CAS Connection

CAS Connection
Dean Chris Poulsen speaking to an audience in a classroom

Creating a Future Forward CAS

How will CAS tackle the major challenges higher education faces? 
Dean Chris Poulsen has a strategic plan to establish the college as a leader and innovator.

By Nicole Krueger

 

Experiential Learning  |  Research & Innovation  |  Community Impact  |  Career Preparation  |  Teaching Excellence  |  21st Century Liberal Arts  |  Building Community  |  Good Vibes  |  CAS Spotlights  |  All Stories  |  Past Issues
 

Academic and career advisor Sonia Gordillo advises students who are pre-health and plan to go to medical school or other health-related graduate program.

Career Preparation

Meeting Students Where They Are

What’s the best way to leverage your degree into a successful career path? Find out how CAS advisors help students flourish both in college and beyond.

By Jenny Brooks

Colin Wilfrid chose to attend UO in part for its disability studies program and in part for its marching band

21st Century Liberal Arts

Exploring Identity
in CAS

Students who come to CAS seeking a degree often find something even greater: themselves. Discover how an identity-focused major or minor can lead to a fulfilling career.

By Jenny Brooks 

Statue of Socrates illuminated with pink light

21st Century Liberal Arts

Taking Liberal Arts to the Next Level

Are liberal arts degrees becoming obsolete? Far from it, say CAS faculty who are evolving liberal arts education to prepare students for jobs that don’t exist yet. 

By Nicole Krueger

A collage of images of LatinX professors

CAS Spotlights

Meet Your New Latinx Studies Professors

Want to explore Latinx studies from a variety of perspectives? These nine new faculty members are bringing their valuable their expertise in Latinx studies-related issues to CAS.

By Henry Houston

Person on a roof making repairs with a nail gun

Community Impact

Finding Home
Again

It’s one thing to rebuild homes after a wildfire. Rebuilding communities is a different matter, discovered sociology graduate student Haisu Huang.

By Henry Houston

Research & Innovation

Book cover "Fighting Mad"

‘Fighting Mad’ Tackles Reproductive Justice 

The overturning of the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion in the US sparked a wave of responses across the nation. 

Explore the impact of this momentous decision through a collection of voices and perspectives in Sociology Associate Professor Krystale Littlejohn’s latest book.

By Codi Farmer

CAS News

Boats marooned in a harbor
Undergrads Research Marine Life at Oregon Coast
BIOLOGY - New in 2025, the Coastal Quarter program allows undergraduates from all majors to spend winter term living at the coast and taking classes in marine biology, environmental studies, anthropology and science communication. Out of the nine students who participated this year, five are majoring in either environmental sciences or environmental studies; four are marine biology majors; and one is a sports journalism major.
a bee with a qr code
New AI cameras are watching the outdoors to spot endangered bees
BIOLOGY - An AI-based imaging system that is a collaboration between researchers at the University of Oregon and Oregon State University, funded by the National Council for Air and Stream Improvement Inc., is working to monitor bee populations without harming the insects. The technology could solve a key paradox in bee conservation efforts. The collaboration includes CAS biologist Lauren Ponisio.
people wrestling on the ground
Play shares the humanity of those living in a war zone
THEATRE ARTS - Local production of the play, "THEM," opens in Eugene July 24. “THEM,” produced and directed by University of Oregon professor, Malek Najjar is a powerful drama about war, hope and survival. Using humor, laughter and song, the play transports audiences into the extraordinary circumstances that reveal their shared humanity and the ordinary moments that shape their lives.

All news »

From the Media

a white van in front of a simpsons mural
De-escalation program saves cities money, increases public safety
ECONOMICS - A groundbreaking crisis de-escalation program that started in Eugene to help people with mental health or substance abuse issues saves cities money and reduces arrests, a University of Oregon-led study has found. The research team includes Jonathan Davis, an economics assistant professor at the College of Arts and Sciences.
two people in Sudan posing
Supreme Court rules Trump can rapidly deport immigrants to Libya, South Sudan and other countries they aren’t from
For the past several months, the Trump administration has been trying to deport immigrants to countries they are not from – despite an April 2025 federal ruling that had blocked the White House from doing so. In a brief emergency order, a divided Supreme Court decided on June 23 that the Trump administration can, for now, legally deport immigrants to countries they were not born in. Eleanor Paynter, assistant professor of Italian, migration, and global media studies, explains the legal case in The Conversation.
a person runs on a track
What it would take for Faith Kipyegon to become the first female sub four-minute miler?
Brad Wilkins, a human physiologist at the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences, who led the Breaking2 “Science Team”, says they tested potential marathoners for VO2 max, running economy (how efficiently they use oxygen) and critical/sustainable speed, which is the highest pace that can be sustained for long periods without fatigue. They also looked for something more “squishy”, as Wilkins describes it — the capacity to show psychological resilience when suffering physically.

All media news »

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CAS Connection is produced by the CAS Communications Department and edited by Nicole Krueger.

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