Christopher P. Long

Welcome to cplong.org, a website now more than twenty years in the making.

This site is an essay—an attempt to make meaning of my experience. It is a public space for reflection, a place to explore and develop the ideas that animate my effort to live a philosophical life.

At the heart of my work is a commitment to writing along the way, so I encourage you to engage actively with the The Long Road blog by sharing what you read here with me through LinkedIn, Mastodon, or Bluesky.

Thank you for visiting this little corner of the digital world.

About

Professional Bio

I have held academic leadership roles at public research universities for more than 20 years and currently serve as Provost and Senior Vice President at the University of Oregon. My values-enacted, relationship-based leadership approach is defined by the core values that inform it: integrity, trust, equity, collaboration, and excellence. My full bio for professional use is available on my bio page.

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Scholarship

With an academic background in ancient Greek philosophy, contemporary continental philosophy, and American Pragmatism, I have published four books and received more than $8 million in funded research projects.

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The Long Road Blog

A tree branch frames a view of a sandy beach with gentle waves and rocky outcrops under a clear blue sky. The ocean stretches to the horizon in the background.
Hope in a Time of Fear

Hope in a Time of Fear

April 30, 2026
This month, I made a bit of time to read two books that have come to shape my thinking over the past few weeks. The first, Édouard Glissant's Poetics of Relation,Glissant, Edouard. Poetics of Relation. Translated by Betsy Wing. University of Michigan Press, 2009. returned…
Two dolphins leap out of ocean waves near the shoreline on a sunny day, with white foam trailing behind them and distant buildings visible along the coast.
In the Wake of Disruption a New Reality is Possible

In the Wake of Disruption a New Reality is Possible

March 29, 2026
The threefold understanding of "wake," found in Christina Sharpe's book, In The Wake: On Blackness and Being, and the notion of the "slipstream," found in Norma Wong's When No Thing Works, have shaped my thinking about how to navigate this period of disruption in higher…
Athletes competing in the women’s 10,000 metres race at the 2022 World Athletics Championships at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon.
Efforts to Turn This Disruptive Present into a Better Future

Efforts to Turn This Disruptive Present into a Better Future

February 12, 2026
Recently, I have been considering and speaking about three aspects of the theory of change that has come to inform my academic and administrative work during this intense period of disruption. In February I spoke with Council of Graduate Departments of Psychology (COGDOP) and in…
The entangled roots of a large tree with red leaves on the ground. The roots point to the web of relationships that influence authorship, shape collaboration, and enrich scholarship.
Love, Complexity, and Interconnection: the Heart of University Life

Love, Complexity, and Interconnection: the Heart of University Life

January 31, 2026
Earlier this week, I had coffee with my friend, Scott Pratt. Our conversation settled on questions of community, and specifically on how to cultivate and sustain academic community in this intense period of disruption, anger, and uncertainty. Afterwards, Scott shared with me a few pages…
Sunset over the distant snow-capped mountains of Sisters and Mt. Batchelor in Oregon with orange and yellow sky, dark forest in the middle ground, and the dry grassy hillside of Pine Mountain in the foreground.
Learning to be at Home in the World

Learning to be at Home in the World

October 3, 2025
In her essay, Understanding and Politics, Hannah Arendt describes understanding as "an unending activity by which, in constant change and variation, we come to terms with and reconcile ourselves to reality, that is, try to be at home in the world."Arendt, Hannah. Essays in Understanding.…
A group of sixteen adults, diverse in age and gender, pose together outside on a wooden deck in front of a building with large windows and trees reflected in the glass. All are smiling at the camera.
We Focused on Hope and Candor and Collaboration

We Focused on Hope and Candor and Collaboration

August 18, 2025
Not quite a year ago, we held the inaugural retreat of the University of Oregon's Provost's Council. It was early in my first year as Provost, and I didn't know what to expect when we gathered, Deans and Vice Provosts, to consider the values that…
A diverse group of people pose together on indoor steps, smiling and holding up peace signs, or "V" signs for VELI. Some stand, while others kneel or sit. The background shows a modern interior with wood accents and metal railings.
Integrity as an Expression of Value Enacted Excellence

Integrity as an Expression of Value Enacted Excellence

July 27, 2025
Before last week's inaugural meeting of the Values Enacted Leadership Institute (VELI) fades too far into memory, let me pause for a moment to capture the trace of a few reflections. They circle around the question of excellence that has haunted the HuMetricsHSS Initiative in…
Continue Along The Long Road