Investing in Innovation: PLU launches the Opportunity Fund
The newly launched Opportunity Fund has a clear purpose: to turn PLU’s big ideas into reality through flexible, timely support. The Opportunity Fund is a new fund that allows PLU to quickly invest in innovative programs, expand student support, and respond to emerging needs in…
Lutes Take the Lead: Advocating for the Future of Financial Aid
Presented by: PLU Student Legislative Fellows Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 Time: 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Location: Washington State Capitol, 416 Sid Snyder Ave SW, Olympia, WA 98504 Cost: Free! Learn more at plu.edu/advocacy Learn more! About the event With the future of Washington’s…
2026 Rachel Carson Science, Technology, and Society Lecture
Presented by: PLU College of Natural Sciences Keynote Speaker: Dr. Banu Subramaniam , Luella LaMer Professor of Women’s and Gender Studies at Wellesley College Date: Monday, February 23, 2026 Time: 7 p.m. Location: Chris Knutzen Hall in the Anderson University Center, 12180 Park Ave S,…
PLU awarded 2025 NWCCU Beacon Award for Excellence in Student Achievement and Success
PLU’s Retention and Progression Advisory Group (RPAG) was recognized for their “distinctive, measurable, and replicable innovations” toward student achievement and success by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Pacific Lutheran University was honored with the Beacon Award during the annual Northwest Commission on…
How one Lute family turned a birthday into community support
For Ellen (Brotherston) Aronson ’07, the Lute culture of care continues long after graduation. A second-generation graduate of Pacific Lutheran University, Ellen’s PLU connections run deep: her parents met on campus, extended family members are alumni, and she still shows up — at events, through…
WA Legislative Basics: Restoring Washington State Student Aid
We are on a mission to restore funding for the College Bound Scholarship and the Washington College Grant, but we can’t do it alone. If you have ever wondered about how Washington’s legislative process works, this video will bring you up to speed and share…
PLU student research recognized with multiple awards at 2025 Murdock Conference
PLU students earned awards for their undergraduate research at the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Conference on Science and Engineering , an annual regional conference that brings together student researchers and faculty mentors from across the Pacific Northwest. Several of the projects were supported through PLU’s…
PLU Professor receives special recognition from tennis legend and equality champion Billie Jean King
Professor of Kinesiology and sports psychologist, Dr. Colleen Hacker, received a surprise video greeting from Billie Jean King during a recent episode of the “Welcome to the Party” podcast. Hacker , a six-time Olympic coach and internationally recognized sports psychologist, was a guest on a…
Rebekah Mergenthal named Benson Family Chair in History
Associate Professor of History Rebekah Mergenthal has been appointed as the next Benson Family Chair in History, effective Fall 2026. Since its creation in 2004, the Benson Chair position has supported faculty leadership in business and economic history through endowed funding that advances student research,…
Laser Robots at PLU!
Robots with lasers? This is exactly what students in Professor Bacula’s “Programming for Robots” lab used to create maps of the classroom using LiDAR technology.
Meet Yuta Shimazu, PLU’s first data science graduate
This winter marks the culmination of a journey for Pacific Lutheran University’s first data science graduate — a path that stretched from classroom to coffee shop to the soccer field. Before he heads back to Japan to begin his career, Yuta Shimazu ‘25 sat down…