New OQ: UO building on strengths to help students and society

The summer issue of Oregon Quarterly  — available now — showcases areas in which the University of Oregon is building on strengths to create new programs to serve the state, region and world.

Provost Patrick Phillips and faculty members across the university have identified areas where the UO is strong and can be even stronger, the environment, innovation and sport and wellness among them. Boosted by the UO’s successful $3 billion fundraising campaign, the most ambitious such campaign ever undertaken in Oregon, faculty members and other officials are collaborating on five initiatives to identify new ways to teach, conduct research, serve students and provide even greater benefit to Oregon and beyond.

Another article in the summer OQ describes how the Lundquist College of Business is putting fresh energy into career readiness and financial literacy. New course requirements and networking platforms are providing students with the guidance and the means to identify promising careers and connect with alumni and professionals in them.

The business college is also teaming up with the financial aid office to provide students with unprecedented support in developing money management skills and other budgeting savvy best described as “financial wellness.” That support includes peer financial coaches, workshops and access to faculty and alumni expertise in tax planning, investing and even car buying.

Also in the summer issue: a collection of essays from a student-poet in the rigorous Kidd creative writing workshops program, which is celebrating 30 years; a profile of Raoul Liévanos, a sociologist who is laser-focused on inequalities in how people experience their environments; and a feature on alumnus Michael Govier, winner of an Academy Award this year.