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May 18, 2009 The finish line The call came from Japan as Masahide Nishimura was finishing up his degree in Chinese Studies at Pacific Lutheran University a decade ago. His grandfather, Jisaburo Nishimura, 92, had had a stroke. Masahide felt he needed to come home and support his grandfather, who had raised him, and help with the family business – Kobe Toyopet Corp. – which distributes Lexus, Toyota and Volkswagen cars. This was a company started by his grandfather some 50 years earlier. “I

June 16, 2009 Matters of Faith By Patricia O’Connell Killen, Ph.D. Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies Professor of Religion At PLU, students talk about spirituality. They think about the meaning of life – human experiences of love, joy, creativity, success, suffering, death, of making and keeping commitments, of extending oneself on behalf of others. Students grapple with the meaning of integrity. They seek to find a purpose, something that is, in the words of some of my former students

April 19, 2010 Claim: The jury is still out about global warming Claire Todd, Visiting Assistant Professor of Geosciences and Environmental Studies Recent events such as the snowstorms in the eastern United States have caused some to question whether or not global temperatures are increasing. To address these questions, we can turn to the instrumental temperature record, a record of temperatures measured directly by humans for the past 130 years. These measurements, made with thermometers and

May 10, 2010 Lost Boy of Sudan By Chris Albert The table in David Akuien’s South Hall apartment is covered with textbooks and worksheets, filled with meticulous notes. He sits down at the table and spends hours studying – this day it’s for an environmental studies test. David Aukien doesn’t blame or lament on the hardships he’s experienced. “It’s the card I’ve been dealt and you just have to deal with the card you’ve been dealt.” (Photos by John Froschauer) The glow of a television is behind

November 10, 2010 Reviving Confucianism By Chris Albert As part of the PLU Chinese Studies Program lecture series, Daniel A. Bell will visit campus to examine the revival of Confucianism as the moral foundation for political rule in China. Confucianism is making a comeback in Chinese debate about moral and political foundation. Below is a video with the last lecturer in the series, journalist Martin Jacques. “We stand at a moment in history where we can decide to be friendly competitors or

July 11, 2011 Erik Hammerstrom, Assistant Professor of Religion (Photo by John Froschauer) PLU prof awarded prize from Yale University By Chris Albert In late June, the Council on East Asian Studies at Yale University named PLU Assistant Professor Erik Hammerstrom the Stanley Weinstein Dissertation Prize winner for the academic years of 2008-2010. “At first I was kind of surprised – there are so many great dissertations,” he said. “It’s a great honor. It fills me with a lot of confidence that

October 21, 2011 Laura Rudquist ’12 (center) talks with a colleague at Campus Ministry offices during her regular shift. Rudquist, from Minnesota, said PLU feels like home, yet still challenges her in her studies and world view. (Photo by John Froschauer) Minnesota Lute finds a welcoming new home, challenges when she arrives at PLU By Barbara Clements When she was choosing a college, Laura Rudquist ’12 had a few requirements – no 40 degree below winters please, a location near a big city and

April 1, 2012 Michael Pavel, Skokomish Nation tribal member and Professor of Education Studies at the University of Oregon, gives the keynote address for Earth Day at PLU. (Photos by Theodore Charles ’12) Skokomish Nation tribal member brings emotion to Earth Day By Katie Scaff ’13 We need to get back to the environment, because that’s where peace and harmony exist, according to Michael Pavel, Skokomish Nation tribal member and Professor of Education Studies at the University of Oregon. “We are

April 12, 2012 Earth Day – Connecting to Everything on Earth: Its Land, Waters, and Peoples (Plant, Animal, and Human) PLU’s 2012 Earth Day lecture will be by Michael Pavel at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 in the Scandinavian Cultural Center. Pavel is a professor of education studies at the University of Oregon, he carries the traditional name of ChiXapkaid and is an enrolled member of the Skokomish Tribe Nation. He is an honored 2007 Ecotrust Indigenous Leadership Award finalist for his work as

October 12, 2012 Study Away opportunities at PLU take students around the world. (Photo of Greek coast by Markelle Lance) Study away offers students endless opportunities By Katie Scaff ’13 For PLU students like Global Studies and Anthropology double major Hailey Jung ’13, studying away is essential to the college experience. The Billings, Montana native has spent a semester in Norway and j-terms in Neah Bay and Martinique. “You get such a completely different experience than if you were just