PLU welcomes Class of 2026 at LUTE Welcome (new student orientation)
Incoming PLU students were welcomed to campus through a variety of celebratory events and community-building activities at LUTE Welcome (New Student Orientation) September 2-6. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Pacific Lutheran University (@pacificlutheran) View this post on Instagram A post shared…
PLU academic programs restructured into four distinct colleges
A long-planned academic restructure is being implemented that organizes Pacific Lutheran University’s academic programs into four colleges: the College of Health Professions; the College of Liberal Studies; the College of Natural Sciences; and the College of Professional Studies. “We’re very grateful to the faculty and…
Clarissa Gines ’12 combines her passions for art and community working for Tacoma Creates
Clarissa Gines was one of the first students to graduate with PLU’s art history undergraduate degree in 2012. It wasn’t easy—she had a child during her senior year, and juggled parenthood with schoolwork and an internship at a Seattle-based art gallery. She then worked as…
City of Tacoma environmental scientist Tom Chontofalsky ‘03 loves asking questions
From an early age, Tom Chontofalsky ‘03 always thought he’d be a wildlife biologist. He’d pore over issues of National Geographic and One World magazines his dad purchased, studying photos and text of exotic animals. Chontofalsky is now an environmental scientist with the City of…
PLU selected for American Passport Project
Pacific Lutheran University was recently selected to participate in the second cohort of the Institute of International Education (IIE) American Passport Project. Through this initiative, 25 eligible PLU students who have never had a U.S. passport, will get one free of charge. PLU was one…
Faculty Innovators
Innovation in the classroom: “I do, and I understand” If you search for the CV of Assistant Professor of Computer Science Renzhi Cao, Ph.D. , you’ll find a list of published research papers longer than Foss Field. He says it’s a great feeling when a…
Wang Center Executive Director: “Global issues are local issues.”
In 2021, PLU’s Wang Center for Global Education added a few more important words to its title. It is now the Wang Center for Global and Community Engaged Education . The name change is the result of a merger between the Wang Center and the…
Lute Powered: Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. More than 125 PLU alumni work for the global commerce and technology leader. For this “Lute Powered” feature, we met with three of…
Karen McConnell embraces innovation as PLU’s first chief institutional effectiveness officer
Associate Vice President Karen McConnell , Ph.D., recently stepped into a new role. It’s not only new for her, but also for PLU. She is the school’s first chief institutional effectiveness officer. McConnell explains that in this role she will help ensure that evidence-based decision-making…