Pacific Lutheran University

Pacific Lutheran University
Motto Educating for Lives of Thoughtful Inquiry, Service, Leadership, and Care
Established 1890
Type Private Coeducational
Religious affiliation Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Endowment $71.8 million[1]
President Loren J. Anderson
Provost Steve Starkovich
Academic staff 250
Students 3600
Location Parkland, Washington, United States
Campus Suburban
146 acres (59 ha)
Former names Columbia College
Spokane College
Pacific Lutheran College
Colors Black & Gold         
Sports 20 Varsity teams
Nickname Lutes
Mascot Knight
Website plu.edu

Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is located in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington. In September 2009, PLU had a student population of 3,582 and approximately 280 full-time faculty. It currently consists of the College of Arts and Sciences (consisting of the Division of Humanities, the Division of Natural Sciences, and the Division of Social Sciences), the School of Arts and Communication, the School of Business, the School of Education and Movement Studies, and the School of Nursing.

Contents

History

Founded in 1890 by Scandinavian, mostly Norwegian, immigrants to further Lutheran higher education in the Pacific Northwest, PLU is an institution of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The school merged with Everett's Columbia College in 1920, became a two-year school, and resumed operations as Pacific Lutheran College. Spokane College merged with Pacific Lutheran College nine years later. PLC resumed awarding four-year degrees in 1939. Pacific Lutheran gained university status in 1960. PLU retains strong ties with its Scandinavian heritage, having been visited multiple times by Norwegian and Swedish monarchs and the Norwegian Parliament, Stortinget.[2]

Academics

The university music department includes touring ensembles, such as Choir of the West. PLU has a reputation for diverse academic offerings including Schools of Business, Education and Nursing, as well as well-respected programs in Pre-Medicine and Pre-Law preparation. Many students are involved in the arts, including music, theatre, and dance. PLU's student media and organizations have won multiple awards both locally and nationally. Student media organizations include Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), MediaLab, KCNS, and The Mooring Mast.

PLU's SPJ chapter is nationally recognized and has a record of high achievement. Students in the chapter are regularly involved in on-campus and off-campus events. For the past three years, they have staged the "First Amendment Free Food Festival" and received the award for the outstanding student chapter in region 10 for five consecutive years (2005-2010). Students have also been recognized in the following areas:

KCNS is one of the few student-run television stations in the state of Washington where students run all aspects of production. They have received awards in the category of Television Newscast.

MediaLab, an award-winning internship program at PLU was founded in 2006 and offers services such as advertising, broadcasting, copy editing, event planning, graphic design, marketing, online media, public relations, photography, research and analysis, videography, and writing for businesses in the Puget Sound area. Since 2007 they have received multiple awards including:

Prominently highlighted in all academic programs is the opportunity for international education. International education is built into the curriculum.[3] PLU became the first American university to have students studying abroad on all seven continents at the same time [4]

Degrees

PLU offers the following degrees:

Athletics

PLU is a member of NCAA Division III, as well as the Northwest Conference. PLU has a rich tradition of athletic success: in the Northwest Conference, no other school has won the All-Sports Trophy as many times as PLU has.[6]

Varsity Sports

Club Sports

Campus

The campus of PLU is unofficially divided into two sections, Upper Campus and Lower Campus, with Hinderlie Hill dividing them. Upper Campus is home to:

360° panorama of Pacific Lutheran University's campus as seen on a summer afternoon.

Lower Campus includes:

Additional buildings off campus are also used for University purposes, including offices, the Wang Center for International Studies, East Campus, the Women's Center, the Faculty House and Trinity Lutheran Church.

The rose window, located in Eastvold Chapel, has been a symbol of PLU since its dedication in 1952. The stained-glass window is eight feet in diameter and contains many elements symbolic of Christian theology.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2009_NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values.pdf. Retrieved February 26, 2010. 
  2. ^ http://www.plu.edu/~archives/Timeline/1975-1979.html
  3. ^ http://www.plu.edu/admission/academic-distinction/global-education
  4. ^ http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/01/11/abroad
  5. ^ http://www.plu.edu/~graduate/
  6. ^ http://www.nwcsports.com/information/awards/mcilroylewis
  7. ^ http://www.cartercenter.org/news/experts/william_foege.html
  8. ^ http://larsen.house.gov/about/biography.shtml
  9. ^ http://gov.alaska.gov/parnell/governors-office/meet-sean-parnell.html
  10. ^ http://www.king5.com/on-tv/bios/65804927.html
  11. ^ http://www.kirotv.com/station/4406506/detail.html
  12. ^ http://capps.house.gov/about/about.shtml
  13. ^ http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000669
  14. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0872997/bio

External links

Seattle portal
University portal
Current members
Founding members
Former members
Lutheranism portal
Associated New American Colleges