PLU named Top 10 Peace Corps producer in the country
TACOMA, WASH. (April 15, 2019) — Pacific Lutheran University ranks fifth on the Peace Corps’ recently published list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2019. There are 14 Lutes currently volunteering with Peace Corps in countries around the world. Katherine Wiley, PLU’s Peace Corps…
PLU’s own Crystal Aikin to headline on-campus Gospel Experience Concert during Black History Month
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 5, 2019) — National recording artist and Pacific Lutheran University alum Crystal Aikin ’97 will be returning to campus on Friday, Feb. 15, when she headlines the Gospel Experience Concert. Aikin, who was born and raised in Tacoma but lives in Texas…
Sen. Patty Murray tours PLU campus, gets glimpse inside School of Nursing facilities
TACOMA, WASH. (May 30, 2018) — Nearly a year after Pacific Lutheran University secured $1.4 million in federal funding to treat health care shortages in Washington state, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, visited campus to see just what those dollars support. “You’re meeting critical needs we…
Lute earns spot in prestigious public policy program at Carnegie Mellon, along with full-ride scholarship
TACOMA, WASH. (May 15, 2018) — Riley Dolan ’19 never intended to go into political science in college. That changed after coming to Pacific Lutheran University. His time volunteering for LuteVote through ASPLU, the university’s student government body, and Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign inspired…
#BlackGirlMagic: PLU administrators uplift experiences of black students’ natural-hair journeys
TACOMA, WASH. (May 2, 2018) — Tolu Taiwo and Angie Hambrick know all about wearing natural hair in predominantly white spaces. “Hair is a really important piece of our culture and who we are, and it’s an interesting piece to navigate when you’re also at…
PLU alumna addresses diversity, equity, inclusion as inaugural administrator at Pierce College
TACOMA, WASH. (May 2, 2018) — Oneida Blagg — Pierce College’s first director of equity, diversity and inclusion — says her commitment to those issues started long before she pioneered this new position at the community college. Blagg’s parents raised her to be politically aware,…
Three Lutes headed to Guinea through Peace Corps
TACOMA, WASH. (April 18, 2018) — One of the first cohorts of Pacific Lutheran University’s nascent Peace Corps Prep program will soon embark on a journey from the West Coast to West Africa. The three humanitarians — Madeline Wentz ’18, Haley Bridgewater ’18 and Margaret…
PLU announces UMBC president Freeman Hrabowski III as Commencement 2018 keynote speaker
TACOMA, WASH. (April 3, 2018) — Freeman Hrabowski III — longtime president of University of Maryland, Baltimore County — sat in a jail cell in Birmingham, Alabama, following a protest with The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., dreaming of a better future. “I wanted a…
Lute navigates a complicated internal struggle along her path to United States citizenship
TACOMA, WASH. (March 23, 2018) — After living in the U.S. for seven years, Sunny Huang ’18 took the oath of allegiance Jan. 29 against a backdrop of American flags. She completed the yearlong naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen. The ceremony came months…
PLU student leads effort to raise awareness of gun-violence threat in Washington state schools
TACOMA, WASH. (March 21, 2018)- For Gracie Anderson ’21, activism is a family affair. The Pacific Lutheran University student addressed a crowd of roughly 100 community members for the “Will Washington Be Next” rally protesting gun violence on March 14. Her mother passed out posters…
MediaLab documentary series earns six Accolade Awards
TACOMA, WASH. (March 5, 2018) — MediaLab, the applied research and media services program at Pacific Lutheran University, received six awards last week from the Accolade Global Film Competition of Southern California for the new documentary series “A World of Difference.” “A World of Difference,”…
New program, SaLUTE, matches veteran, ROTC students for dual mentorship opportunities
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 7, 2018)— Michael Farnum, director of military outreach at Pacific Lutheran University, is playing matchmaker. “It’s sort of like a dating site,” Farnum said. But Farnum is not talking about the next OKCupid or Match.com. Instead, he’s connecting students through SaLUTE, a…