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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 ɬ﷬.



  • ɬ﷬ Pacific receives high marks in several 2025 national rankings.

    Jun 6, 2025

    For the ninth year in a row, ɬ﷬ Pacific has been named a “” in U.S. News & World Report’s best college annual rankings for 2025. 

    ɬ﷬ Pacific is the No. 1 ranked Christian university in the Northwest in Niche’s “.” Niche is an online resource providing information on K–12 schools, colleges, and more and is a top guide for students looking for a college. The Wall Street Journal included SPU in its .

    See more rankings.

  • Jun 6, 2025

    Empowering students to serve the world has been at the heart of ɬ﷬ s mission since its founding. Senior Lainey Mendoza ’25, recently recognized for her servant leadership, is another example of SPU students making the world a better place

    In her junior year, Mendoza was unanimously nominated by her honors cohort for the Erin Rahel Kimminau Servanthood Scholarship Award. The award, which is redeemed during the recipient’s senior year, honors the memory of Erin Kimminau, a junior who tragically passed away in a 2016 car accident.

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  • Jun 6, 2025

    For more than a century, ɬ﷬ has woven Christian faith into the fabric of daily campus life, a tradition that began with its Free Methodist founders.

    Today, students engage in spiritual life through numerous opportunities, from meeting and praying with their student ministry coordinators (SMCs) to serving local nonprofits through Urban Involvement to attending Group, a midweek, biweekly worship service. Of all the worship opportunities at SPU, though, Chapel remains the most time-honored.

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  • ɬ﷬ Pacific's annual pre-graduation tradition called “Ivy Cutting” will take place Friday, June 6, at 10 a.m. in Tiffany Loop on campus.

    Jun 2, 2025

    ɬ﷬’s annual pre-graduation tradition called “Ivy Cutting” will take place Friday, June 6,  at 10 a.m. in Tiffany Loop on campus. 

    Begun as an "Ivy Planting" ceremony in 1922, this long-honored tradition involves hundreds of graduating seniors dressed in caps and gowns circling a rope of ivy, surrounded by family, friends, fellow students, faculty, and staff. After a brief ceremony, each graduate receives a sprig of ivy, signifying both the student’s tie to SPU and the independence that comes with graduation.

  • The Apparel Design and Merchandising Senior Portfolio Show on June 5 features the academic projects, personal explorations, and future goals of graduating seniors.

    May 30, 2025

    The Apparel Design and Merchandising Senior Portfolio Show features graduating seniors and showcases the students’ academic projects, personal explorations, and future goals. The event is drop-in style, so stop by anytime during the evening. We’d love to see many ɬ﷬ there!

    • Date: Thursday, June 5
    • Time: 5:30—8 p.m
    • Location: Eaton Hall lobby

  • May 30, 2025

    The SPU Art Department is pleased to present the This culminating showcase features individual projects by students Isa Byrum, Liz Crutcher, Emilly Cruz, Tista Cummings, Rio Giancarlo, Emily McElheran, June Min, Ethan Ortega, and Breanna Smith. Please join us for an in-person public reception with refreshments on Thursday, May 29, 5–7 p.m. at SPAC Gallery in the ɬ﷬ Pacific Art Center. The exhibition will be on view from through June 6.

  • The Percussion Ensemble concludes the academic year with a concert in the E.E. Bach Theater in McKinley Hall on Tuesday, June 3, at 7:30 p.m.

    May 22, 2025

    The Percussion Ensemble concludes the academic year with a concert in the E.E. Bach Theater in McKinley Hall at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

  • This year's Undergraduate Commencement speaker is Dina Gonzalez-Piña, an experienced pastoral and administrative leader in multicultural ministries.

    May 20, 2025

    The Undergraduate Commencement speaker is Dina Gonzalez-Piña, an experienced pastoral and administrative leader in multicultural ministries. She has decades of experience in pastoral and administrative leadership, multicultural ministries, and racial equity. She advocates for underrepresented communities within Christian higher education and promotes learning, exploration, and global engagement to empower future leaders.

    Learn more about SPU's 2025 Undergraduate Commencement.

  • Pearl Leung, public policy senior manager at Amazon, will speak at the next School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean’s Speaker Series event on May 20.

    May 19, 2025

    Pearl Leung, public policy senior manager at Amazon, is the next School of Business, Government, and Economics Dean’s Speaker on Tuesday, May 20.

    Leung is head of local public policy for east King County to Eastern Washington, overseeing local advocacy strategies and policy initiatives in support of Amazon's presence in these regions. A recognized civic leader with 20 years of experience in public affairs, Leung has dedicated her work to building bridges at the intersections of urban growth and community development, focusing on affordable housing, transportation, economic development, and supporting the nonprofit sector. Her distinguished leadership and community impact earned recognition from the Puget Sound Business Journal as a "40 Under 40" honoree in 2020.

  • Don't miss the Concert Choir, Treble Choir, and SPU Orchestra in concert on May 22, 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church.

    May 19, 2025

    The SPU Music Department ends the academic year with a concert featuring musicians from all ensembles on Thursday, May 22, Hear works performed by Concert Choir, Treble Choir, the SPU Orchestra, and special features by student instrumental and composition competition winners. The program truly celebrates the best of the SPU Music Department. The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in First Free Methodist Church, adjacent to campus.

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 ɬ﷬ 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.