Lisa Woods ’92 helps move Tacoma forward as the city’s Chief Equity Officer
As far back as middle school, others noticed Lisa Woods’ quiet strength and power of observation. “My demeanor is to listen, hear people and see people,“ she says. “I’ve developed that over time, but I’ve always been the listener in the room and not necessarily…
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…
Makaela Whalen ’23 adds a pre-law minor to full schedule as she prepares for law school
Makaela Whalen ’23 has a passion for the environment and animals. Her desire to find a meaningful vocation that feeds those passions resulted in her pursuing a degree in either environmental or animal law. “As long as I can remember, I knew I wanted to…
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…
Innovating for Access: PLU lives out its mission by blazing new trails
He was working by age 8, picking cherries and apples under the Yakima Valley sun. In the spring he worked as a smudger. He’d sleep overnight in an orchard and when the alarms rang he’d sprint to light the smudge pots that warmed the trees…