Dear friends,
As we wind down 2024, I am reflecting on what an eventful year it has been, both on and off campus. Among other things, we completed our five-year CAS strategic plan and have created an implementation plan to put our priorities into action. We also welcomed 64 new faculty—both tenure track and career—after delayed hiring due to COVID. And we are especially excited to welcome our newest, and most diverse, class of undergraduates, as well as our new transfer students and graduate students.
The past year has been both rewarding and challenging at times, but external events have not changed our mission, our vision and our commitment to providing CAS students with the best education possible. You will be hearing more in the coming weeks about how our strategy aims to set up for success our CAS students, staff, faculty and supporters. We have a lot to look forward to in the new year.
Meanwhile, I hope you will take a much-deserved break after a demanding fall. Enjoy holiday activities with your families and friends, observe the UO’s quiet period from December 25 to January 1, and make space for rest and fun.
As I reflect on our achievements of the past year, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for our CAS community. I want you to know how much I value and appreciate all of you and your accomplishments. Thank you for your hard work and your passion for what you do.
In closing, I’d like you to know that you have my best wishes for 2025. May the new year bring you joy, fulfillment and continued success!
With appreciation,
Chris
Chris J. Poulsen
Tykeson Dean of Arts and Sciences
Professor of Earth Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences | University of Oregon
1030 E. 13th Avenue | Eugene, OR | 97403
Pronouns: he/his
How nice that “our mission, our vision and our commitment to providing CAS students with the best education possible” and that “our strategy aims to set up for success our CAS students.” Meanwhile we get a separate email that “We have fewer GE packages to allocate this year,” even though “Graduate training is critical to our university mission.” Critical and less of it, I guess. We hafta pay for all those new administrators somehow.
This will be job #1 for Pres Scholz’s latest PR hire – explain why their job is more important than teaching students. Not that it will matter, since revealed preference shows Scholz already believes it.
I liked President Scholz’s message, but Chris Poulson’s mass emails always read like nails on a chalkboard to me. This one included. It’s either ideologically clumsy (like his message after affirmative action was struck down) or vaugly self-important / condescending / pretentious in tone. I wonder how many faculty+staff approve vs disapprove of Chris. Can UO Matters conduct polls on head/dean/provost/president approval rates? I personally can’t wait for this dean to “rediscover his first calling/love of teaching and research” so we can get someone else in the position of dean that I can tolerate. I would love to know, via random sample, how many of my colleagues in the college agree or disagree with me.
Doesn’t matter affirmative action is illegal. Universities will keep doing it and just keep calling it something else and until another lawsuit proves that it’s actually still happening.
Simple question: How many different versions of “Assistant Dean” are there now in CAS??? That wasn’t even a position a few years ago, pre Poulson.
Say what you will about former interim CAS Dean Bruce Blonigen, but at least he wasn’t into pissing away other people’s money on bullshit.
Oh please, he came to a department meeting to ‘discuss’ the sweeping our ‘surplus’ with the explanation that he was thrilled the provost did it because he got to hire his own CAS comms person. His big ‘vision’ was to become the Dean of Lillis, so I guess he was successful at something.