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Mission StatementPLU seeks to educate students for lives of thoughtful inquiry, service, leadership and care—for other people, for their communities, and for the earth. Approved by the Board of Regents, January 22, 2011.HistoryPacific Lutheran University was founded in 1890 by a group of Scandinavian Lutherans from the Puget Sound area. They were led by the Reverend Bjug Harstad, who became PLU’s first president. In naming the university, these pioneers recognized the important role that a

Lectures in ReligionEach year, the Department of Religion hosts a number of events, including the Lutheran Studies Conference and the David and Marilyn Knutson Lecture.The 2014 Lutheran Studies Conference While the Lutheran movement began in Germany and then spread quickly to Scandinavia during the sixteenth century, Lutheran schools were established throughout most of the world by the end of the nineteenth century thus creating a global educational presence. Through its relationship with the

experiential opportunities required to incite positive change in the challenging global context of the 21st century. Grounded in a clear mission, guided by enlightened leadership and supported by generous donors and foundations, the institution began the process of creating a global campus decades ago, emerging as a national leader in 2009 upon receipt of the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization. The award recognizes PLU’s consistently high percentages of graduates who study away. It

of Campus Life is to create opportunities and environments that: inspire and cultivate joy; champion equity and justice; enrich authentic growth; and care for wellbeing. We work to fulfill this vision through our mission: Campus Life seeks to engage students in co-creating and sustaining radically inclusive communities of belonging, learning, and leadership — for students and the intersecting communities in which we are rooted. Campus Life creates a cohesive, intentional, and holistic student

engagement—has never been more valuable or more relevant than it is today. At PLU, we challenge our students academically, immerse them in a culture of service and leadership in Lutheran higher ed, and foster an inclusive community of care. This strategic plan will serve as the framework for a five-year, campus-wide effort to strengthen and enhance the academic experience and learning opportunities we provide, and to further fortify our institutional commitment to diversity, justice, and sustainability

2000. An active Lute, Brewer engaged in a variety of LGBTQ advocacy work on Pacific Lutheran University’s campus through Harmony, known today as Queer Ally Student Union. Now, Brewer is ushering in the next era of leadership at the Rainbow Center as interim director. She’s running the organization until a new leader is appointed this spring. The center sits on Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma, distinguished by the rainbow flag in the window. The organization supports the local LGBTQ community by

Life Presentations/Workshops University House Lunch Speaker Series PLU Lectures & Events  Wild Hope Staff Seminar PLU University Leadership Seminar Faculty/Staff Reading & Discussion Groups through Center for Diversity, Justice, and Sustainability, such as J-Term Book Group (recent books have included): 2024: Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (Hawk & Van Alst) 2023: Asylum: A Memoir & Manifesto (Edafe Okporo) 2022: As Long As Grass Grows: The Indigenous Fight for