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…
‘Learning from Standing Rock’ event at PLU to feature tribal leaders from Washington state, the Dakotas
UPDATE (1.8.17): Due to weather concerns, the Learning from Standing Rock event has been moved to Chris Knutzen Hall (CK) in PLU’s Anderson University Center. TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 31, 2017)- Pacific Lutheran University will host an event titled “Learning from Standing Rock” on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at…
Global leader in diplomacy to visit PLU and discuss how ‘Conflict is Inevitable, Violence is Not’
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 27, 2017)- The third biennial Ambassador Chris Stevens Memorial Lecture will be held at 7 p.m. on March 1 in the Karen Hille Phillips Center for the Performing Arts at Pacific Lutheran University. Shamil Idriss, a global leader in diplomacy and global…
Lute catches ‘activism bug,’ gains confidence in political arena
TACOMA, WASH. (Dec. 2, 2016)- Pacific Lutheran University junior Austin Beiermann struggled to find confidence as a political activist. Beiermann’s sense of political engagement heightened after Bernie Sanders announced his candidacy for president. As the election cycle progressed, he began attending monthly dinners hosted by…
PLU creates space for listening, offers support for Lutes seeking meaning and healing amid 2016 election results
TACOMA, WASH. (Nov. 9, 2016)- Silence blanketed the Ness Family Chapel during Wednesday’s service. Thomas W. Krise, president of Pacific Lutheran University, told students, faculty and staff — some with tears in their eyes — that now is a time to reflect on where to…
Brian Bradshaw ’07 inspires others even after his death; scholarship encourages students to emulate his leadership
TACOMA, WASH. (Nov. 1, 2016)- Lt. Brian Bradshaw was an understated leader who put everyone else first. Ask anyone who knew him. Instead of walking with his head down past the crying stranger in the lobby of a residence hall at Pacific Lutheran University, he…
Decorated veteran and PLU staff member Steve Shumaker on PLU’s upcoming Veterans Day Celebration
TACOMA, WASH. (Oct. 31, 2016)- Retired U.S. Army Sgt. Steve Shumaker ’16 spent 12 years in the military, serving as a crew chief for Black Hawk helicopter mechanics. He now works at Pacific Lutheran University as the Vet Corps Navigator, connecting military-affiliated students with on-…
Annual Meant to Live event focuses on interdisciplinary education, features Chicago Library CEO Brian Bannon ’97
TACOMA, WASH. (Oct. 6, 2016)- Every year during Homecoming, the Wild Hope Center for Vocation and the alumni office sponsor the Meant to Live conference. Featured alumni come back to campus and share their personal stories of vocation with fellow Lutes. It shows that vocational…
Alternative spring break programs help Lutes connect to Parkland community and beyond
TACOMA, WASH. (April 21, 2016)- Senior Tyler Dobies and first-year Caitlin Johnston say spring break changed their lives. While some Pacific Lutheran University students may have gone on vacation or had fun in the sun, other Lutes – like Johnston and Dobies – were busy…