Pandemic Performance: PLU theatre professor Jeff Clapp directs a live-stream virtual play
One thing about artists is their ability to find creative solutions during the unpredictability of the coronavirus pandemic. Adapting to COVID-19, the PLU Theatre and Dance Department has done just that to bring The Christians, a play about faith in America and the trouble with…
Professor Samuel Torvend on Martin Luther’s teachings during the plague
The trials, tribulations, and big questions that confounded 16th century Europeans as they faced the bubonic plague are eerily similar to what we are facing right now with COVID-19 and other social issues. German professor and priest, Martin Luther, had a lot of ideas of…
Virtual convening of The People’s Gathering to facilitate timely conversations about race
On November 18, Pacific Lutheran University’s Campus Ministry and Center for Graduate and Continuing Education will be co-hosting a virtual edition of The People’s Gathering, a dialogue-based event series focusing in-depth on the topic of race. The People’s Gathering is a professional and personal development…
Nicole Hargreaves ‘09 documents her move overseas on HGTV’s House Hunters International
Nicole (Hughes) Hargreaves graduated from PLU in 2009 with a degree in communication and a minor in women’s and gender studies. Originally from Kirkland, Wash., she went on to begin her career here in the Pacific Northwest. However, after her husband Paul was struck with…
PLU receives funding from Pierce County Connected to support mental health services
Pacific Lutheran University has been selected for a second time to receive funding from Pierce County Connected, a collaborative philanthropic fund led by the Greater Tacoma Community Foundation and United Way of Pierce County in response to COVID-19. PLU will receive $8,470 to support mental…
PLU Students thrive in internships through pandemic
Across the world, we’ve seen a change in our daily routines as we seek to socially distance and help flatten the curve of the current pandemic. Nearly every part of daily life has been affected from how we learn, to how we work. What does…
From foster care to doctoral degree: Lizbett Benge’s educational journey
Lizbett Benge ’11 describes her educational journey as “a long and winding road.” It began with her immersion into foster care and deeply influenced her time at PLU, where she grappled with a set of life experiences few of her peers could understand. Benge felt…
Carson Bergstrom and Nate Sager start a podcast to showcase capstones of fellow 2020 graduates
Recent graduates Carson Bergstrom ‘20 and Nate Sager ‘20 struggled with quarantine boredom and the bittersweet end of the school year when they thought of a cathartic project to help share the capstone projects of their peers and burn some creative energy. The series, titled…
Tacoma Rescue Mission Executive Director and PLU alumnus Duke Paulson on adapting through the pandemic
Duke Paulson ‘93 graduated from PLU in 1993 with a major in biology and a minor in psychology. While at PLU, he was on the swim and rowing teams, played soccer for a bit, and was heavily involved in Young Life. Today, he’s executive director…
PLU helps celebrate Tacoma Pride Week by raising the rainbow flag on Red Square
On Tuesday, Pacific Lutheran University celebrated Tacoma Pride Week with its second annual pride flag raising. Hosted by the dCenter, the online/campus hybrid event featured five student speakers, who spoke about what pride means to them, especially in 2020. “Although this is only our second…
Special education teacher Erin Azama ’01, MAE ’06 discusses her distance learning transition
Erin Azama ’01, MAE ’06 is a special education teacher at Grant Center for the Expressive Arts, an arts-focused elementary school in Tacoma’s North End. She works with children from kindergarten to fifth-grade, so her work-from-home transition was not only a break from her routine…
A message from President Belton
Traducción Española Dear PLU community, I’m heartbroken over the continued loss of Black lives across our country. With the recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery, I’m angry at a system that collectively excuses and perpetuates racist violence. As frustrations…