Carson Bergstrom and Nate Sager start a podcast to showcase capstones of fellow 2020 graduates
Recent graduates Carson Bergstrom ‘20 and Nate Sager ‘20 struggled with quarantine boredom and the bittersweet end of the school year when they thought of a cathartic project to help share the capstone projects of their peers and burn some creative energy. The series, titled…
Tacoma Rescue Mission Executive Director and PLU alumnus Duke Paulson on adapting through the pandemic
Duke Paulson ‘93 graduated from PLU in 1993 with a major in biology and a minor in psychology. While at PLU, he was on the swim and rowing teams, played soccer for a bit, and was heavily involved in Young Life. Today, he’s executive director…
PLU helps celebrate Tacoma Pride Week by raising the rainbow flag on Red Square
On Tuesday, Pacific Lutheran University celebrated Tacoma Pride Week with its second annual pride flag raising. Hosted by the dCenter, the online/campus hybrid event featured five student speakers, who spoke about what pride means to them, especially in 2020. “Although this is only our second…
Special education teacher Erin Azama ’01, MAE ’06 discusses her distance learning transition
Erin Azama ’01, MAE ’06 is a special education teacher at Grant Center for the Expressive Arts, an arts-focused elementary school in Tacoma’s North End. She works with children from kindergarten to fifth-grade, so her work-from-home transition was not only a break from her routine…
A message from President Belton
Traducción Española Dear PLU community, I’m heartbroken over the continued loss of Black lives across our country. With the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, I’m angry at a system that collectively excuses and perpetuates racist violence. As frustrations…
PLU senior Daniel Hachet leaves a legacy of green on campus
Daniel Hachet ‘20 might be graduating this spring, but his green initiatives will continue on at PLU. On-campus restaurants now recycle thousands of cereal bags—and are even getting paid to do so. Residence Halls now offer recycling during summer camps. Reusable dishes and compostable straws…
What’s Happening This Fall
To: All students and families From: Office of the President Date: Wednesday, April 29 at 3:30 p.m. Dear students and families, My oldest son, a first-year university student, recently quipped, “Remote learning was okay for a few weeks, but I just want to get back…
PLU Regent and Virginia Mason Chief Nursing Officer Charleen Tachibana ‘77 Discusses Service, Leadership and Self-Care
TACOMA, WASH. (April 22, 2020) — As a senior vice president at Virginia Mason Health System, Charleen Tachibana ‘77 serves as the chief nursing officer and oversees the quality and safety of the Seattle-based hospital and healthcare nonprofit. We recently spoke to Tachibana, who also…
Kevin Andrew explores Alumni & Student Connections’ virtual services, impact on graduating seniors
TACOMA, WASH. (April 21, 2020) — Worried about graduating into an uncertain job market? Need to hear some encouragement or advice from a PLU alum who’s been in your shoes before? Alumni & Student Connections has gone virtual to make sure resources to help you…
Lutes craft handmade face masks, donate them to community members
TACOMA, WASH. (April 18, 2020) — Even before the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended U.S. citizens use face coverings when in public, there was a national shortage of masks due to COVID-19 — so members of the PLU community have been stepping up…
PLU alumna is helping educators nationwide adapt to teaching from a distance
TACOMA, WASH. (April 14, 2020) — Jessica Anderson ’07 is hunkering down at home in Montana with husband Chris, kids Bryer and Jase, and Jethro the dog while working for an EdTech company supporting educators across the country as they transition to distance learning. As…
Largest-ever PLU student cohort participated in rigorous mathematical modeling competition
TACOMA, WASH. (April 13, 2020) — Six teams of PLU students, the university’s largest-ever cohort, participated in the 34th annual Mathematical Contest in Modeling on Feb. 13-17 — an international competition that challenges students to solve real-world math problems over the course of a grueling…