PLU Hebrew Idol competition returns with more student-produced films than ever before
TACOMA, WASH. (March 30, 2016)- Dr. Antonios Finitsis didn’t require a video assignment at the start of his religion course at Pacific Lutheran University. The creative ambition of a group of students in 2008 planted the seed for what’s become a university tradition — PLU…
Elite rower, PLU alumna continues showing up, competing on world stage with goal of achieving Paralympics gold
TACOMA, WASH. (March 24, 2016)- Natalie McCarthy ’09 lost her vision when she was a child, but that hasn’t stopped her from showing up. And she’s continued to show up all the way to the world stage. McCarthy spent the evening and afternoon of March…
Teachers tinker: Education department’s annual Benson Lecture, hands-on workshop bring spirit of maker movement to PLU
TACOMA, WASH. (March 23, 2016)- Imagine using bananas and a circuit board to create a piano. Absurd? Thanks to the maker movement and some creative minds, it isn’t. Pacific Lutheran University’s School of Education & Kinesiology is bringing that creative spirit to campus April 12…
MediaLab receives national prize for latest documentary film about higher education
TACOMA, WASH. (March 21, 2016)- MediaLab, the applied research and media production program at Pacific Lutheran University, has received a prestigious national award for its most recent documentary film. These Four Years, which premiered in Seattle in November 2015, has earned a Grand Prize in…
Choir of the West Director Richard Nance discusses his recent leadership award and the origins of “St. Matthew Passion”
TACOMA, WASH. (Jan. 21, 2016)- Pacific Lutheran University Director of Choral Studies Dr. Richard Nance was recently the recipient of the Northwest American Choral Directors Association Leadership award. Nance, who was awarded the “American Prize” for Choral Conducting in 2011 and 2013, has been a…
First-year student pulls from roots, helps introduce religious diversity to PLU through lecture series
TACOMA, WASH. (March 21, 2016)- With a Catholic mother and Buddhist father, first-year April Nguyen never had to worry about understanding religious diversity in her household — it was just how she was raised. Religion studies and religious diversity weren’t on her radar until she…
PLU alumnus, Tacoma teacher draws from his own tough life lessons to inspire students in similar situations
TACOMA, WASH. (March 17, 2016)- Joshua Cushman ’08 stood in front of a crowd at the Wang Center Symposium last month and recalled his childhood in which nobody asked him about his future. The Tacoma native was the product of a broken home, plagued by…
PLU to host TEDxTacoma 2016: Speakers include YWCA CEO, best-selling novelist and Army lieutenant general
TACOMA, WASH. (March. 13, 2016)- TEDxTacoma 2016: Healthy Future will welcome a diverse bill of local business, arts, education and nonprofit leaders to share their ideas on a wide spectrum of topics including health care, leadership, human nature and violence against women. The annual event…
PLU professor, local archaeologist team up with students to study prehistoric artifacts from Mount Rainier
TACOMA, WASH. (March 10, 2016)- Bradford Andrews has spent a decade inviting his students to participate in archaeological research in the Mount Rainier area. This year, the work helped uncover details about prehistoric hunting groups. “This is the sort of opportunity that can only come…
PLU alumna collects, studies mosquitoes in the pursuit of improved public health
TACOMA, WASH. (March 9, 2016)- Mosquitoes are pests to some, but for Rebekah Blakney ’12 they carry a wealth of information that can unlock solutions to global health issues. Now with the outbreak of the Zika virus, that’s as important as ever. Blakney isn’t at…
Lutes at the Legislature: PLU students and alumni contribute at every level of the legislative process
TACOMA, Wash. (March 3, 2016)— About 25 miles south of Pacific Lutheran University, lawmakers in Olympia are in the midst of the 2016 Washington state legislative session. While the governor and state legislators direct the proceedings, they are supported and informed by a dedicated legion…
Dr. Darrell Jodock to speak to Lutes about inspiring racial justice through the Lutheran tradition
TACOMA, WASH. (March 3, 2016)- Dr. Darrell Jodock says Martin Luther had a different understanding of God; one that’s grounded, not predetermined. “God is up to something and invites you to participate in that work,” said Jodock, Bernhardson chair in Lutheran studies at Gustavus Adolphus…