join the Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies for a talk on “Feminist Futures in Pasifika: Student and Community-Led Pathways to Decolonization, Intersectional Racial Justice, and Healing” with Sarina Saturn, CHamoru and Indian scholar-activist.
This talk explores how Pasifika students, educators, and community leaders are building feminist futures through grassroots action, mutual aid, and healing-centered justice work. Drawing from transinstitutional and institutionless efforts, including the ADVANCE Journal: Individual and Institutional Transformation for Social Justice, QTPI Village, and Guma' Gela', the presentation highlights student- and community-led pathways to decolonization, reproductive justice, climate resilience, and collective care. Centering ancestral wisdom and intergenerational leadership, this presentation offers a vision of Pasifika futures rooted in liberation, relationality, and community healing.
Sarina Saturn, PhD (she/they), is a CHamoru and Indian scholar-activist, educator, psychologist, neuroscientist, former tenured professor, community scientist, and public scholar whose work bridges higher education, health equity, and social justice. She has taught across psychology, neuroscience, and health sciences while advancing inclusive learning environments grounded in trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and liberatory practice. Her scholarship and community work center decolonization, intersectional racial justice, collective healing, intergenerational leadership, and reverse and reciprocal mentorship, with longstanding engagement in BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and feminist communities
3:30–5:00 p.m.
The Department of History is pleased to welcome Estelle Freedman, Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. History (Emerit) at Stanford University and co-founder of Stanford’s Program in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, for the 2026 Pierson Lecture: "Speaking of Sexual Violence: Voices from Women’s Oral Histories in the Twentieth Century U.S."
How can historical research contribute to understanding silence and speech about sexual violence? Based on her analysis of a large text database of oral history collections, Professor Freedman will explore how women from diverse backgrounds remembered and reacted to unwanted sexual advances during the twentieth century. She applies both quantitative digital humanities tools and qualitative close readings of relevant women’s narratives to consider two topics: stories of sexual assault handed down in African American families, and varied responses to educational and workplace harassment.
Freedman is the Edgar E. Robinson Professor in U.S. History (Emerit) at Stanford University and co-founder of Stanford’s Program in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, and the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences, where she is currently a Stanford Faculty Fellow. Freedman’s ten books on the histories of women, feminism, and sexuality include two prize-winning studies of prison reform--Their Sisters' Keepers and Maternal Justice; the surveys No Turning Back: The History of Feminism and the Future of Women and (with John D'Emilio) Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America; and the multi-award winning Redefining Rape: Sexual Violence in the Era of Suffrage and Segregation. She is currently writing about narratives of sexual assault and harassment in 20th century women’s oral histories. Freedman co-directed (with Christie Herring) the 2024 documentary film, Singing for Justice, about S.F. Bay Area folk musician and political activist Faith Petric (1915-2013).
The Annual Pierson Lecture is a Department of History tradition that spans back to 1993, when it was founded to honor Stan and Joan Pierson. The Piersons were both exemplary citizens of the community, dedicated to history and education as proven by their distinguished records of intellectual accomplishment and community involvement. This lecture series brings distinguished scholars to the University of Oregon, so that they may share their work in alignment with the Piersons’ interests in cultural, intellectual, and political life.
noon
Looking for a part-time job this summer in Eugene? Looking ahead for fall job opportunities on campus? Or want to learn more about future work-study opportunities during your time at UO? Stop by the UO Part-Time Job & Work-Study Fair, Wednesday, May 13, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. in the Tykeson Hall 1st Floor Commons area to meet local and on-campus employers hiring for seasonal employees! Bring your resume and apply on the spot, or just look around and learn more about the great ways you can get work experience and build career readiness skills during your time at the UO.
FYI: Work-Study is a specific type of part-time job available to students based on financial need. If a job says it requires Work-Study, you must have accepted an award on Duckweb. To learn more about the program and how to find your award, check out https://career.uoregon.edu/jobs-and-internships/work-study
There will still be LOTS of jobs at this event that do not require work-study in order to apply--something for everyone!
Register in Handshake to keep up to date on which employers are coming to the fair and what jobs you can be applying for!
Special thanks to Chick-Fil-A
1:00 p.m.
Please join us Wednesday afternoons for a free cup of coffee, pastries, and conversation with your history department community! We’re excited to continue this tradition for our history undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff. We hope to see you there!