After announcing a landmark $25 million commitment, Portland developer, philanthropist and alumnus Jordan Schnitzer shares his thoughts on living in an ever-globalizing world—and his hopes for the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages.

COMICS AND CARTOON STUDIES, DISABILITY STUDIES, ENGLISH - What makes the comic book villain the Joker such a popular antagonist for Batman? It’s one of many questions Professor Elizabeth Wheeler examines in her latest research paper, “The Joker’s Shifting Face: Eighty Years of Mad History in Batman and American Culture.”

ENGLISH - The London Stage Database, a groundbreaking digital catalog of theater performances in London between 1660 and 1800. Hosted at University of Oregon, the database includes dates and locations for more than 52,000 action-packed nights at the theater, along with titles and cast lists for each evening’s entertainments; ticket-sales figures; and critical commentary.

CINEMA STUDIES - Each year, the Harlan J. Strauss Visiting Filmmaker Series brings award-winning filmmakers to campus to mentor students and offer practical guidance as undergrads work on their own original films.

ENGLISH, DISABILITY STUDIES — The University of Oregon’s Perfect Circle Theater is debuting its newest production, “Disabling Reality,” June 7 and 8. It’s a bold, imaginative performance created by and for a truly inclusive community. According to a few of the creative minds behind the production, the goal of Perfect Circle Theater is to create an inclusive community where people with disabilities and their allies can work together as peers. 

Eight faculty members have been selected to win this year’s Distinguished Teaching Awards, which recognize exceptional teaching at the University of Oregon. The 2024-25 recipients are Lana Lopesi, Adell Amos, Mohsen Manesh, Marli Miller, Damian Radcliffe, Corinne Bayerl, Amanda Wojick and Naoko Nakadate.

THEATRE ARTS — University Theatre's end-of-season production, “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” is described as “good fun with plenty of heart.” It combines improv, heartfelt storytelling and audience participation. Performed by University of Oregon students, the production opens May 23 and runs through June 8.

SPANISH - Alumna Kara Buckley works as a senior advisor to the US Olympic and Paralympic Team. She consults on sponsorship and marketing and is helping prepare for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy. She also serves on the Charles H. Lundquist College of Business’s Board of Advisors. What Buckley learned while studying Spanish—both the language itself and the process of learning a language—has helped her advance her career.

LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES — This year's Foreign Language and International Studies Day offered a vibrant celebration of languages, cultures and the arts for high school students. Attendees came from 19 Oregon high schools, some traveling from as far north as Seaside, as far south as Roseburg and as far east as Pendleton.

ENGLISH, ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES - On Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9, a cross-campus co-hosted symposium will focus on how the arts and humanities can address the threats that ocean species face. Blue Visions: Thinking with Ocean Ecologies across the Arts and Humanities is co-hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, the Center for Environmental Futures (CEF), Oregon Humanities Center, and the Department of English.

CLASSICS – As a new tenure-track faculty member in the Department of Classics, Ximing Lu is prepared to contribute his expertise in both research and teaching, offering students new perspectives on ancient history intertwined with modern scholarship. He also has a lot to teach on the subject of travel hacking.

PHILOSOPHY — Sure, when alum John Kaag’s mother forced him to take philosophy lessons from his Latin teacher in high school, he might not have imagined he'd pursue a career in philosophy. But he definitely didn't imagine he'd co-found an AI-driven website that allows you to read classic books alongside literary experts, including "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau.

ENGLISH — As a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and an associate professor in English at the University of Oregon, Kirby Brown blends a deep commitment to preserving his family’s personal stories with a vision for fostering Indigenous research and archival storytelling. He seeks to highlight moments of love, joy, humor, resistance, desire and futurity through storytelling and literature.

PHILOSOPHY, ENGLISH — During “AI and the Humanities,” a panel discussion featuring professors from the University of Oregon explored the impact of AI. The panel was sponsored by the Oregon Humanities Center as part of the center’s 40th anniversary events on the topic of “Humanities Matter(s).” From their in-depth discussion, came five key takeaways about AI.