ɬÀï·¬

News

What’s happening at SPU? This is where you’ll find the latest news about research, events, activities, achievements, and milestones in the life of SPU and its ɬÀï·¬.



  • It's almost here! Check out the Orientation schedule, Sept.26-28, for new students and their families.

    Aug 20, 2025

    Welcome, new Falcons! Start your ɬÀï·¬ journey off right with Orientation — an exciting and informative three-day experience that will connect you to the SPU community and all of the resources we have to offer. You’ll have the opportunity to check out campus, meet your classmates and current students, and learn more about what it means to be a Falcon.

    Learn more.

  • Aug 18, 2025

    ɬÀï·¬’s June Commencement weekend was the perfect time to welcome the Class of 1975 back to campus for their 50-year reunion. And thanks to five months of planning and regular Zoom meetings, the reunion committee helped bring together more than 80 alumni and spouses for a two-day celebration — one of the largest 50-year gatherings in recent memory.

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  • Aug 5, 2025

    The New & Next Student Designer Showcase is a new addition to The Collective Runway Show, created to support and spotlight emerging fashion talent. In partnership with Central Washington University, ɬÀï·¬ Central College, ɬÀï·¬, and Washington State University, the program offers selected student designers mentorship, industry insight and runway experience.

    Apparel design and merchandising students James Faull and Jennifer Erendira-Gallardo (Class of 2025) will participate. 

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  • Aug 1, 2025

    After serving as an intern in the Washington state Legislature, junior Sadie McMillan summed up her experience.

    “In the classroom, I learned how politics worked on a surface level. I learned about politicians, lobbyists, and the system in theory — but in the office, I saw it all in action,” McMillan said.

    McMillan and fellow junior Karla Navarro both served in Olympia during the 2025 legislative session. Working for different state legislators, they attended committee hearings, researched policy issues, drafted memos, and helped with constituent communications — gaining firsthand experience in how the Washington state government works.

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  • Jul 31, 2025

    President Deana L. Porterfield invites you to join the SPU community in a time of intentional prayer during August as we prepare for the year ahead.

  • Jul 24, 2025

    For a , SPU Psychology Professor Paul Youngbin Kim shares about his recent experience attending the Blackpink concert with his daughter.

  • A new book by Professor of Theology Doug Koskela is written for those beginning a study of Christian theology.

    Jul 22, 2025

    A new book by Professor of Theology Doug Koskela is now available from Cascade Books.  is written for those beginning their journey in the study of Christian theology. It offers an introduction to the nature and purpose of theology by means of an extended meditation on the Emmaus road story of Luke 24. Each chapter explores one feature of the Emmaus story that signals how we might go about the task of knowing and loving God more deeply. All those who wish to get to the heart of this work — even longtime theologians — are invited to take up these pages.

  • ɬÀï·¬ Pacific Seminary faculty have published more than 50 books and commentaries on a wide range of topics.

    Jul 8, 2025

    ɬÀï·¬ Pacific Seminary faculty has published more than 50 books, on topics that include global Christianity, missiology, theodicy, pneumatology, ecclesiology, discipleship, women and Christianity, Christian ethics, popular culture and Christianity, Christian imagination, race and Christian identity, Christian reconciliation, and Wesleyan studies — as well as commentaries and scholarly monographs on numerous books and topics of the Bible.

     

  • Jul 8, 2025

    In the Winter Quarter 2025 Connections alumni e-newsletter, we asked you to share how Doris Brown Heritage ’64, ’70 MEd — SPU’s legendary two-time Olympian and five-time world champion — may have inspired you. As a coach, professor, friend, and mentor, Doris left an indelible mark on our community during her remarkable tenure at SPU, and alumni responded with incredible stories. .

  • Jul 8, 2025

    The Great Northwest Athletic Conference announced its 2024-25 Faculty Athletic Representative Scholar Athlete Award presented by Barnes & Noble College on Tuesday afternoon, with 34 ɬÀï·¬ student-athletes earning recognition.

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Holistic Health Care in the Rainier Valley

Dr. Christopher Jones ’94 hopes the families in his medical practice never need to ask: “Is my kid sick enough that I should pay for a doctor’s visit?” Medical director of HopeCentral, a nonprofit health center, he and his team have adapted the concept of concierge medicine to a diverse ɬÀï·¬ neighborhood.

Assistant Professor of Philosophy Leland Saunders

What Makes Us Moral?

Assistant Professor of Philosophy Leland Saunders earned a $10,100 Graves Award in Humanities for his research project, “The Structure of Moral Judgement: Philosophical Perspectives.” His research responds to recent arguments that human beings’ concepts of morality are just a quirk of evolution and don't connect to anything deeper.