Empowering Coaches: PLU kinesiology receives $900,000 grant from Names Family Foundation
Pacific Lutheran University’s Department of Kinesiology has been awarded a three-year, $900,000 grant from the Names Family Foundation to expand and strengthen youth sport coach education across Pierce County. The grant will support the development of a dynamic, evidence-based coach education platform designed to meet…
Alumni Phillip Simpson inducted into Washington Music Educators Association Hall of Fame
PLU Alumni Phillip Simpson was inducted into the Washington Music Educators Association Hall of Fame following decades of service and student mentorship. After graduating from PLU, Simpson went on to teach for over four decades, nearly three of which were at Kennewick School District.
PLU’s Mentoring Program: Built on connection and care
When students talk about the PLU Mentoring Program , they often describe one thing first: the sense of being seen and guided by someone who is there to champion their growth. Recent mentee Jack Helt ’24 shares, “It was very meaningful to have someone invested…
PLU introduces new Master of Education program with first cohort beginning Summer 2026
Pacific Lutheran University will welcome the first cohort of students into its new Master of Education (M.Ed.) program in Summer 2026, offering a flexible pathway for educators and community professionals looking to grow their expertise and expand their impact. Designed with working professionals in mind,…
The many worlds of Ashley Lopez Mora ’26
Some of Ashley’s transformation happened in classrooms. Much of it happened in residence halls, with fellow student leaders and musicians, or while lobbying as a student advocate in Olympia. And an incredible amount happened far beyond campus, in five separate study away programs that stretched…
“I was constantly in awe”: Inside the transformative Oslo study away program at PLU
When Delaney McFarland ’28 thinks back on her semester in Norway, one feeling stands out above the rest. “Norway is an amazing country in many ways…but more beautiful are the people and institutions that protect the strong values embedded in the culture.” For Delaney, a…
Caden Ankrom ’25 designs his path to success
Caden Ankrom ’25 has designed everything from clothes and posters to billboards and train wraps. As a student worker on the Marketing & Communications team at PLU for the last two and a half years, he has created industry-grade designs. Finding a creative home at…
Senior Carmen Kiewert ‘26 goes all-in on business, competition, and connection at PLU
When Carmen Kiewert arrived at PLU as a transfer student, she was searching for a place where she could grow academically, professionally, and personally. She found all three. “I chose PLU for a variety of reasons, and I’m really happy with my decision to transfer,”…
PLU named a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Scholars
Pacific Lutheran University has been named a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Scholars for the 2025–2026 academic year — an honor recognizing colleges and universities that consistently cultivate outstanding applicants for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange initiative. “This is…
The Seattle Times editorial board to legislators: Fully fund college tuition aid, whichever schools students choose
The Seattle Times’ editorial board calls for legislators to restore funding to the College Bound Scholarship and the Washington College Grant. “How serious are lawmakers about confronting Washington’s very real affordability crisis? Helping more low-income kids pay for college would be a powerful way to…