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LIBERAL ARTS

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Student Spotlight

Environmental advocate blends conservation and social justice

Celine Castillo’s journey from Santa Ana to the Environmental Arts and Humanities program at the College of Liberal Arts highlights her commitment to environmental advocacy, social justice, and making green spaces accessible to all communities

Growing up in the predominantly Latino community of Santa Ana, California, Celine Castillo’s love for the environment blossomed early. "My parents took me camping at least once a year," she recalled. "Every Memorial Day weekend, we’d be out camping, sitting around the fireplace." These impressionable experiences instilled in her an appreciation for the outdoors and encouraged a lifelong commitment to environmental advocacy.

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CLA Leadership

The College of Liberal Arts 2023-2028 Strategic Plan

The College of Liberal Arts builds a richer, more creative tomorrow through the rigorous study of human history, human expression, and the human mind. In the next five years, we will pivot towards the knowledge economies of the future.

In the next five years, we will pivot towards the knowledge economies of the future. Today's students will chart their professional paths in a wider variety of fields than ever before, including many that don't yet exist. They seek an education that universities of the past could not have envisioned. We must meet their aspirations. CLA will be a bridge-builder, elevating collaborative opportunities and amplifying the visibility of innovative research and creative work.

We will integrate the arts in research disciplines across the University. We will create globally-relevant opportunities for all students, including those who cannot physically travel abroad. We will prioritize new technologies and pathways for student learning. The College of Liberal Arts will lead Oregon State University as a model of higher education for the public good.

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CLA BY THE NUMBERS


5,026

The right size for your education
The College of Liberal Arts is the proud academic home of 5,026 students. With 1 faculty member for every 15 undergraduate students, you'll receive a personalized education paired with a robust liberal arts college experience.


World Class Instruction
Our dynamic, intellectual community of 336 expert faculty tackle the world’s biggest issues from social justice to food insecurity. They conduct symphonies and design in virtual reality. They study the past to forge solutions for the future.

336


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4-Year Graduation Guarantee
CLA is the only college at Oregon State that guarantees you'll graduate in 4 years. Our graduates go on to successful careers in medicine, technology, the arts, media, law, policy, education, business and more. Your path is wide open.

Research Highlights

Rewriting the curriculum: Bringing climate change to the humanities

The School of Writing, Literature, and Film positions itself as a leader of humanities-based climate change education with new YouTube series focused on “Cli-Fi”

As climate change continues to pose an existential threat to the planet, education systems around the world tussle with how best to prepare the next generation to understand and address this global challenge. Traditionally, the educational emphasis has been on STEM disciplines, which offer crucial insights into the science behind climate change. However, an innovative project led by Raymond Malewitz, an associate professor of English at the College of Liberal Arts, seeks to broaden this educational approach by integrating climate change into the humanities, particularly through the study of literature.

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Faculty Focus

The philosophy of anything

Dr. Stephanie Jenkins, associate professor of philosophy, talks freedom of philosophy, work in disability studies, and more

Before Dr. Stephanie C. Jenkins had a Ph.D., she was introduced to philosophy via competitive debate in high school. While majoring in philosophy at Emory University, Jenkins found favorite philosophers like Simone de Beauvoir, Judith Butler, and Michel Foucault, among others.

Across her broad field of interests, Jenkins uses disability studies to explore why hierarchies exist between abled and disabled people thanks to ableism, the “moral other” of non-human animals through critical animal studies; and examines gendered moral others through feminist philosophy. Read more >

 

With 290 faculty members, the College of Liberal Arts has the collective experience to guide our students to greatness.

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CLA Events

 

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donation innovation

Visionary Donations Funding our Future: PRAx

“The Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts will serve as a unique and dynamic education and performance center and will be a showcase destination for the visual, musical, theater and cultural arts for students, faculty, campus visitors and Oregonians,” said Larry Rodgers, dean of OSU’s College of Liberal Arts.

A lead gift of $25 million for the complex has been provided by Patricia Reser. Additional gifts include a $2 million commitment from the family of the late Lynne Detrick of West Linn to build a new 500-seat concert hall to offer a high-caliber venue for both listeners and performers, Rodgers said. The OSU Foundation continues to seek philanthropic support for the center, and OSU will also seek state bonding from the 2020 Oregon Legislature to help support the project.

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