
PLU Awarded $14,000 for Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund
School’s Out Washington and the Washington State Department of Commerce has awarded Pacific Lutheran University a grant for $14,000 from its Washington Youth Development Nonprofit Relief Fund. The grant will go toward the Tacoma/South Puget Sound MESA program, which prioritizes early exposure to STEM topics…

Professor Rick Barot discusses being longlisted for the National Book Award and teaching creative writing during a pandemic
Rick Barot is a highly acclaimed national figure in poetry whose 2020 collection “The Galleons” was recently longlisted for the National Book Award. He’s also a dedicated creative writing teacher, serving as an English professor at Pacific Lutheran University and the director of the Rainier…

Zooming for an Important Endorsement: How PLU is empowering teachers in Eastern Washington
Toppenish school district had long wanted district teachers to obtain an English Language Learners (ELL) endorsement to boost the district’s inclusion model for English-language learners. The endorsement is added to a teacher’s basic certification and allows them to be certified in English language learners and/or…

PLU Shines Light on Student Mental Health with GivingTuesday Campaign
This GivingTuesday, Pacific Lutheran University will challenge the community to raise an additional $8,470 for student mental health services. GivingTuesday kicks off December 1, to inspire individuals and organizations to transform their communities and their world. “Mental health resources support an essential aspect of student…

PLU to offer (at least) half-off tuition to dependents of nurses and k-12 educators
In recognition of the hard work and sacrifices nurses and educators make, Pacific Lutheran University is offering a minimum of half-off tuition to their children. PLU launched the Nurse & Educator Dependent Commitment for incoming Fall 2021 first-year students whose parent or legal guardian is…

How Matt Bliss ’98 turned a family tradition into Modern Christmas Trees
As a child, Matt Bliss ’98 relished celebrating the holidays at his grandparents’ Broomfield, Colorado, home where the Christmas tree was anything but ordinary. Bliss’s grandfather, Lawrence Stoecker, designed his own tree, an artful cascade of concentric rings that hung from the ceiling. He crafted…

Pandemic Performance: PLU theatre professor Jeff Clapp directs a live-stream virtual play
One thing about artists is their ability to find creative solutions during the unpredictability of the coronavirus pandemic. Adapting to COVID-19, the PLU Theatre and Dance Department has done just that to bring The Christians, a play about faith in America and the trouble with…

Full-tuition Scholarship Program Now Open to Yakima Students
Pacific Lutheran University has announced the expansion of the Act Six Scholarship to Yakima Valley students, broadening the reach of this highly successful full-tuition, full-need scholarship partnership. Act Six, a leadership and scholarship program that connects local community affiliates with faith- and social justice-based colleges,…

PLU MAE alumna Brooke Brown ’06 named the 2021 Washington State Teacher of the Year
Brooke Brown ’06, an ethnic studies teacher at Parkland’s Washington High School, was recently named the 2021 Washington State Teacher of the Year by the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). Brown engages students in her classroom by centering each student’s…