New program, SaLUTE, matches veteran, ROTC students for dual mentorship opportunities
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 7, 2018)— Michael Farnum, director of military outreach at Pacific Lutheran University, is playing matchmaker. “It’s sort of like a dating site,” Farnum said. But Farnum is not talking about the next OKCupid or Match.com. Instead, he’s connecting students through SaLUTE, a…
MediaLab explores issues of diversity with premiere of documentary series, ‘A World of Difference’
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 29, 2018) — Two episodes of a new four-part MediaLab documentary project are set to premiere next month in Seattle. The series, titled “A World of Difference,” explores issues of diversity, including gender, race, immigration and social class. The first two segments,…
Lute receives endowed scholarship honoring her Native American heritage
TACOMA, WASH. (Dec. 11, 2017)- Katie Dean ’21 acknowledges that she takes after her Norwegian mother, at first glance. Still, Dean says her father’s Native American heritage is an important part of who she is, something she is most proud of. “That’s part of my…
For PLU grad, American citizenship is personal
TACOMA, WASH. (Nov. 2, 2017)- “What makes an American an American?” This is a question Thomas Kim ‘15 thinks about often. As a newly married third-year law student with employment lined up after graduation, an activist philanthropist and an upstanding community member, Kim checks all…
Lutes, local inmates share storytelling experience
TACOMA, WASH. (Oct. 13, 2017)- “We made a magazine!” Taryn Collis exclaimed to a group of Pacific Lutheran University students and several inmates at the Washington Corrections Center for Women. “It’s impressive,” continued Collis, an actor and educator with Seattle-based Freehold Theatre Lab Studio. “Everybody…
Lutes learn self defense from Karate Club
TACOMA, WASH. (Oct. 5, 2017)- “If you find yourself in a confrontation, the first thing you want to do is get low,” said master karate instructor Marc Cordice, moving his body into a wide-leg stance. “Next, you want to look your attacker in the eyes.…
Professor to serve as featured speaker at statewide conference aimed at addressing opportunity gap
TACOMA, WASH. (Sept. 27, 2017)- Maria Chavez leads with her own experience when she addresses academic opportunity and achievement. Specifically, she empathizes with students who come from marginalized populations. Chavez, chair and associate professor of politics and government, identifies as Latina. She’s a native Spanish…
PLU debuts inclusive space for prayer, meditation
TACOMA, WASH. (Aug. 31, 2017)- The Rev. Jen Rude, campus pastor, says interfaith work lies at the heart of what it means to be a Lutheran institution of learning. The new Multifaith Meditation and Prayer Space is one in a series of efforts to acknowledge…
PLU names Peace Scholars for 2017
TACOMA, WASH. (April 17, 2017)- The last time anyone from Austin Beiermann’s family left the country, it was to fight in a war. This summer, he is going to do the exact opposite. “I am going to build peace,” Beiermann said. Beiermann ’18 will join…
PLU professor uplifts story of ‘pink victims’ in farewell lecture
TACOMA, WASH. (April 5, 2017)- Professor of Religion and Chair of Lutheran Studies Samuel Torvend, Ph.D., ’73 has spent his life studying religion and politics. “I wrote my senior thesis on religion and politics and I have never strayed from that,” Torvend said. The alumnus…
PLU alumna serves as interim director of Tacoma’s Rainbow Center
TACOMA, WASH. (March 8, 2017)- Laura Brewer ’03 was no stranger to activism when she started volunteering at the Tacoma Rainbow Center in 2000. An active Lute, Brewer engaged in a variety of LGBTQ advocacy work on Pacific Lutheran University’s campus through Harmony, known today…
PLU Peace Corps program prepares Lutes for service work abroad
TACOMA, WASH. (Feb. 22, 2017)- Bonnie Nelson ’08 didn’t always plan on joining the Peace Corps. But when she met a returned volunteer in graduate school who helped her learn more about the organization, her plans changed. “It was through conversations with her about her…