Scandinavian Cultural Center at PLU: Preserving Heritage and Building Connections Across Communities
Image: Hundreds gather for the Norwegian Heritage Festival, hosted by the Daughters of Norway and the Scandinavian Cultural Center in March of 2025, The annual event dates back to 1975, when HM King Olav V of Norway visited PLU. Local Norwegian Americans staged the festival in his honor. It was such a success that it continues today. (PLU Photo / Sy Bean)
By Britt Board
Assistant Director of Communications
“Bottom Line: We are all similar. We are all connected,” says longtime volunteer Linda Caspersen. This sentiment captures the spirit of the Scandinavian Cultural Center (SCC) at Pacific Lutheran University. Part museum, part gathering place, part living classroom, the SCC preserves and shares stories of Nordic and Nordic-American heritage.
What is the SCC?
Located on the ground floor of the Anderson University Center, the Scandinavian Cultural Center is a museum and a gathering space. The main hall, exhibition galleries, and demonstration kitchen host a wide range of cultural programs, from exhibitions and lectures to hands-on workshops.
In addition to serving PLU students and faculty, the SCC welcomes the broader regional community, offering space for Nordic organizations to gather for meetings, banquets, and special events. The SCC was created to celebrate Nordic-American traditions and to build connections — between campus and community, past and present, and among the Nordic countries it represents.
There’s a great deal of hospitality involved in Nordic traditions. As a result, the SCC is a welcoming place, and we hope to show visitors a good time.”
Membership & Community Support
The Scandinavian Cultural Center is a membership-based organization, sustained by the support of individuals who value its mission and vision. Membership provides a way for community members, alumni, and friends of PLU to stay connected to the center’s programs, receive updates on events, and help ensure that Nordic traditions continue to thrive on campus and in the wider region.
PLU’s Nordic History & Heritage
Scandinavian immigrants and their descendants continue to shape PLU’s culture and history. Since its founding in 1890 by Norwegian pastor Bjug Harstad, PLU has nurtured its Nordic roots. Today, evidence of these ties is seen not only in the SCC but across campus — in the Scandinavian Immigrant Experience Collection housed in PLU’s Mortvedt Library, in campus buildings with Nordic names, and in exchange programs with students and faculty from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
In the mid-1980s, the SCC itself grew out of that Nordic legacy when faculty and community members first began to dream of a cultural center that would highlight a formative part of PLU’s culture. Together, these traditions and spaces reflect how PLU’s Scandinavian heritage remains a living influence on the university’s identity today.
A Collection that Tells Stories and Enhances Learning
The SCC’s collection numbers more than 2,500 objects — textiles, wood, ceramics, paintings, costumes, and artifacts that trace both Nordic traditions and immigrant journeys.
Linda Caspersen, who has volunteered for nearly three decades and curated multiple exhibitions, views textiles as one of the collection’s most significant strengths. “Lots of pieces have used natural resources and non-toxic dyes. If you put these textiles back into the earth, it wouldn’t poison it. There’s a lot that this collection can teach our environmental studies students. And a lot that we as community members can learn about sustainable consumerism.”
Caspersen, a former high school teacher and college professor, sees the unique value in the collection and its utility at PLU. She notes, “Many objects in our collection are teaching tools.” By connecting history and culture, the collection gives students hands-on opportunities to explore complex ideas across disciplines — from history and anthropology to art and even math. Reflecting on one of her favorite pieces in the collection, a weaving from a complex technique called skillbragd, Caspersen exclaims, “This traditional pattern is so challenging! Just having a math major graph it out would be a huge project and an amazing learning opportunity.”
Beyond the Objects: The People Who Make the SCC
The SCC is guided by the Executive Board, President Gerda Hunter, and the Cultural Council, which includes representatives from each of the five Nordic countries. Together, they plan and organize the center’s exhibits and events.
Hunter’s leadership is informed by her personal connections and heritage. “We are a land of immigrants,” she reflects. “This place helps me maintain ties to my Norwegian ancestors. Family is everything, and Norwegian traditions are very family-oriented. There’s a great deal of hospitality involved in Nordic traditions. As a result, the SCC is a welcoming place, and we hope to show visitors a good time.”
Student worker Eleanor Sherry sees the collection as part of a larger story: “It connects the university’s history with the histories of people who immigrated to the area. Immigration stories are universal and a key part of PLU’s history.” Eleanor’s role in supporting preservation and outreach is centered around revitalizing the SCC’s social media presence by highlighting objects in the collection, events, and interesting information about Nordic cultures.
The SCC is sustained by passionate volunteers, whose time, expertise, and hospitality bring the collection and its programming to life. Their commitment ensures that the center remains a learning resource and a living community hub that continues to grow and evolve.
Supporting Student Scholarships
The SCC supports global education through scholarships and awards offered in partnership with the Wang Center for Global and Community Engaged Education. While priority is given to students studying in Scandinavia, awards are also available to those participating in other international or domestic off-campus programs. These scholarships open doors for students to explore new cultures, immerse themselves in different communities, and bring those experiences back to enrich the PLU campus. In addition, the annual Sankta Lucia scholarship recognizes students who engage with this cherished cultural tradition hosted by the SCC.
Upcoming Events
- Sept. 28: SCC Grand Re-Opening
- Oct. 7: 200th Anniversary of Norwegian Immigration Celebration & Leif Erikson Centennial Cantata Presentation
- Oct. 8: Thor Heyerdahl Lecture
- Oct. 24: Oleana Pop-up
- Nov. 15: Sweaters & Other Things — Exchange and Sale
- Nov. 30: Norwegian Christmas Service / Julegudstjeneste
- Dec. 7: Sankta Lucia
- Dec. 13: Jul Banquet