College of Liberal Arts - Oregon State University

06/13/2025

Hello CLA Class of 2025!
As Dean of Oregon State University’s College of Liberal Arts, I want to congratulate you on achieving a truly momentous goal in your life. Just a few years ago, you set your sights on earning a degree, and now that goal is a reality. All of us in CLA are so proud of your accomplishments and grateful that you chose Oregon State as the launchpad for the rest of your life’s adventures.

As you begin these next steps, please remember you will always have a home and a family here at OSU. I hope you will stay connected to the university, to the professors and advisors who have mentored you, and to the friends who have shared this time with you. The relationships you’ve established here will continue to guide you for years to come.

This year, CLA celebrates the commencement of over 1,000 students, hailing from every county in Oregon, nearly every state in the nation, and many countries across the globe. As a CLA alum, you'll be joining a network of hundreds of thousands of alumni working in a range of professions and industries. Use these connections of shared experiences to expand your own opportunities and make a meaningful impact here in Oregon and beyond.

On behalf of the entire CLA community, including the faculty and staff who have worked passionately to support your personal and professional goals, we thank you. Your contributions have enriched our college and university in countless ways, and it is our sincere hope that the knowledge, experiences, and friendships you’ve gained at OSU will continue to shape your journey ahead.

Congratulations Class of 2025 and Go Beavs!

06/12/2025

Meditations on music

Annabella Eisner discusses her PRAx Fellowship research and work as a contemporary music industry major

As a musician from rural southern Oregon, Annabella Eisner came to Oregon State University with her eyes set on a variety of opportunities that the school and community had to offer. Eisner started out pursuing a kinesiology major, but altered her academic path after the first year of her undergraduate program to take on both a major in the contemporary music industry (CMI) and Spanish. In deciding on her dual major, Eisner became one of the first students in the CMI program.

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By Colin Bowyer on May 15, 2025 Annabella Eisner discusses her PRAx Fellowship research and work as a contemporary music industry major Image Annabella Eisner By Selene Lawrence, CLA Student Writer - May 28, 2025 As a musician from rural southern Oregon, Annabella Eisner came to Oregon State Univers...

06/11/2025

Finding his voice: Donovan Morales' journey from Gresham to the Oregon capitol

Morales, a double major and minor senior, is working for equity and justice in underserved communities

By the time Donovan Morales reached middle school, he already understood that identity wasn’t something to be taken for granted. His father, who immigrated from Mexico, and his mother, a Californian from the Bay Area, raised him in a predominantly white community along the urban growth boundary in rural Gresham, Oregon. Though he was close with his classmates, Morales always felt an undercurrent of difference.

“I had a lot of white friends, but I always knew I moved through the world differently," he said. "Coming to college made that even more obvious.”

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By Colin Bowyer on May 30, 2025 Morales, a double major and minor senior, is working for equity and justice in underserved communities Image Donovan Morales By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - June 4, 2025 By the time Donovan Morales reached middle school, he already understood that identity wa...

06/10/2025

A hands-on experience for book lovers

Composit Press, a new student-run bookbindery on OSU’s campus, will begin producing photo books in 2025

Unbeknownst to many, tucked away in the garage of Snell Hall, consists of a fully functional, student staffed, book press, able to print and bind both soft- and hard-cover books.

Under the supervision of Evan Baden, senior instructor of photography in the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts, students in The Photographic Book (ART 355) focus on the art of book binding in all of its forms, using appropriated and original imagery to create a variety of publications. Now, Baden and his students are venturing into new territory with Photobook Design and Production (ART 399, for now), designing and producing photo books for professional photographers nationwide.

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By Colin Bowyer on May 28, 2025 Composit Press, a new student-run bookbindery on OSU’s campus, will begin producing photo books in 2025 Image By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - June 5, 2025 Unbeknownst to many, tucked away in the garage of Snell Hall, consists of a fully functional, student...

06/09/2025

Congratulations to the 2025 College of Liberal Arts Outstanding Seniors!

