Messages from the Vice President

Each fall, as our campus begins a new academic year, we are invited to give thanks for the opportunity to learn, make new friends and work in such a beautiful environment. Fall is also a time to celebrate the rich traditions of Latiné history and culture. From September 15 through October 15, our community celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month, also known by many as Hispanic or Latiné Heritage Month.

The 2026 theme for Asian American Heritage Month, “Power in Unity: Strengthening Communities Together” emphasizes solidarity and collective responsibility while honoring the diverse contributions of Asian Americans whose roots span more than 42 nations across Asia and the Pacific. It focuses on solidarity and acknowledging the diverse contributions of over the countries from which Asian Americans emanate. 

Jewish American Heritage Month offers an opportunity to reflect on almost four centuries of Jewish life in what we now call the United States of America. It’s also a time to share gratitude for the amazing as well as enduring contributions that Jewish Americans from all racial, ethnic and class backgrounds have made to American society.

In April of 2026, we pause to recognize the vital role Arab American students, scholars, and alumni play in shaping the University of Oregon’s academic and cultural community. Through faculty and staff leadership across disciplines, and student engagement through the Arab Student Union, Arab American presence enriches learning, research, and creative expression across campus.

March 8, 2026, marks the 115th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. In light of the ever-changing landscape of our world, International Women’s Day is a time for us to intentionally pause and reflect on what is working well for women and girls. It's also a time to reflect on what we can do collectively to help women and girls around the world reach their full potential to build the common good.

Black History Month is celebrated every February, and this year it overlaps with Tu B'Shvat, the Lunar New Year, Mardi Gras, Lent, and the beginning of Ramadan. In many ways, Black History Month marks the celebration of the ways in which Black people have utilized quality education as either a route to personal freedom as well as overall societal impact and advancement.

This November, the stage at Very Little Theatre’s Stage Left will come alive with BlueJay’s Canoe, a poignant and humorous play by Professor Emerita Theresa May and Elder-in-Residence Marta Lu Clifford (Chinook, Cree, Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde). Running from November 7 to 23, the production tells the story of two contemporary Indigenous families navigating life, loss, and legacy.

Just days ago, Provost Chris Long and I welcomed a small group from the Class of 2029 during their tour of Tykeson Hall, part of the New Student Fall Retreat — a signature student success program from the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence. Filled with a mixture of anxiety and awe, their presence reminded me of the amazing opportunity that all members of our community have to learn from and alongside future leaders of Oregon, America and the world...

As the foliage changes hue on our sprawling 295-acre campus, we’re reminded that change is constant. We’re also reminded of the beauty that exists all around us. Not unlike the biodiversity of the trees on our campus, cultural diversity adds richness to the Oregon experience...

Also known “Freedom Day,” Juneteenth is an annual American holiday that commemorates the conclusion of military efforts to maintain chattel slavery in the United States on June 19, 1865. This occurred more than two years President Abraham Lincoln issued the emancipation proclamation, freeing enslaved human beings in other states. Today, it is widely recognized as a holiday that commemorates the liberation of enslaved African Americans in the United States...