Lanch McCormick

Lanch McCormick
Faculty Fellow; Director of Student Engagement, Center for Undergraduate Research and Engagement (CURE)

Background and areas of interest?

I’ve served as an undergraduate adviser for 15+ years and am passionate about my work with students. There’s nothing that excites me more than teaming up with students to explore their professional, as well as academic interests and to work with them to achieve their goals. 

What brought you to the University of Oregon? 

We’ve always loved the Pacific Northwest, especially Oregon. We were ecstatic for the opportunity to join the UO community.

How did you get involved in academic advising?

I started out coordinating a summer community service fellowship program. Through that role, I realized how much I enjoyed working with undergraduate students and transitioned to career advising so that I could work individually with students to realize their professional goals. I’ve also worked with students to strengthen their academic portfolio, as well as with preparations to present their senior thesis work. In addition to higher ed, I have experience in global health work. 

What’s the best advice you have for a college student? 

Have fun! Explore your interests! Select a major based on what you will enjoy learning about, and not necessarily based on what you think you will do for a job. The two may end up not being related at all. Music majors for example, can go on to medical school,and those who study literature may be accomplished computer programmers. That’s the beauty of a liberal arts education.  There are numerous routes to reach your end goal, so don’t stress so much about it and enjoy your time at UO. Strengthen your skill-set by engaging in experiential opportunities such as internship/volunteer work, research, study abroad opportunities.

How can students contact you?

Students are welcomed to email me at lanch@uoregon.edu. I look forward connecting with you!