Know Your World

PLU provides students with many challenging opportunities to experience the world, weaving global education through almost every aspect of a student's academic study. World events shape our lives and PLU's curriculum reflects that reality. At PLU, an international or study away experience is more than a core requirement. It's even more than a semester away. It is a comprehensive education, preparing you for a global future and equipping you to make a difference.

Study Away.  At PLU you'll find many opportunities to study, both globally and locally.  PLU regularly places among the top 10 master's degree universities in the United States for percentage of students engaged in international study.  Over 40 percent of PLU students study abroad.  The national study abroad average is 3 percent.  To learn more about your opportunities for study away, please visit our Study Away page.

In 2009, PLU received the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization, a prestigious award that honors the outstanding efforts to engage the world and the international community, both on and off campus. PLU is the first and only private college in the West to have received this honor.

Save the date for the 2012 Wang Symposium!

February 23 & 24, 2012  
"Our Thirsty Planet"
2012 Wang Symposium
Pacific Lutheran University campus

The Wang Symposium at Pacific Lutheran University begins Thursday evening February 23rd with a keynote address and continues with concurrent sessions throughout the day on Friday the 24th. This two-day event draws on authors, business people, academics, and hands-on practitioners to address the great paradox of water - a resource we are over-exploiting and over-using and yet the very resource upon which we must depend to survive.  Visit this website for more information on the keynote speakers.

Internationally-Themed News and Events

• Stephen Strom was selected (from a pool of 160 applications) to present his Independent Study Project  (The Development of Education for War Affected Children in Northern Uganda) at the University of Notre Dame's 4th Annual Human Development Conference (February 10-11, 2012), "Faces Behind the Figures: Visions of Prosperity, Progress and Human Potential".  Stephen studied away in Uganda/Rwanda with the SIT program during the Fall 2010 semester where he studied Post-Conflict Transformation.  Congratulations, Stephen!

Awards and Scholarships

• Four 2011 PLU grads have received Fulbright Awards for teaching or research!  

Reed Ojala-Barbour    Ecuador          Small Mammal Research
Matthew Palmquist     Germany           Teaching Assistantship
Matthew Anderson     Germany           Teaching Assistantship
Allison Meyer             South Africa       Teaching Assistantship 

Read more about their individual projects.
Click here for more information on applying for Fulbright Awards!

• PLU is excited to now offer Global Scholar Awards, as a way of providing access for J-Term or semester study away programs to qualified students with demonstrated financial need.  So far, PLU has been able to assist over 50 students through this scholarship program.

For more information or to apply, download a copy of our brochure and application on our documents and forms page.

• Each year, the Global Education Committee awards grants to qualified students, faculty and student-faculty research teams. The 2011-2012 Wang Grant recipients have been announced!  To view the recipient and project list and for access to the 2012-2013 Wang Grant Application, click here.

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