Ducks Give 2026

Help Wayne Morse Scholars – UO undergraduates from diverse viewpoints and backgrounds representing more than 30 majors – reach their maximum potential.

Now in its 12th year, the Wayne Morse Scholars program provides skills building, service learning, leadership training, and mentoring to students interested in public affairs and community engagement, encouraging their development into well-informed and seasoned leaders.

What Scholars do

• Tackle big questions of democracy and governance through special 4-credit seminars, Democratic Dilemmas and Democracy in Practice, and monthly lunch gatherings to discuss compelling topics ranging from campus and local issues to national and global challenges.
• Explore forms of political engagement through field trips to Salem and other sites to watch the political process and public policy in action and gain advocacy skills.
• Develop a better understanding of the judicial system by engage in dialogue with attorneys and federal judges through lunches exploring landmark legal cases and the biennial field trip to the Wayne L. Morse United States Courthouse.
• Get advice and tips about career paths and planning from an array of guest speakers and panels of Scholar alumni, as well as mentoring from Wayne Morse Center staff.
• Participate in praxis in real-world settings via internships and applied research for upper-level scholars, with modest funding to support them.
• Develop leadership skills in hands-on workshops and training sessions to prepare for the job world and to explore varied leadership styles.
• Connect with prominent scholars and elected officials. Scholars share meals and conversation with invited speakers including elected officials, advocates, public scholars, journalists, and movement leaders.
• Join a community of students committed to service and justice with fun social events, weekend strolls, service days, and yearly outings to a local community theater.

Thank you for sustaining this impactful and engaging program!