Quick Study

Princeton Review Praise

Lewis & Clark appears in the Princeton Review’s annual college guide, The Best 391 Colleges: 2026 Edition, and receives high marks for most beautiful campus (No. 9), most politically active students (No. 13), and best college newspaper (No. 19).

Supporting Oregon Journalists

Lewis & Clark Law School has partnered with Oregon Public Broadcasting to launch the Public Records and Government Transparency Project. The initiative, one of the first of its kind in the nation, will provide much-needed legal resources for journalists and media organizations throughout Oregon to access public records and to surmount obstacles to investigative reporting involving government agencies and elected officials.

Improved Access to Art Therapy

Beginning in 2026, new legislation (HB 3761) will expand access to art therapy for Oregonians on Medicaid/Oregon Health Plan. Mary Andrus, assistant professor and codirector of the Art Therapy Program at the graduate school, and Kris Bella, clinical instructor and clinical coordinator, have led the effort since 2019, with an intensive focus over the past two years to bring the impactful legislature to fruition.

A ChatGPT for Latin America

Freddy Vilches, professor and section head of Hispanic studies, is partnering with Chile’s National Center for Artificial Intelligence on the creation of a Latin America–focused ChatGPT and an AI translator of Indigenous languages. Vilches is working with the center on a number of projects to advance its mission to “promote an ethical and humane technological future.”

Tastefully Said

They’ve made baked goods that resemble everything from acorns to fish embryos, presenting on subjects like wildfire, Parkinson’s disease, and more.”

—OPB intern Claudia Johnson, who visited campus to hear students present their Rogers Science Research findings and sample their research-inspired desserts.
  

History in the Making

Nancy O. Gallman, assistant professor of history, is the recipient of a prestigious Graves Award, which is given to early-career professors who demonstrate teaching excellence in the humanities. She will use the funding to complete her first book manuscript, Law’s Borderlands: Life, Liberty, and Property in an Old American South.

Credit: Nina Johnson

1 New Hire + 3 in New Roles

• Joe Hewa is the inaugural director of L&C’s new Career Accelerator, which focuses on pairing a liberal arts education with targeted, high-impact career development experiences to provide undergrads with the skills needed to secure competitive jobs after graduation.
• Ben Meoz, who has been with the college since 2021, is the new vice president of student life and dean of students after having served as interim since April.
• Danielle Torres, currently dean of equity and inclusion, has been selected to serve as the new associate dean of the Graduate School of Education and Counseling and Community Dialogues director.
• Sarah Warren, associate professor of sociology, has been named the inaugural executive director of community partnerships. She will spearhead Lewis & Clark’s historic partnership with Albina Vision Trust, as well as cultivate new community partnerships.

Peace Corps Top 10

Lewis & Clark is No. 8 among small colleges on the Peace Corps’ 2025 Top Volunteer-Producing Colleges and Universities list. With six alumni currently serving across five countries, the college continues its deep-rooted commitment to global service.