L&C Magazine
Cover Story
Tough Questions
How can we address some of today’s most vexing issues? Seven alumni experts share their best ideas.
Featured Stories
Feature
GO OTTS!
Capping an intensive collaboration with Portland advertising legends Wieden+Kennedy, Lewis & Clark has unveiled the design of its new River Otter Mascot.
Feature
The Job Market Is Changing. So Are We.
How is Lewis & Clark preparing students for a job market shaped by AI disruption, economic uncertainty, and shifting employer expectations?
Feature
Through Colored Glass
Morgan Madison BA ’99 was selected to create an art installation at the redeveloped main terminal of the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, greeting travelers with 13 unique glass artworks that represent the Pacific Northwest.
Message from the President
Era of the Liberal Arts
A liberal arts education has always been a wise investment. Choosing to become a stronger thinker, communicator, creator, problem solver, and leader is not likely to go out of style.
On Palatine Hill
Swim Teams Make Waves
Lewis & Clark swimming put together a terrific performance at the 2026 NWC Championship Meet in Boise, Idaho, in mid-February.
Football’s Breakthrough Season
After two years of break-even seasons, football broke through this past fall and put together their best performance in 15 years.
Nature-Based Mental Health Training
This summer, the graduate school will launch a new certificate program that invites students to think about healing in expansive terms—through body, art, environment, and relationship.
Making the Invisible Seen
Pain is often private, difficult to name, and even harder to share. But for students working with the Chronic Pain Project (CPP), a Portland nonprofit, it becomes something else entirely: visible, vivid, and impossible to ignore.
A Backstage Pass to NYC
After the pandemic paused Lewis & Clark’s long-standing New York City off-campus program, its return came with a chance to rethink it from the ground up
1 New Major + 4 New Minors = 5 New Academic Paths
Lewis & Clark is broadening its curriculum, giving students more ways to connect a liberal arts education to fast-changing fields.
Quick Study
A compilation of what’s new and notable.
Profiles
Urban Wilds
Celeste Gasperik BA ’09 is leading efforts to bring the restorative power of the natural world to Los Angeles communities.
Chill Out!
Mempops, the frozen treat business of Chris Taylor BA ’99, brings bold, fresh flavors to an American classic: the beloved ice pop.
Alumni News
Lessons in Chemistry
Elie Al Khoury BA ’26 is a student researcher in Assistant Professor of Chemistry JP Gourdine’s urobiome lab.
Stay Engaged with L&C!
Whether on campus or around the globe, there’s no shortage of ways to stay connected with your Lewis & Clark family.
New Inductees From the Class of ’76
During Alumni Weekend, the Class of 1976 will celebrate its 50th reunion and be inducted into the Albany Society.
Celebrate Alumni Weekend: June 11–14
Campus. Connections. Summer Vibes. Join hundreds of L&C friends and faculty for Alumni Weekend 2026, a fun-filled celebration of our community!
Class Notes, Spring 2026
This issue of Class Notes includes submissions through February 6, 2026.
Leadership & Support
Bridging the Gap for Graduate Students
The Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling is making a historic investment in student access, committing nearly $400,000 in new need-based scholarships for incoming graduate students beginning in fall 2026.
Honoring a Global Ambassador
In recognition of his deep commitment to Lewis & Clark and the college’s alumni chapter in Japan, the Masamitsu Kanegae ’99 International Student Medical Emergency Fund has been established.
Building the Next Posse
A new endowed fund will help sustain the Posse Scholar Program at Lewis & Clark, supporting talented student leaders from Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
3 Schools, 72 Hours of Giving
From March 10 to 12, the Lewis & Clark community showed up for students in a big way.
The Great Outdoors
A generous gift from Dave Taylor BS ’74 and Carol Samuels is expanding access to New Student Trips, where friendships—and confidence—take root.
In Memoriam
Faculty Remembered, Spring 2026
This issue of Class Notes includes submissions through February 6, 2026.
In Memoriam, Spring 2026
This issue of Class Notes includes submissions through February 6, 2026.
Back Talk
Galleries
Big Picture
STARRY NIGHT
On a wintry College Outdoors trip, students learn the practical skills of snow camping—hauling gear sleds, digging with snow shovels, cutting with snow saws, and spending a night under the stars in shelters they assembled themselves. Come morning, Mount Hood is waiting for them—crisp, white, and magnificent.
Taylor Feldman