CAS Connection - June 2026 Issue

June 2026

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CAS Associate Professor, Melissa Graboyes, and her team are working through historical records to rethink how to fight the mosquito-borne disease.

Digging through history to fight malaria

CAS Associate Professor of History Melissa Graboyes and her team of student researchers are working through historical records to rethink how to fight the mosquito-borne disease.

By Henry Houston

Unravel the History

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

three faculty award winners pose with dean of college of arts and sciences

Teaching Excellence

CAS celebrates faculty excellence

The annual Tykeson Teaching Awards were granted to faculty in archaeology, biology and cinema studies.

By Maria Soto Cuesta

attendees at schnitzer school global futures conference in 20026

Community Impact

Conference unites global perspectives

Schnitzer School hosted scholars to discuss ways to overcome authoritarianism’s impact on higher education.

By Violet Ashley

person looking at mahjong tiles while playing the game

Building Community

Mahjong is having a moment

A century after its first surge in US popularity, CAS experts explain why the Chinese game is so popular again.

By Harper Wells

students in library review artifacts

21st Century Liberal Arts

Coming soon: core ed playlists

CAS is revising its core education offerings to drive meaningful change for student retention and graduation rates.

By Jenny Brooks

annie pollard and friends on a boat in the ocean wearing life jackets

Alumni Spotlight

The marine biologist who opened a brewery

After following her passion for marine biology from Bandon, Oregon to Antarctica, CAS alum Annie Pollard decided to settle down and pursue her other passion: brewing beer.

By Bailey Meyers and Henry Houston

Meet the Brewmaster

Villard's Family at the Villard Hall Grand Opening

Villard Hall Grand Opening

Lots of “greats” worth celebrating 

University of Oregon’s early growth can be directly tied to transportation magnate and philanthropist Henry Villard. In 1883, he became the university’s first benefactor when he paid its debt and donated $50,000. To thank him the university named its second building after him: Villard Hall. Built in 1886, it was renovated and reopened in 2025 as part of the University of Oregon Heritage Renovation Project and supported by state legislative bonds. Villard’s family — including his great-great-grandson Stephen Villard Seckinger (middle) and his great-great-great grandchildren Ray and Natalie Seckinger (far right and far left) — attended the grand re-opening celebration ceremony. Villard Hall now serves as the home for College of Arts and Sciences Departments of Cinema Studies and Theatre Arts.

From the Media

a firefighter works on a firetruck
Why do Oregon schools, cities constantly ask for property tax hikes?
Why do Oregon elections often include ballot measures asking for voters to OK property tax increases to fund resources ranging from schools to fire departments? State governments can't keep up with inflation and property tax reforms in the '90s make it possible to ask voters to step in. “I think it was poorly understood at the time either by the legislature or by the voters,” Joe Stone, professor emeritus of economics at College of Arts and Sciences, told the Salem Statesman Journal.
a silhouette of a person looking at the evening sky
Get ready for summer stargazing season with 9 night-sky events
The summer brings long hot days, but if you're near Bend, Oregon, you can stargaze at Pine Mountain Observatory, which is affiliated with the College of Arts and Sciences. Reader's Digest pointed to the observatory as a spot to gaze between June 6 and 10, when Venus, Jupiter and Mercury will be above the western horizon.
an illustration of a chinese woman on a laptop on the great wall of china
The hidden Chinese influence in AI
An opinion article in the Wall Street Journal mentions research by College of Arts and Sciences sociologist Hannah Waight. Waight is a lead co-author on a team of seven researchers that included Purdue University, University of California San Diego, New York University and Princeton University that recently published its first peer-reviewed evidence that China’s state-controlled media has worked its way into the training data of AI chatbots that the world relies on.

All media news »

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