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
9:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m.
This annual event offers undergraduates from all majors a vibrant, inclusive forum to showcase their research and creative work through a variety of presentation platforms. The event celebrates inquiry and discovery across disciplines, helps students build communication and professional skills, and connects them with peers, faculty, and mentors. Whether attending or presenting, students at any stage in their academic journey will gain confidence, expand their networks, and continue strengthening their pathways to success.
The General Agenda on the website gives an overview of events throughout the day. The searchable schedule will be posted at urds.uoregon.edu/symposium closer the event.
3:30–8:00 p.m.
This conference examines the future of higher education in an increasingly authoritarian global environment marked by democratic backsliding, political polarization, and intensifying state efforts to control knowledge production. Across regions, universities face intersecting pressures: geopolitical instability, new technologies, shifting patterns of mobility, growing demands for measurable “impact,” and deepening contests over truth, history, and public trust.
A central concern of this convening is systemic autonomy in higher education: the capacity of teaching and research to be guided by scholarly standards rather than direct political instruction. Universities are never separate from politics, law, the economy, or media. The question is which institutional arrangements allow these relationships to support, rather than undermine, free inquiry.
The Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages invites all to attend and engage!
✒️Register here *Attendance is free
5:30–7:30 p.m.
We are excited to celebrate the 9th Asian Studies Research Event and the Asian Studies Award. This will be an in-person event with catering; details will be announced in May. This event is sponsored by the Asian Studies Program in partnership with the 2026 UO Undergraduate Research Symposium. Registration deadline to participate: April 1. Undergraduate Student Registration: Current UO undergraduate students from any major are welcome to participate in this event (you don’t need to be an Asian Studies major or minor). You can present independent research (e.g., honors theses, term projects, translations, flagship projects, etc.) and creative work focused on a topic in the broad, interdisciplinary field of Asian Studies. Presentations will be 10-12 minutes; detailed instructions and preparation advice will be provided. If you have any questions, or you are not sure your project fits this event, we welcome you to email Alisa Freedman at alisaf@uoregon.edu. You can also see the participants and project titles of recent events here: https://asianstudies.uoregon.edu/asian-studies-research-event/
- Register by April 1. Go to https://urds.uoregon.edu/symposium/registration-preview for instructions, then click on “Registration Form” to sign up.
- When you reach the Academic area of research project section on the form, select the Asian Studies Event. This will automatically opt you in.
Graduate Student Registration: Current UO graduate students from any department or program are welcome to participate, and we welcome students who completed graduate degrees in 2025 but did not present at last year’s event. You can present research focused on a topic in the broad, interdisciplinary field of Asian Studies. Presentations could be on MA theses, seminar papers, and PhD dissertations, creative work and translations. Presentations will be limited to three minutes in the style of “3-Minute Theses” and detailed instructions and advice will be provided. Register by April 1. If you have any questions, or you are not sure your project fits this event, please email Dan Buck (danielb@uoregon.edu). In your registration email please include your name, department, graduation date, academic advisor, and a provisional presentation title (you can finalize it later). Asian Studies Awards, Undergraduate and Graduate: These awards recognize oral, poster, and creative work presentations focused on a topic in the broad, interdisciplinary field of Asian Studies and characterized by excellence in research and clarity of delivery:
- Undergraduate Awards: One $400 award, and two $150 honorable mention awards.
- Graduate Awards: One $400 award, and two $150 honorable mention awards.
- Sponsorship: Asian Studies Program and the Division of Undergraduate Education and Student Success.
5:30–8:00 p.m.
The undergraduate chapter of the UO Net Impact Group is excited to present SPRNG, our annual conference exploring the intersection of sustainability and business.
This year's theme, "Flipping the Switch," centers on the critical role energy plays in shaping a more sustainable future. As communities, companies, and institutions respond to climate challenges, energy remains at the center of innovation, policy, and business strategy.
The conference will bring together students and professionals for a keynote speaker, industry panel, networking mixer, and a case competition focused on real-world sustainability challenges.
This event is free and open to all!
Agenda
- Day 1: Keynote, industry panel, and networking mixer Thursday, May 7, 5:30–8:00 p.m., Lillis Business Complex 282
- Day 2: Case competition Friday, May 8, 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., Lillis Business Complex 211