Willie Stewart ’69 talks breaking barriers as Tacoma’s first black principal in 1970
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 17, 2020) — In 2019, Willie Stewart ’69 received the Greater Tacoma Peace Prize for his community work and racial reconciliation efforts. The Pacific Lutheran University alum agreed to discuss that honor, the barriers he broke in 1970 as the city’s first…
PLU ROTC recognized with MacArthur Award for 2019-20 excellence
Pacific Lutheran University’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corp has been named one of the best in the country. PLU is one of eight colleges to be recognized by the United States Army Cadet Command and the Gen. Douglas MacArthur Foundation with a MacArthur Award for the…
The Power of Faculty Mentorship
A vital part of Pacific Lutheran University’s academic experience is the opportunity for students to build relationships with faculty members working in the career fields those students want to pursue. Faculty mentorship can help strengthen a student academically, give career-related advice or feedback, be a…
Kristina Walker ’02 on running for office, loving Tacoma, and city council goals
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 8, 2020) — At about this time last January, Kristina Walker ’02 got The New York Times’ special insert that featured all 126 women who had been sworn into Congress. It ignited a fire inside of her — it was that thing…
PLU environmental studies students chart the challenges facing the nearby Clover Creek Watershed
At Pacific Lutheran University, natural science research can lead students all the way to Antarctica and back again. For environmental studies majors, there’s also important data to collect and analyze within a stone’s throw of the university’s campus. Clover Creek flows 14 miles through Parkland,…
PLU alumnus Kell Duncan creates space for socially conscious Phoenix businesses
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 6, 2020) — Basketball drew Kell Duncan ‘11 from Arizona to Pacific Lutheran University. But while he loved his time playing forward and center for the Lutes, he was far less certain about his initial choice of major. “Business school wasn’t a…
A Conversation with Shannon Murphy ’07, President of Washington Conservation Voters
Shannon Murphy ’07 loved exploring the beauty that surrounds Pacific Lutheran University’s campus — from majestic Mount Rainier to the sparkling Puget Sound. What she learned as a communication major with minors in public affairs and Spanish and during her time outdoors, set her on…
Passion for solving unanswered questions drives PLU alum’s research career
TACOMA, WASH. (Dec. 24, 2019) — Research has become Pacific Lutheran University grad SarahAnn McFadden’s life. This year, McFadden ‘11 landed a position as a postdoctoral associate at the Yale Institute of Global Health in New Haven, Connecticut, where she spends her time analyzing factors…
Shoebox Sharing: how one PLU alumna comforts those in need
What if, by donating just an hour of your time, you could change someone’s life. Twenty years ago, while still attending her Central California high school, Kristina Garabedian heard about a pastor’s intriguing invitation. The pastor asked church members to reach under the pews and…
Diversity Center Alumni: Self-care and Healing
TACOMA, WASH. (Dec. 12, 2019) — Angie Hambrick, PLU’s Associate Vice President of Diversity, Justice and Sustainability, has a conversation with Dr. Kolby Harvey ’08, Malia Oshiro Lee ’13 and Jennifer Maliska-Warwick ’02 about the myths, stigmas and misconceptions about self-care — and why we…
PLU announces Master of Science in Kinesiology program
TACOMA, WASH. (Dec. 2, 2019) — After almost six years of deliberation and preparation, Pacific Lutheran University is rolling out a prestigious new Master of Science in Kinesiology program. Aimed at both graduate students looking for rigorous curriculum blended with real-world experiences and working professionals…