Values Based Education

We think college is the time to ask the big questions. What will you live for? What are you called to be and to do? How will you make a genuine contribution to the world? What is your purpose, your passion, your unique talent? At PLU we help you recognize your connection with the world and your responsibility to serve it.

And our Lutheran heritage gives PLU a uniquely broad idea of what it means to be successful. We prepare students to land that good job and become leaders in their chosen careers. But unlike at many other universities, for our graduates success also means developing both a deep understanding of their possible roles in the world and the tools necessary to benefit the world around them.

In short, a PLU education is a values-based education. You will be asked to wrestle with issues of value throughout your studies so that you develop the skills and sensibilities to be a successful human being, living a life in service to others. Your professors will challenge you to reflect in class on how your community involvement relates to the academic theory you’re studying.

That’s why PLU is different.

Exploring the impact of our words

A new multi-media campaign “My Language. My Choice. Words Mean Things” examines the meaning of words and recognizes the power that language has.

Our roots in Lutheran higher education

At PLU, our values reflect the core elements of Lutheran higher education. University pastor Jen Rude explores these principles and how they impact the PLU community in the podcast series “Because We’re Lutheran.”