Elijah Foster, MAST/LS
María (Nancy) Aguilar, SLCS
JaylinYowell, SLCS
Anthony Laurie, SVPDA
Aspen McCallum, SVPDA
Jennah Campbell, SPS
Megan Campbell, SPS
Claudia Garcia, SPS
Ellie Hull, SPS
Jahnavi Nanwani, SPS
Hannah White, SPS
Beth Mottweiler, SPP
Lidya Acar, SPP
Summer Wong, SPP
Eduardo Lopez, SHPR
Cara Simpson, SoC
Flora Snowden, SWLF

06/09/2025

Katie Minich: Advancing the future of doula care in Oregon

As an applied anthropology master’s student in the School of Language, Culture, and Society, Minich’s multimodal ethnographic research examines how doula work can become more sustainable

As a doula, trainer, and researcher, Katie Minich has significantly impacted her field, most notably through the launch of what is considered the most comprehensive state-approved doula training program in Oregon. But her work extends far beyond just training doulas; it’s about reshaping the systems that support them and ensuring sustainable, community-based care.

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By Colin Bowyer on May 15, 2025 As an applied anthropology master’s student in the School of Language, Culture, and Society, Minich’s multimodal ethnographic research examines how doula work can become more sustainable Image Katie Minich By Taylor Pedersen, CLA Student Writer - May 28, 2025 As a...

06/06/2025

OSU conducted its 10th annual Native American Flute Circle on June 4th at the Memorial Union Student Experience Plaza. Students from MUS 109 (Native American Flute) gathered with Instructor/Kalapuya Tribal Elder Jan Michael Looking Wolf and played songs from class. The event included a presentation of the "One Heart Award" to the PRAx Center and Executive Director Peter Betjemann for outstanding contributions to the OSU indigenous communities and cultural diversity.

Pictured, left to right: Senior Instructor Jan Michael Looking Wolf, Dr. Luhui Whitebear, PRAx Executive Director Peter Betjemann, and Director of SVPDA Peter Swendsen

06/05/2025

Nuclear dreams to media streams: How senior Lillian Goodyear created a path towards law school through her interests in computer science, digital communication arts, and history

Growing up in Southern California, Northern California, and Utah, Lillian Goodyear moved around a lot due to her dad’s job in the aeronautics industry. Following in her father’s engineering footsteps, Goodyear loved computer programming and UX design, but her interests laid more than just what was on a computer screen. Goodyear loved photography, physics, history, and was also on her high school’s water polo and swimming teams.

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By Colin Bowyer on May 28, 2025 How senior Lillian Goodyear created a path towards law school through her interests in computer science, digital communication arts, and history Image Lillian Goodyear | Photo credit: Julia Wood By Ellie Webb-Bowen, CLA Student Writer - May 28, 2025 Growing up in Sout...

06/04/2025

Celebrating Hawaiian culture: political science, ethnic studies student advocates for Pacific Islander and Hawaiian inclusion

Tihani Mitchell’s journey of ethnographic research, politics, and Hawaiian preservation

Tihani Mitchell remembers sitting in her political science class freshman year, analyzing countless statistics of different groups. None of them included Pacific Islander and Hawaiian demographics–instead, they were included in the “other” category. Even more so, she discovered many students and faculty at OSU were unfamiliar with Hawaiian history and culture.

She returned to her dorm that day in tears. Instead of giving up, Mitchell leaned into her deep connection to her Hawaiian homeland and decided to make her own change.

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By Colin Bowyer on May 19, 2025 Tihani Mitchell’s journey of ethnographic research, politics, and Hawaiian preservation Image Tihani Mitchell By Katie Livermore, CLA Student Writer - May 28, 2025 Tihani Mitchell remembers sitting in her political science class freshman year, analyzing countless st...

06/03/2025

Offering music industry experience on campus

The student-led album project, organized by the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts, is now in its seventh year

The College of Liberal Arts’ experiential learning “hidden gem,” overseen by Associate Professor of Music Dr. Jason Fick, provides students across campus a realistic look at what it takes to record, mix, produce, and market an album. Now in its seventh cycle, the year-long production process pairs student artists with student producers from SVPDA’s music technology and production program (MTP), to work together to create a track for an album.

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By Colin Bowyer on May 15, 2025 The student-led album project, organized by the School of Visual, Performing, and Design Arts, is now in its seventh year Image Artist Naya Sage recording their song "European Accent" By Colin Bowyer, Communications Manager - May 20, 2025 The College of Liberal Arts.....

06/03/2025

OSU GUITAR ENSEMBLE
Directed by Cameron O'Connor

June 5, 2025 • 7 p.m.
Detrick Hall, PRAX

$10 general admission, OSU students free
Tickets available at beav.es/guitar-s25

06/02/2025

BFA EXHIBITION: PROOF OF LIFE
MAY 26-JUNE 13
Opening celebration June 6, 2-3:30 p.m.
Fairbanks Gallery • Corvallis, OR