PLU Lectures, Presentations & Workshops
Learning doesn’t end when you graduate! PLU alumni continue their quest for knowledge, engagement, and critical thinking as they explore new ideas, challenge their beliefs, and listen to new perspectives from diverse groups. We are excited to offer lectures, conferences, and workshops that are open to the community. See upcoming opportunities and past lectures below.
Upcoming Events
The Changing Spiritual Lives of University Students
June 17, 2025 at 4:00pm Pacific Time (Virtual)
University Pastor Jen Rude will offer a fascinating look at the questions and concerns raised by PLU students in their quest for lives marked by meaning and purpose.
Exposing the Untold Story of PLU
May 15, 2025 at 4:00pm Pacific Time (Virtual)
Samuel Torvend will consider the economic, political, and social forces that continue to influence the story of PLU, forces that hamper and inspire the university’s mission in the 21st century.
Native Now and Forever: Celebrating and Integrating Indigenous Literary Voice for Young Readers
April 29, 2025, 6:30pm
Cynthia Leitich Smith (Mvskoke citizen) will highlight the history and growth of Native representation both on the page and behind the bylines.
Ninis’a:n-na:ng’a’/ The World Came to Be Lying There Again, the World Assumed Its Present Position
Annual Natalie Mayer Lecture in Holocaust & Genocide Studies
April 16, 2025
Presented by Cutcha Risling Baldy, whose research focuses on Indigenous feminisms, Californian Indians, Environmental Justice, Traditional ecological knowledge, and decolonization.
What if God is NOT in Control?
David and Marilyn Knutson Lecture
April 9, 2025
Dr. Thomas Jay Oord will offer a view of God’s loving activity that answers our biggest questions about life, evil, and scripture.
Peacebuilding and Motorcycling: Re-Framing Narratives in Documentary Filmmaking
Chris Stevens Celebration of Service
March 3rd, 2025
Keynote lecturer Dr. Jaremey McMullin
Sephardic Jewish Voices and Experiences in the Holocaust
Powell-Heller Conference for Holocaust Education
November 6-8, 2024
Keynote speaker Devin E. Naar
Preparing for Death, the Last Calling in Life
Vocational Vistas series
November 4, 2024
Makah Voices and the Sea
The Walter C. Schnackenberg Memorial Lecture
April 17, 2024
Speaker: Joshua L Reid
The Matter of Loneliness: Building Connections for Collective Well-Being
Wang Center Symposium
March 7-8, 2024
From Revolting to Revolutionary: How Poop Has Transformed Science and Reshaped the World
Rachel Carson Lecture
February 21, 2024
Speaker: Dr. Bryn Nelson
Adam Smith’s America: How a Scottish Philosopher Became an Icon of American Capitalism
The Seventeenth Dale E. Benson Lecture
October 19, 2023
Speaker: Glory M. Liu
Where the Waters Begin: Indigenous Education, Tribal Sovereignty, and the Legacy of Cecelia Svinth Carpenter
The 14th Annual Lutheran Studies Conference
September 26, 2024
Undesirables: Forced Mobilities and Internments in Mediterranean Bande Dessinée
Annual Natalie Mayer and Raphael Lemkin Lecture
April 2, 2024
Speaker: Aomar Boum
Workshops
Continuing Education at Pacific Lutheran University offers a variety of professional development courses and programs to meet the needs of business professionals and life-long learners. Discounts for the workshops below are available for PLU alumni, students and current employees. Contact Continuing Education at CE@plu.edu prior to registering for the discount code.
School Nursing workshops at PLU
The Center for Continued Nursing Learning (CCNL) provides excellent continuing education and professional development for nurses and other interested health care professionals. We offer multiple programs that provide the opportunity to gain contact hours and clock hours.