Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Brice Johnson ’99 finds vocation in Red Cross leadership. Two neighborhoods in St. Paul, Minnesota share streets and a zip code. Interstate 94 runs down the middle, and since the freeway’s construction in the 1950s, the life expectancy between Summit Hill and the historically Black…
Committed to Kuleana
Cheri Souza’s philanthropy leadership is motivated by the responsibility she feels to serve her Hawaiian community. When Cheri Souza ’01, MBA ’03 first stepped onto campus at Pacific Lutheran University, the undergraduate from Hawai‘i could not have imagined her future would include redefining philanthropic efforts…
PLU move-in day 2024
Our newest Lutes have arrived! With help from family, friends and the PLU community, first-year Lutes moved into PLU’s residence halls on Friday, August 30, kicking off New Student Orientation. The day was full of joy, love and the beginning of lifelong friendships.
A Will to Lead: Sue Loiland and Jennie Griek ’02 join PLU’s planned giving team
While not new to PLU, Sue Loiland (parent of a 2012 graduate) and Jennie Griek have recently joined the planned giving team, bringing with them extensive experience in major gifts. Planned giving allows donors to make impactful contributions through their estate plans or financial strategies,…
Parkland’s Advocate
Jani Hitchen ’96 has lived in Parkland for more than 30 years. “I moved here to go to PLU and never left,” she says with a chuckle. Hitchen majored in education and enjoyed a long career teaching in Lakewood’s Clover Park School District and Spanaway…
Parkland’s University: PLU and Parkland share history, common bonds and a vibrant future
PLU President Allan Belton is a morning person. He’s frequently among the first employees to arrive at the Hauge Administration Building, but not before his morning cup of joe. His favorite coffee stand is on South Tacoma Way, the seven-mile arterial that is the economic…
PLU Director of Athletics and Recreation Mike Snyder named President of NADIIIAA
Mike Snyder will serve as the President of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators ( NADIIIAA ) for the 2024-2025 membership year. Mike Snyder has spent the last three years as PLU’s Director of Athletics and Recreation , guiding the department to eight…
PLU College of Liberal Studies welcomes Dean Stephanie Johnson
The Pacific Lutheran University community recently welcomed Stephanie Johnson, the new dean of the College of Liberal Studies, to campus. Johnson comes to PLU from The College of St. Scholastica, where she most recently served as the chair of the Department of English and Communication.…
Three students share how scholarships support them in their pursuit to make the world better than how they found it
During the 2023-2024 academic year, 2,345 students received PLU-funded aid, with the average PLU student receiving $37,036 in scholarships. Through scholarship support, donors are part of a network of care that supports students in pursuing their educational goals, unlocking their full potential, and becoming leaders…
Kaden Bolton ’24 explored civics and public policy on campus and studying away in Oxford
For the graduating class of 2024, freshman year was online and confined. So by the time fall came around for sophomore year, they embraced in-person classes, study groups, lunches, dinners, and more. That’s true at least for political science major Kaden Bolton ’24, who graduated…
PLU welcomes new Chief Operating Officer and VP Shalita Myrick to campus
Shalita Myrick, Pacific Lutheran University’s new chief operating officer and vice president for administrative services, has one major takeaway after completing her first week on the job. “This is the most open and welcoming community I’ve ever been a part of,” she says. Throughout the…