Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages

SCHNITZER SCHOOL, FOREIGN LANGUAGES — Over 675 Oregon high school students — from Pendleton to Medford — attended the 2026 Foreign Language & International Studies (FLIS) Day at the University of Oregon on May 1. It’s a celebration and exploration of language and culture featuring more than 65 language and culture-related presentations, workshops and hands-on activities.

STUDY ABROAD — The Arlene Schnitzer Study Abroad Scholarship is a new opportunity for students majoring in one of the programs offered by the Schnitzer School of Global Studies and Languages to experience its interdisciplinary curriculum out in the world.

SPANISH – Cissy Jones, BA ’02 (business administration, Spanish), is an award-winning voice actor and a fierce advocate of protection for voice actors in the wake of generative AI. In March 2024, she became the CEO of ETHOVOX, a company she co-founded to develop an ethical AI voiceover dataset that collaborates with artists and ensures fair compensation.

COMPARATIVE LITERATURE, SPANISH - Leah Middlebrook, associate professor of comparative literature and Spanish for the College of Arts and Sciences, has been appointed as the new director of the Oregon Humanities Center. Her new position starts July 1, 2024. Middlebrook brings a rich humanities background to the position and she said the position is an honor she takes seriously.

The Board of Trustees of the University of Oregon today named John Karl Scholz — a distinguished economist, professor, and current provost at University of Wisconsin-Madison — as the university’s 19th president. He will begin his appointment on July 1, 2023.

Founded in 1997, the Northwest Indigenous Language Institute (NILI) at the University of Oregon recently celebrated its 25th anniversary this past June. Now, thanks to a recent grant from The Roundhouse Foundation, NILI will be launching an initiative to analyze and re-envision needs for growing and expanding in the years ahead.

The University of Oregon is experiencing its biggest summer of study abroad enrollment in university history with 829 Ducks leaving the nest to study and intern in 34 countries on 78 different programs.

EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES & LITERATURES - Using language skills and cultural knowledge to tell stories that will make a difference are among the goals of a new program at the University of Oregon, which recently received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities.