scene magazine - winter 2010

Inside: > Homecoming, 24 > Service goes ‘On the Road,’ 12 > Honor Roll of Donors, 40

EngageWorldthe

THE CAMPAIGN FOR PLUSEE PAGE 14

calendar

NOVEMBER

November 2, 6 p.m.Gallery Talk: Janet MarcavageIngram Hall 100

November 3, 8 p.m.Artist Series: Early and Baroque ConcertLagerquist Concert Hall

November 4, 5 p.m.MBA Speaker Series: Steve Maxwell,KeyBankPublic Events Room, Morken Center

November 4, 7 p.m.Literary Spotlight Series with NaseemRakhaGarfield Book Company Fireside Lounge

November 5-7PLU Family WeekendLocations across campus

November 7, 3 p.m.Richard D. Moe Organ Recital Series: Kevin Birch, Guest OrganistLagerquist Concert Hall

November 9, 7:30 p.m.Department of Religion LectureNordquist Lecture Hall, Xavier

November 9, 8 p.m.Studio Series: Percussion and Steel Pan Ensemble RecitalLagerquist Concert Hall

November 11, 10:30 a.m.A Nurse In Vietnam: Joan Watts: In Her Own WordsCommunity Room, Garfield Book Company

November 11, NoonVeteran's Day CelebrationLagerquist Concert Hall

“Untitled,” by JP Avila, assistant professor of art. His work was part of the PLU faculty show, which took place this fall in the University Gallery.

continued on inside back cover

November 11, 7 p.m.Holocaust Program LectureNordquist Lecture Hall, Xavier

November 11, 7 p.m.Literary Spotlight Series with Laurie FrankelFireside Lounge, Garfield Book Company

November 14, 3 p.m.Mary Baker Russell Music Scholars RecitalLagerquist Concert Hall

November 13, 8 p.m.Choral Series: Choral UnionLagerquist Concert Hall

November 17-December 15Juried Student ExhibitionUniversity Gallery, Ingram Hall

Pacific Lutheran University Scene Winter 2010 Volume 41 Issue 2

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Greg Brewis

EDITOR

Steve Hansen

MANAGING EDITOR

Barbara Clements

WRITERS Greg BrewisSteve HansenBarbara ClementsChris AlbertNick DawsonKari Plog ’11Theodore Charles ’12

PHOTOGRAPHER

John Froschauer

ART DIRECTOR

Simon Sung

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Steve Skramstad

ONLINE MANAGER

Toby Beal

EDITORIAL OFFICES

University CommunicationsMartin J. Neeb [email protected]/scene

PLU OFFICERS

Loren J. AndersonPresident

Steven P. StarkovichProvost and Dean ofGraduate Studies

Laura F. MajovskiVice President, Student Life andDean of Students

Karl StumoVice President,Admission andEnrollment Services

Steve OlsonVice President,Development andUniversity Relations

Sheri J. TonnVice President, Finance and Operations

OFFICE OF ALUMNI AND CONSTITUENTRELATIONSLauralee Hagen ‘75, ‘78Executive Director

Sumerlin Larsen ‘01Associate Director forAlumni and ConstituentRelations

G. Lee Kluth ‘69Director,Congregation Relations

Nesvig Alumni CenterTacoma, WA 98447-0003253-535-7415800-ALUM-PLUwww.plualumni.org

Volume 41, Issue 2Scene (SSN 0886-3369) is published quarterly by Pacific LutheranUniversity, S. 121st andPark Ave., Tacoma, WA.,98447-0003. Periodicalspostage paid at Tacoma,WA, and additional mailing offices. Addressservice requested.Postmaster: Sendchanges to DevelopmentOperations, Office ofDevelopment, PLU,Tacoma, WA, 98447-0003,[email protected]. © 2010 by PacificLutheran University

ADDRESS CHANGES Please direct any address changes to [email protected] or 800-ALUM-PLU

ON THE COVERAssistant Professor ofChemistry Neal Yakelisand Chelsea Berdahl inthe laboratory in RiekeScience Center. Photo byJordan Hartman ’02

Scene is printed on 10 percent post-con-

sumer recycled paper usingsoy-based sustainable inks.The paper was manufactured at a Forest StewardshipCouncil-certified plant.

PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 3

Scene

inside

Barrett Bollen ’12 returned to continue his track career after a combat tour in Iraq. See page 22.

4 Here & Now

8 Life of the Mind

12 Best Foot ForwardFirst-year students embracetradition of service

COVER STORY:

14 A University of DistinctionEngage the World: The Campaign for PLU

22 Attaway LutesAthlete masters hurdleshere and in Iraq

40 2010 Honor Roll of Donors

60 Perspective

HOMECOMING PHOTOS PAGE 24

24 Alumni News & EventsHomecoming 2010: Luteology

30 Alumni Profiles

32 Alumni Class Notes

here & now

4 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > HERE & NOW

3 GREAT VENUES 1 GREAT CONCERTChristmas 2010:Benaroya, Schnitzer,Lagerquist

A fter last year’s hugely successfulfirst trip to Seattle’s BenaroyaHall, PLU is preparing for simi-

lar success with its Christmas Concertsat Portland’s premiere concert venue:the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall.

On Saturday night, Dec. 4, the Choirof the West, University Chorale and

members of the University SymphonyOrchestra will present joyous anthems,processionals, carols, narration andaudience participation in the magnifi-cent musical venue, home of theOregon Symphony and the PortlandOpera. The larger hall will allow moremusic-lovers from the greater Portlandarea to take part in PLU’s signaturemusical event, which has historicallysold out in the city. Friends and alumniof PLU, save the date – and be sure toplan on bringing some friends.

The Christmas Concert will alsoreturn to Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, thisyear on Monday, Dec. 6. Last year, theacoustically brilliant venue proved aworthy showcase for the talents ofPLU’s finest student-musicians, thebeginning of what is likely to be a longtradition of great performances atBenaroya Hall.

On campus, performances will con-tinue to take place in PLU’s LagerquistConcert Hall, itself a magnificentvenue. To ensure more concertgoers can

Benaroya Hall, Seattle

Lagerquist Hall, Tacoma

Arlene Schnitzer Hall, Portland

program helped students find new waysto get to know their new classmates,learn about the campus and its services,and discover opportunities in thegreater Puget Sound region. (See relatedstory, “Best Foot Forward,” on page 12.)

“We have designed new student orien-tation to give new students a founda-

worst economic recession since the1930s.

“Part of it has been careful manage-ment,” Anderson said in explaining theuniversity’s growth and success at push-ing toward its academic and economicgoals. “Part of that has been just goodfortune...simply put, we are able tofocus on what we do best.

“Everything we do here begins andends with students,” Anderson said.

New orientation program aids first-yearstudent success

T he almost 700 first-year studentswho came to campus inSeptember took part in the new

student orientation program,Discovering Horizons Together. The

enjoy the smaller, more intimate venue,the concert will take place on threedates, Dec. 5, 9 and 10.

Tickets for the Portland, Seattle andTacoma concerts are all on sale now. Tofind out how to purchase tickets, andfor more information, visitwww.plu.edu/christmas.

State of the university:‘strong and stable’

During a time of economic crisis,Pacific Lutheran University hasnot only managed to hold its

own, but as a community, push forwardwith its vision to educate students whohave a passion to make changes in thisworld, said President Loren J. Andersonin his 2010 state of the universityaddress.

“My simple thesis is the university isstrong and stable,” Anderson said. “Weare planning for the decade ahead fromgreat strength.”

As institutions of higher educationnationally have struggled under econom-ic restraints, PLU has fared well by nearlyevery measure, he said. He cited PLU’sstable enrollment – near 3,600 students –which features the most ethnicallydiverse incoming class ever. Retentionrates for first-year students have topped82 percent. The university continued toadd to its number of Fulbright scholars,which now number 83.

Despite a difficult economic environ-ment, fund raising successes continued,with more than 10,000 donors contribut-ing to the university last year. Newendowed chairs in Holocaust Studiesand Elementary Education, as well as anendowed professorship in LutheranStudies were established last year.

All this occurred in the same year thatthe country struggled through the

HERE & NOW > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 5

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans has launched ThriventChoice Dollars, a new program that allows eligible members to designate charitable dollars to their favorite nonprofit.

To designate your Choice Dollars to PLU, please follow these three steps:

1) Call 1-800-847-4836 and say, “Thrivent Choice” or visitwww.thrivent.com/choicedollars.

2) Select PLU to receive your Thrivent Choice Dollars for 2010.

3) Set up a “recurring direction” to automatically designate your Choice Dollars to PLU every time your balance reaches $10 or more.

CHOICE DOLLARS

PLU President Loren J. Anderson

Opening week at PLU

THRIVENTSM

here & nowcontinued

tion to succeed here at PLU,” saidAllison Stephens, director of studentengagement at PLU.

The new student orientation programcombined need-to-know learningopportunities with just-for-fun eventsduring a five-day period. The events andactivities help to make PLU feel likehome for students more quickly,Stephens said.

A big part of new student orientationis giving students the chance to meetthe people on campus who can helpthem with their concerns and problems,like their academic advisors andResidence Hall advisors.

“We want them to be able to recognizepeople they know they can go to,”Stephens said.

New sports mascotunveiled for sports events— the Knight

Roaming the sidelines this fall hasbeen something PLU hasn’t seenfor several decades – a Knight.

The nickname for PLU’s sports teamswill remain the Lutes, but the new mas-cot is a nod to the 1970s and ’80s, whenteams were also known as the Knights.

Members of the Student AthleteAdvisory Committee who helped selectthe mascot wanted to preserve the long-standing tradition of the Lutes, but alsowanted a visual representation to gener-

ate Lute Spirit on campusand at athletic events.The students wantedto inspire spirit andpay homage to thepast, said JenniferThomas, assistant ath-letics director and advi-sor to PLU SAAC.

The PLU Knightmade its first appear-ance during WelcomeWeek, and was on thesidelines cheering onLutes at the Sept. 18football game againstCalifornia LutheranUniversity at SparksStadium in Puyallup andhas appeared at sportingevents since.

PLUtonics performbefore 12 million on‘America’s Got Talent’

T his summer, John Marzano ’13and nine other friends foundthemselves singing on national

television as part of NBC’s “America’sGot Talent” program.

“I would have never, ever thought I’dbe onstage singing in front of 12 mil-lion people,” said Marzano, a sopho-more vocal performance major, andpresident of PLU’s a cappella groupPLUtonic.

In July, PLUtonic made it onto theentertainment reality show as one ofthe 12 finalists by way of the show’snational YouTube contest.

“Before we knew it we were down inL.A. jumping right into rehearsals,”Marzano said.

For the live show, the group per-formed a rendition of the song “Low”by Flo Rida and received positiveremarks from the judges. Following thelive performance and nationwide vot-ing, PLUtonic was in the last elimina-tion round during the live results andwas the second-to-last act eliminated,bringing their fame to an end.

The members of PLUtonic may havefinished their national journey, butanother is just beginning. PLUtonic iscontinuing work on an album, which iscurrently in the editing process.

6 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > HERE & NOW

PLU’s men’s a capella group PLUtonics

PLU’s new mascot, the Knight

A C C O L A D E S

Rebecca M. Wilkin, assistant pro-fessor of French, had her secondbook published for the series,“Chicago’s Other Voice in EarlyModern Europe.” Wilkin’s book,co-translated by Donna Stanton, isa compilation of the works of thelate 17th century French philoso-pher Gabrielle Suchon. It is thefirst time Suchon’s works appear inEnglish.

Michael J.Halvorson, asso-ciate professorand chair of histo-ry, had his book“HeinrichHeshusius and

Confessional Polemic in EarlyLutheran Orthodoxy” published inSeptember. This historical mono-graph presents original researchthat opens a window on the forma-tion of early Lutheranism in late16th century Germany.

Amy Siegesmund, assistant pro-fessor of biology, was one of 23biologists selected to participate inthe 2010 American Society forMicrobiology Biology ScholarsProgram Research Residency. Theprogram is a national leadershipprogram established in 2008 tohelp faculty improve student learn-ing in the laboratory or classroom.

Bridget E. Yaden, assistant pro-fessor of Spanish and director ofthe Language Resource Center, hasbeen awarded the 2010 “Inspira-tional Leadership Certificate” bythe Washington Association forLanguage Teachers. The award“recognizes contributions in pro-moting, organizing, supporting,defending, lobbying, or planningsome important aspect of study ofworld languages and/or cultures.”

Elizabeth E.Brusco, profes-sor of anthropol-ogy, contributeda chapter titled“Gender andPower” to the

book “Studying GlobalPentecostalism: Theories andMethods,” University ofCalifornia Press, 2010.

Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen, visit-ing assistant professor of religion,had her article, “Strip the RichRight Down to Their Shirts: St.John the Almsgiver and theTransformation of the City”published in “EkklesiastikosPharos,” 91.20.

Laura McCloud, assistant pro-fessor of sociology, recently hadher paper “The Fragile American:Hardship and Financial Troublesin the 21st Century” accepted forpublication in “SociologicalQuarterly.” The paper was co-authored with Rachel E. Dwyer.

Karen E. McConnell, associateprofessor of movement studiesand wellness education, and direc-tor of assessment, was quoted inthe September 24, 2010, editionof “The Chronicle of HigherEducation.” The article, “AMeasure of Education Is Put tothe Test,” reported on theCollegiate Learning Assessmentresults.

Maureen McGill, associate pro-fessor of dance and theatre, pre-sented a paper at the InternationalAssociation of Near Death Studiesin Denver. The paper was based onher forthcoming book (co-authored with Nola Davis) “Livefrom the Other Side,” OzarkMountain Publishing, 2010.

HERE & NOW > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 7

Big changes at PLU bookstore

T he Garfield Book Company(GBC) has introduced severalchanges this academic year, espe-

cially for parents and students lookingfor ways to save money. (And who isn’t?)

Most significantly, GBC has launcheda website where students can find whattextbooks each professor is requiring fortheir class, and compare how much thatbook will cost, used or new, at the book-store, as well as how much it will cost onother online merchants, such as Amazonor Half. Matthew Crom, textbook man-ager of the bookstore, thinks that visi-tors to the site will quickly find that theGBC’s prices are competitive.

GBC, which buys thousands of bookseach year for the students returning forthe fall semester, and then again in thespring, will also offer a textbook rentalprogram, which will also have a link offthe GBC main site.

“We will offer many options for stu-dents here,” Crom said. “They can buy aused book, purchase a new book here, orparticipate through the buyback pro-gram.”

GBC has also expanded “Luteworld”and re-introduced a Scandinavian Shop,two popular departments of the book-store. Now, the entire second floor ofGBC will be dedicated to All-Things-Lute, from PLU sweatshirts to PLU-themed Christmas gifts.

The Scandinavian Shop will featurenumerous gifts and delicacies with aScandinavian flair.

Garfield Book Company

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8 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > LIFE OF THE MIND

Every morning in Neah Bay,Wash., the cold fog would sweepthrough our camp and shake us

from our sleep as we trundled acrossthe grounds of the Makah Cultural andResource Center for the showers.

It was my second time at Neah Bay. Ihad been here once before, part of a J-Term course, “Makah Culture Past andPresent.” My experience from that time

was why I returned this past summer.Along with several other PLU studentsand Professor of Anthropology DavidHuelsbeck, we came to volunteer atTribal Journeys, one of the largestNative American celebrations on theWest Coast of the United States.

My first experience at Neah Baytaught me the warmth of the Makahpeople – I never had been welcomed so

life of the mindOne student’s experience at the Tribal Gathering in Neah Bay, and how

one course outside the classroom changed how he sees the world

warmly by people I had just met. Ireturned to Neah Bay to not only con-tinue to learn about the Makah, butto expose myself to the traditions ofthe many Northwest tribal nationsattending the celebration.

On the day of arrival, almost 10,000people crowded onto the beach towatch 86 canoes from as far away asAlaska address the Makah TribalCouncil, requesting permission tocome ashore. Quileute, Quinault,Tlingit, Swinomish, Cowichan, WarmSprings and Lummi are only a few ofthe tribes to attend.

For 11 days, we were essentially the‘go to’ people for anything that need-ed to be done. We were assigned asvolunteers for elder hospitality, anincredibly honorable task of handlingthe needs of important tribesmen.

On an average day we volunteeredfor four to 10 hours – assisting elders,

LIFE OF THE MIND > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 9

Photos and text by Theodore Charles ’12

The ceremonial landing just prior to a salmondinner for the inaugural day of Tribal Journeys.

>>

10 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > LIFE OF THE MIND

life of the mindcontinued

Professor Dave Huelsbeck, Brianne Ankenman’13 and Sarah Finley ’12 clear rocks from thecanoe landing area.

Scrubbing the hull of a canoe in preparation for youth races.

A Tlingit canoe waits to land during theceremonial landing of Tribal Journeys.

LIFE OF THE MIND > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 11

making sandwiches, driving people ingolf carts, transporting salmon, direct-ing traffic and hauling canoes fromthe water. In our time off we chattedwith elders, went hiking, joined drumcircles and ate fry bread. No matterwhat we did, we learned a great dealabout native culture – and a littleabout our own traditions, as well.

I come from an extensiveScandinavian family that hosts aSmorgasbord around Christmas andgarlands its trees with Swedish andNorwegian flags. My time with theMakah taught me to look at my ownculture in a way that is not simply sea-sonal.

I think of the Makah who partici-pated for six hours of dances that havenever been performed before and maynever be again. These songs anddances are not only an incredible formof expression, but the right to performthem are the most valued property afamily can have.

I was captivated by that dance. Notsimply the beauty of the performance,but the value in that gesture. It left mewith a desire to “live my heritage”more thoroughly. To me, appreciatingwho I am through understanding myheritage impacts the actions I makeon a daily basis.

To have been a part of TribalJourneys was an experience that I

on the assumption that their values are“right.” (In other words, to recognizewhen they are being ethnocentric.)These anthropological learning objec-tives are congruent with PLU’s WildHope Project, in that they give studentsthe chance to discover the kind of “bigenough questions” that will continueto have an impact in the student’s lifebeyond the classroom, today and in thefuture.

Both courses involve on-campus in-class preparation, and then 12 days inNeah Bay, Wash. Ordinarily 12 days isnot nearly enough time to recognizeoften subtle differences in customs andvalues and, more importantly, notenough time to resolve conflictingemotions about cultural differences ina way that allows one to understandthe other culture.

The courses are a collaborationbetween PLU and the Makah Culturaland Research Center (MCRC). PLUstudents learn about Makah and NativeAmerican culture from NativeAmericans. The Makah are eager toshare their culture and are very talentedcross-cultural educators. Why is thiscollaboration so effective? I beganworking with the tribe during graduateschool in 1977. We know and trust eachother. I’ve been bringing PLU studentsto Neah Bay since 1995. Year in andyear out the students are eager to learn,respectful and honest – even if theydon’t always agree with every Makahvalue. The students have earned thetrust of the Makah people who workwith us. The trust makes possible anopenness and sharing more characteris-tic of the multi-year relationship than a12-day experience.

The trust relationship is reinforced byservice activities. We “help out.” Itmight be something as simple as stack-ing firewood for an elder, creating anopportunity to get to know each otheras individuals. It might be helpingserve dinner at a potlatch or helpingwith elder hospitality at TribalJourneys, creating an opportunity notjust to observe, but to participate.

Participating in another culture istruly a life-changing experience.

—David R. Huelsbeck, professor of anthropology

never, in my wildest dreams, consid-ered a possibility. This fantastic experi-ence broadened my gaze from a simplelove of the discipline of anthropology,to a passion for the subject.

Learning anthropologyby doing anthropology

T he two courses mentioned inTed Charles’ essay seek to pro-vide an opportunity for stu-

dents to experience a different culture:To learn anthropology by doinganthropology. This summer, as part ofthe Tribal Journeys celebration, thefocus was on Northwest NativeAmerican culture. The J-Term coursespecifically focuses on Makah culture.The goal is to help students learn torecognize cultural values that are dif-ferent from their own, and learn to rec-ognize when they are acting/reacting

S

Students take a break from bagging sacklunches on the floor of the community center.

12 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > FEATURES

WHEN FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS cameto campus for orientation weekend thispast September, organizers made surethat, on that first Saturday, those stu-dents were promptly sent off campus.

It was part of PLU’s On the Roadprogram, which takes place each yearto help first-year students becomefamiliar with the city and region thatwill be their home for the next fouryears.

Some explored the lava caves at Mt.St. Helens. Others learned salsa danc-ing at Abbey Ballroom in Tacoma.Some visited Tacoma’s art and glassmuseums.

And some pulled weeds.More than 390 students took part in

On the Road, at 23 different locations.Four of those trips were designed helpstudents find a place where they could

volunteer their time and energy– all in that great Lutheran

tradition of service. “We’ve noticed over the years that the

outdoor rec trips and the service tripsare always the first ones to fill up,” saidMelanie Deane ’12, ASPLU programscoordinator and student organizer ofOn the Road. “So this year, we wantedto make sure there were more opportu-nities for students.”

One of those trips was to Tenino,Wash., where about a dozen studentsrolled up their sleeves and got muddy

at Left Foot Organics, a non-profit farmwhich aims to promote self-sufficiency,inclusion and independence for peoplewith developmental disabilities andrural youth.

“I just liked their mission,” AnnaPayton, a first-year student fromPuyallup, Wash., said. “I really like thatthey give disadvantaged youth and peo-ple with disabilities the opportunity towork.”

Payton and the rest of the students inher group spent the day learning aboutLeft Foot’s mission and helped farmworkers pull weeds.

“Their hearts seem to be in the rightplace when it comes to helping othersand providing healthy food for the com-munity,” she said. “It was a little hardwork to help out a wonderful cause.”

First-year Sarah Kintner, who came toPLU from Wenatchee, Wash., because ofthe strong sense of community, said she

As part of ‘On the Road,’ first-year studentsembrace PLU’s tradition of service

FEATURES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 13

went on the Left Foot trip to play inthe dirt. “Volunteering for somethinglike that was a great opportunity tohave fun and get to know some greatpeople and get muddy and dirty at thesame time,” she said.

Left Foot Organics was new to thisyear’s slate of On the Road trips. Thenon-profit farm grows more than 50varieties of vegetables year-round andharvests eggs to sell, as well as boastinga pesticide-free operation. It has morethan 700 volunteers who put inapproximately 3,800 hours of volunteerwork last year.

There were three other On the Roadtrips that also sought to encourage stu-dents to find ways to be of service toothers. One group went to NorthwestHarvest, one of Washington’s largesthunger relief agencies. Another grouptook part in a habitat restoration proj-ect on the PLU campus. Another tripintroduced first-year students to PLU’sown community garden, which donatesorganic vegetables to members of theParkland community.

Kirk Rose, one of the employees forLeft Foot, said he learned about thespirit of service while in college, and it

was his love of volunteering and hisfarming background that brought himto Left Foot about a year ago.

Trips to places like Left Foot encour-age students to find the connectionthat Kirk Rose did – something that

they love and give themselves to.That was true for ASPLU’s Deane, a

Lake Oswego, Ore., native. Two yearsago, she participated in an On theRoad Trip to the Tacoma RescueMission, and that experience is stillimportant to her. She’s found moreopportunities to volunteer there,and she expects the students onthis year’s trips will too. “It is anawesome way to continue commu-nity service,” Dean said.

Cody Cano, a first-year student plan-ning to major in biology, said he chosethe trip at the last minute, but enjoyedthe experience with the new friends hemade.

“We all met today and we are workingtoward one common goal,” Cano said.

That goal might be called “communi-ty.” And that is something that first-year student Johanna Muller, whocomes from Denair, Calif., definitelystands behind.

“I live on a farm in California and Ilove volunteering and helping otherpeople,” Muller said. “This seemed likea good fit to start off the year.”

Photos by Megan Randich ’12

By Kari Plog ’11

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14 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > FEATURE14 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > FEATURES

Pacific Lutheran University is a learning community thatdistinguishes itself by developing generations of globally conscious,self-aware citizens who are equipped to engage the world inserious and meaningful ways.

PLU lives out its Lutheran heritage by providing each studentpreparation both for a successful career and for a lifetime of service toothers.

With a unique commitment to student-faculty research, anacademically rigorous and internationally distinctive curriculum,and purpose-centered learning that forms and engages passionateleaders and learners, PLU is one of the premier comprehensiveuniversities in the West.

PLU prepares students to learn and to teach; to understand and tobe understood; to collaborate and to lead. The university isdetermined to foster a new generation of leaders who will shape ajust, healthy, sustainable and peaceful world.

An innovator in values-based, globally-focused education, thecampus community is committed to a set of priorities that enlivenits mission of serving the world. We now invite others to investfinancially in the PLU experience and the priorities of Engage theWorld: The Campaign for PLU.

A UNIVERSITYOF DISTINCTION

EngageWorldthe

THE CAMPAIGN FOR PLU



E N D O W M E N T

ACADEMICS & MISSIONPLU’s faculty, academic programs, and campus-wide Wild Hope Project –exploring vocation in the 21st century – are nationally and internationallyrecognized for their quality and distinctiveness. Enhancing theendowment to a level better aligned with the university’s stature and sizewill advance quality and distinctiveness and strengthen the university’scapacity to carry out its mission in these areas:

GLOBAL EDUCATIONEndowment support for the building of a globally focused university iscentral to PLU’s future success. Great progress has been made in bringinga global emphasis more broadly to the academic, curricular andprogrammatic areas of the university. That work can be acceleratedthrough the funding of endowments with a particular global emphasis,including: curriculum development, expanding study-abroadopportunities, creating more student-faculty research opportunities, morefully opening the campus to international students, and named facultychairs and endowed professorships in the global curriculum.

STUDENT-FACULTY RESEARCH AND CREATIVE PROJECTSStudent-faculty research opportunities enhance the educationalexperience of students and faculty working one-on-one and in smallgroups to delve deeply into issues critical to disciplines across thecurriculum. Opportunities include: establishing student-faculty researchendowments in professional schools, enhancing the endowments thatexist in Humanities, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, and endowingor expanding endowments for equipment funds in art, business,economics, music, natural sciences, nursing, psychology and theater.

WILD HOPE PROJECT – VOCATION, IDENTITY AND EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCEThe Wild Hope Project is the unifying name for several programs thatensure each PLU student receives a comprehensive understanding of howto go about discerning one’s vocation. College is the critical junction inthe lives of most young people as they make decisions about life goalsand career paths that will affect them for a lifetime. Institutionalizing thatprogram is crucial to effectively leveraging the $2 million grant PLU

received from the Lilly Endowment Inc., that made the Wild Hopeprogram possible. Named endowment funds will ensure the success ofthese programs in perpetuity.

NAMED FACULTY CHAIRS AND ENDOWEDPROFESSORSHIPSNamed faculty chairs and endowed professorships bring publicrecognition to the university and its programs as well as providesalary support, travel, research stipends and programming funds for faculty members.

“I grew up in a family with threegenerations at PLU.So I know thatwithout scholarshipsupport many students would notbe able to affordthe life-changingexperiences thatPLU has to offer.Our gifts make adifference now andfor years to come.”

–Jenna Edlund ’96 ’99



We can reach our goal

with your help!DONATE NOW1-800-826-0035www.plu.edu/give

For more information onEngage the World: TheCampaign for PLU, visitwww.plu.edu/campaign

C A P I TA L P R O J E C T S

RECREATION & WELLNESSFACILITIESIn the context of its traditionalcommitment to improving themind, body and spirit, the campuscommunity recognizes theimportance of serving wellness andrecreation needs of the campus andthe surrounding community, as wellas the physical education andathletic needs. Redevelopment ofthe land resources on the lowercampus into multipurpose facilitiesand fields will serve this goal. Plansarising out of the work of thecampus master plan for facilitiesinclude:

• All-Weather Lighted AthleticFields

• Olson Auditorium and Gymnasium



FACULTY DEVELOPMENTExcellent faculty cultivate their intellectual capital through on-goingdevelopment in teaching, scholarship and university citizenship. Facultydevelopment funding provides educational, research and study, andleadership development opportunities.

PUBLIC PROGRAMMINGEndowed sponsorships for major symposia, annual lectures, seminars andworkshops are crucial to a flourishing academic culture and extend theexplicitly academic resources of the university out into the community.Such events provide a forum for faculty and visiting scholars to shareknowledge, engage students in non-classroom settings and providecommunity outreach.

E N D O W M E N T

ENSURING STUDENT ACCESSEnhancing the endowment for financial support for students is critical toensuring access to college for all, regardless of their economic standing. Italso enables the university to attract a diverse group of highly qualifiedstudents, and enrich their educational experiences, through scholarships,student-faculty research grants, and study-abroad stipends. Namedendowment scholarships and grants mirror the university’s commitment tostudent access, the recognition of scholarly achievement, and acommitment to global education.

Global Study OpportunitiesStudy-abroad scholarships for low-income students who otherwise mightnot be able to take advantage of study-abroad opportunities.

Global Scholar Grant ProgramSupported by single or multiple donors, an endowment of $1 million wouldprovide $50,000 a year for one or more upper-division students’ tuition,room and board, travel, and research.

PLU Achiever Opportunity grantA $500,000 endowment provides full tuition or $25,000 per year for low-income and/or students of color to encourage academic accomplishmentand help ensure access to college. The scholarships are awarded tostudents who show the promise of success.

Regents’ ScholarshipsA $500,000 endowment supports the most prestigious universityscholarship offered to high ability, incoming first-year students and iscontinued annually, full tuition or $25,000 a year.

President’s ScholarshipA $325,000 endowment recognizes outstanding academic achievement in the classroom and beyond at $16,000 a year.

GOAL$100 Million

RAISEDTO DATE$90MILLION

CAMPAIGN GOALS





Academic Merit ScholarshipsA $100,000 endowment provides $5,000 per year to recognize andsupport academically meritorious students.

Donor-Designated ScholarshipsA $25,000 (minimum) endowment provides scholarship support at $1,250a year for a student in a particular major or course of study. Donors helpdetermine the criteria for students receiving scholarship support from theendowment, typically named in their or a loved one’s honor or memory.

C A P I TA L P R O J E C T S :

ACADEMIC FACILITIESA school with a strong commitment to the liberal arts must provide high-caliber facilities to support its academic and cocurricular programs.Architecturally distinctive facilities, complete with appropriate equipmentand technology, inspire students and faculty and enhance the academicvitality of the university. PLU has work left to be done on the academicschoolhouse, bringing our facilities up to the level of our programs,including:

• Performing Arts Center and Chapel, at Eastvold, Phase One

• Rieke Science Center

• Olson Auditorium and Gymnasium

• Upgrading other classrooms and teaching facilities and acquiring state-of-the-art instructional technology and equipment.

Performing Arts Center and Chapel at Eastvold Hall

The first phase of the renovation of one of PLU’s historic landmarkbuildings began in summer 2010. A new roof, new exterior brickwork andrenovation of space formerly occupied by KPLU into a first-class “blackbox” Studio Theater is included in the first phase of this project.

Naming opportunities range from $1 million for the studio theater to$1,000 for individual seats.

Rieke Science CenterHome to the PLU Division of Natural Sciences, Rieke Science Center is nowmore than 25 years old. Still state-of-the art in its design and open labconcept, Rieke requires upgraded equipment and reconfigured internalspace to meet the demands of scientific inquiry in the 21st Century. Theinvestment planned for Rieke Hall will be used to:

• Reconfigure interior laboratory space to support and enhance scienceinstructional methodologies and for student faculty research

• Update classrooms

• Improve the second floor “open lab” space

• Update various building infrastructure, such as heating and ventilation.

There will be numerous naming opportunities associated with the RiekeScience Center renovation. For a gift of $1.5 million, donors will have the




opportunity to name the signature feature of Rieke Science Center, thesecond-floor open laboratory space, used primarily for chemistry andphysics experimentation. Other opportunities, ranging from $1 million (forthe atrium of the Rieke Science Center) or $500,000 (for chemistry facultyresearch lab), to $25,000 (for faculty offices) are also available.

O P E R AT I N G S U P P O R T

AND SPECIALPROJECTSPast achievements at the universityhave been accomplished throughthe generosity of thousands offaithful donors – Q Club members,Lute Club members and others whomake special gifts in support ofspecific programs. This broad baseof continuing support must growfor a PLU education to continue tobe affordable for students and theirfamilies, for PLU to attract andretain top-quality faculty and forPLU to be faithful to its mission.

“OUR STATURE ismeasured by howwe serve studentsand how they inturn serve theworld.”

–Loren J. Anderson, President

P R O G R E S S

CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES $90 MILLION MILESTONE ON THEWAY TO $100 MILLION GOALThe public phase of PLU’s new $100 million fund-raising campaign began Oct. 10 at a celebration that included the announcement that more than $90million of the goal is already in hand.

Known as “Engage the World: The Campaign for PLU,” the drive is raisingfunds for academic program support, student scholarships, improved aca-demic and athletic facilities and operating support and special projects.

Campaign leadership celebrated at Tacoma’s Museum of Glass, marking the beginning of a broad appeal for support from alumni and friends of theuniversity.

At the event, President Loren J. Anderson announced a $10 million gift fromthe estate of Karen Hille Phillips who passed away September 13. “Karen wasdeceptively wise, caring of heart, humble in bearing and generous in spirit,”he said.

Phillips, the largest benefactor in the history of the university, has now givenalmost $20 million. She was a 1955 graduate of the PLC School of Nursingand she served as a member of the Board of Regents for nine years begin-ning in 2000. (Editor’s Note: watch for a feature on Karen Phillips in the next issue of Scene.)

“The campaign celebration provided us the opportunity to thank the peoplewho have helped us reach the $90 million mark,” said James A. Plourde,director for campaign and strategy.

“We were also able report to them on campus enhancements that the cam-paign has made possible and enlist their support for meeting the challengesthat remain in reaching our $100 million goal,” he said.

Plourde said that while large campaign gifts have provided a remarkablelegacy to date, full participation is important and gifts of all sizes are wel-come and appreciated.

“People have been remarkable in their generous responses,” he said. “Gifts toQ Club in support of student scholarships, gifts in support of students whostudy abroad, gifts in support of academic and athletic programs and giftsfrom those who are remembering PLU in their estate planning are all essential.”

Last year there were more than 10,000 donors who contributed to PLU –more than ever before in the history of the university.

“All donors make a difference,” Plourde said. “And our donors are, in effect,casting a vote in favor of what we do here at PLU and demonstrating to thebroader community that they support PLU’s mission.

“Everyone who cares deeply about PLU should consider making a gift to thecampaign.”


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22 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > ATTAWAY LUTES

attaway lutesFrom PLU, to Iraq, and back: Barrett Bollen attacks life’s hurdles

Barrett Bollen ’12 settled into thestarting blocks for the 400-meterhurdles finals. It was the 2010

Northwest Conference Track and FieldChampionships in Spokane last April.Ten hurdles measuring 36 inches inheight separated him from the finishline.

Compared to the hurdles that Bollencrossed one year earlier as a member ofthe United States Marine Corps in Iraq,those 10 hurdles seemed like a walk inthe park.

But more on Iraq later.Bollen, running only the third 400-

meter hurdles race in his life, surprisedmost everyone by winning the confer-ence title with a time of 56.13 seconds.In doing so, he lowered his personalbest by more than two seconds. It wasonly Bollen’s third time running theevent, including the first time when hetripped over a hurdle, got back up, andestablished a conference meet–qualify-ing time.

The hurdles title capped an outstand-ing meet for Bollen, who placed fifth inthe 400-meter dash in addition to run-ning the second leg on both of PLU’srelay teams. Two weeks earlier, Bollenfinished fifth in the conferencedecathlon championship meet. He start-ed the second of two days of competi-tion in seventh place, but moved up twospots with 5,650 points. He recordedpersonal bests in all five of the second-day events – 110 hurdles, discus, polevault, javelin and 1,500 meters.

“I certainly have a new love in the 400-meter hurdles, so that has to be myfavorite single event now,” Bollen said.“But competing in the decathlon is cer-tainly the greatest experience I’ve everhad in track and field. My favorite partof the decathlon is the 1,500-meter run.It's the last event and, since everyone isjust exhausted, it comes down to howbadly you want to win.”

At first, track and field didn’t comeeasily for Bollen, who grew up inGrayland, Wash., a small communitylocated on the central Washington

coast. In the eighth grade he finishedlast in a 400-meters race and took thatas a personal challenge. By the time hewas a senior he had shaved 30 secondsoff of his time and ended up placingfourth in the state.

PLU track and field, and cross countryhead coach Heather Kreier saw himwhile he was an athlete at tiny OcostaHigh School. “When I saw him as arecruit, he was this highly positive andtalented kid – and he could back it up.”

His personality and temperament lentthemselves to leadership, a quality thatKreier valued. When he got to PLU,Bollen’s athletic career was ready to takeoff.

And that’s when the military called. Bollen had enlisted in the Marine

Corps in July 2005 when he was 17-years-old. A year later, one month afterhis high school graduation, he went toboot camp at Marine Corps RecruitDepot (MCRD) San Diego, graduatedmeritoriously, and was promoted to pri-vate first class for earning a perfectscore on his Marine Corps physical fit-ness test. After attending combat train-ing and occupation specialty school tobecome a motor transport operator, hechecked in with his reserve unit at FortLewis in December 2006.

In the fall of 2007, Bollen’s firstsemester at PLU, his unit received acti-vation orders for deployment to Iraq.He took that “ready-to-go” attitude intoIraq’s Al Anbar province, where his unitconducted security missions from Aprilthrough October 2008. The unit wasthen deactivated and Bollen returnedstateside. He re-enrolled at PLU andresumed classes in January 2009, butremains involved in the Marine CorpsReserves as a corporal.

Bollen came back ready for his firstfull season as a member of the PLUtrack and field team. His natural leader-ship abilities had been refined by hisseven months in Iraq.

“You’ve got a man coming back to theprogram with much greater life experi-ences,” Kreier said, “and grateful to be

back and have the opportunity to onceagain compete in athletics.”

Bollen sought out his coach to discusshis desire to be a team leader, and soon,as Kreier said, “he was on the fast trackto team leadership.”

“I know that being a Marine has donea great deal for me in terms of makingme a better leader and athlete,” Bollensaid. “Many of the characteristics thatgo into being a successful Marine suchas self discipline, confidence, mentaland physical toughness, are also attrib-utes of most successful athletes.”

Bollen’s approach to leadership,whether on the track and field andcross-country teams, or with theMarines, is about initiative.

“Everyone has the capacity to be agreat leader, but inspiring others onlycomes as a result of individual effort,”he said. “Simple things like a positiveattitude, good work ethic, accountabili-ty, and confidence can prove to othersand to me that success is always possi-ble through initiative.

“It works both ways. Every day I seemy friends, my teammates and my fel-low Marines aspire to improve them-selves, and as a result they inspire me todo the same.”

“He’s an example that the other ath-letes can aspire to,” Kreier said. “He likesthat role, he shines in that role.”

Bollen may or may not choose a career in the Marine Corps. His currentfocus is to earn a degree in history by May 2012, two months before his six-year contract with the Marines expires.

“When I joined the Marine Corps Ionly wanted to return the service thatothers had provided for me,” Bollen said.“I had always planned on going to col-lege and pursuing all the things thatmade me happy, but I didn't want to dothose things until I had proved to myselfthat I had earned the right to do so.

“I believed that there was no better wayto earn that happiness than to serve mycountry and family in a time of conflict,and I stand by that belief to this day.”

—Nick DawsonS

ATTAWAY LUTES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 23

“Everyone has the capacity to be a great leader, butinspiring others only comes asa result of individual effort.”

24 PLU SCENE FALL 2010 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

alumni news & events

W hen the student-organ-ized Meant to Live pro-gram blossomed on thePLU campus in 2004, its

mission was a simple one: To bring speak-ers to campus who can share their voca-tional journey. In short, to get them totalk to students about how and why theydo what they love.

The program was quite a success, andover the past several years, it broughtpeople from a wide array of vocations.One person, for example, sought tobuild world peace and global under-

Homecoming brings togethercurrent students and alumnias part of ‘Meant to Live’

standing though a non-profit called“Companion Flag International.”Another chased tornados. Their storieswere as diverse as they were compelling.But the theme was always the same: LiveYour Passion.

Or, to put it a different way: to getstudents to think about what they cando with their one wild a precious life.

This year, on the Friday of homecom-ing weekend, saw a significant changein the Meant to Live program – it joinedforces with Homecoming. After all,homecoming was already a time when

hundreds of successful PLU graduatesalready came to campus, and organizersthought this would be the perfectopportunity to take Meant to Live andturn it up a notch.

“What could be a better time to bringalumni and students together than athomecoming?” asked Lauralee Hagen,executive director of PLU’s office ofAlumni and Constituent Relations.

Her point is well taken. And it seemsto fit nicely with a gift that the class of1958 gave to the university. That gift –almost $107,000 provided by 67 gener-

BY STEVE HANSEN

ous alums – sought to endow the Meantto Live program, part of PLU’s signa-ture “Wild Hope Project.”

“Meant to Live is the convergence of agift from the Class of 1958 and Home-coming, where an alumnus of the uni-versity can speak to students about hisor her life’s work,” said SamuelTorvend, project director of the WildHope Project and professor of the histo-ry of Christianity.

This is the first year that Meant toLive will officially be associated withHomecoming. Even so, the idea remains

a simple one: bring together Lutes fromall ages and disciplines, and let themtalk about their own vocational passions.

And judging by the group assembled inthe University Center on Friday, Oct. 8.,the union is already a success.

With this year’s homecoming affinitygroup being graduates of the School ofthe Arts and Communication, Meant toLive organizers tapped filmmaker andadvertising guru Jim Walker ’76 toaddress participants and take part in thefirst-ever Meant to Live luncheon. There,SOAC students, faculty and alumni came

together to connect and converse, listen-ing to vocational narratives and advicefrom alumni mentors, and alumni willhear about students' current experiencesand hopes for the future.

Following the luncheon, Walker, who iscurrently partner and creative director forTwin Creek Productions and whose workhas been recognized from the CannesInternational Film Festival to TBS’sFunniest Commercials in the World, dis-cussed how his education at PLU con-tributed to, raised questions about, andprovided him with a sense of vocation.

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS > PLU SCENE FALL 2010 25

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26 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS> PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 27

28 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS

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ALUMNI NEWS & EVENTS> PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 29

Join the

Click!

Pencil Us InUPCOMING EVENTSDecember 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU GOLD event in Portland, Ore.

December 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Music alumni pre-concert event, Portland, Ore.

December 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU GOLD event at The Gonyea House

December 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU GOLD event at Vessel in Seattle

December 6 . . . .Music Alumni pre-concert event at The Capital Grille, Seattle

January 25-31 . . . . . . . . . .University Wind Ensemble Tour, Southern California

February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU Connection Event, St Paul, Minn.

February . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU Connection Event, Denver, Colo.

February 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU Alumni Basketball event at PLU

February 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU SUNDAY in ELCA Region 1 Congregations

March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU Connection Events, Montana

March . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PLU Connection Event, Portland, Ore.

For more information: www.plualumni.org or call 800-ALUM-PLU.

Alumni RecognitionAward Nominations

Awards are given each year to alumni,friends and students for outstandingachievements and years of service.Nominations must include supportingletters and be returned to the Office of Alumni and Parent Relations by Jan. 5, 2011. Here are the categories:

Distinguished Alumnus AwardThrough years of dedication and service,this alumnus has achieved professionalor vocational distinction.YOUR NOMINEE

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Outstanding Alumnus AwardAwarded to an alumnus, beyond 15 years of graduation, who has excelled in a special area of life.YOUR NOMINEE

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Outstanding Recent Alumnus AwardAwarded to an alumnus, within 15 yearsof graduation, who has excelled in a spe-cial area of life.YOUR NOMINEE

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Heritage AwardAwarded to an alumnus for years of distinguished service to the university.YOUR NOMINEE

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Special Recognition AwardAwarded to an alumnus or friend of theuniversity who has uniquely served theuniversity. YOUR NOMINEE

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Alumni Service AwardAwarded to an alumnus who has demon-strated outstanding volunteer leadershipand/or service to their community.YOUR NOMINEE

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Brian C. Olson Student Leadership AwardAwarded to a student who has demon-strated potential for a lifelong commit-ment to the university and the alumniassociation.YOUR NOMINEE

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Get connected with theonline community

One of the best ways to stay connected with your friendsand PLU is to become a mem-

ber of the PLU Online Community.Search for friends and make new con-nections. Membership is free and exclu-sive to alumni. All you need to do totake advantage of the community is toproceed through the easy registrationprocess below.

• Begin at www.plualumni.org. On theleft hand side of your page you willfind the Online Community log-insection. Click on the “Register Now”link right below the log-in.Registering involves filling in yourfirst and last name as well as your

official graduation year (i.e. 1986rather than 86). When this is com-plete, select “Find my Record.”

• The following screen will show all therecords matching the search criteriayou have just entered. Select yourname.

• To verify that this is your record, youwill be asked for your alumni ID num-ber. This number is listed on the labelof this magazine. You will now chooseyour own user ID and password forcontinual access to the online com-munity. Once you have agreed to theterms and conditions, click the“Complete Registration” button and a confirmation e-mail will be sent toyou if requested.

• You are now registered! As a memberof the online community, you canupdate your current information,search the directory for your friends,or establish contacts by bookmarkingthem. Contact us with any questionsat [email protected] or 253-535-7415.Do not waste any time, get online and

sign up to be a member of the OnlineCommunity and reconnect!

alumni news & events

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30 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > ALUMNI PROFILES

Margaret Witt, right, and her partner, LaurieMcChesney, celebrate as they leave the federalcourthouse in Tacoma, Wash. A federal judgeruled that Witt, a flight nurse discharged from theAir Force for being gay, should be given her jobback as soon as possible. (AP Photo/Ted S.Warren)

alumni profiles

19-year Air Force vetchallenges ‘don’t ask,don’t tell’

W hen Major Margaret Wittgraduated with a nursingdegree from PLU in 1986,

she began a highly successful career as aflight nurse with the U.S. Air Force. Sheserved in the Persian Gulf, includingduring Operation Enduring Freedom,earning many medals and commenda-tions. She even received a medal fromPresident Bush for her “outstandingmedical care.”

That career lasted 19 years, yet itended prematurely. In 2004, Witt wassuspended, and by 2007 she was offi-cially discharged under the military’s“don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. The highlydecorated flight nurse lost the job sheloved simply because she is a lesbian.

What followed was four years of legal

ALUMNI PROFILES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 31

Alumni Profiles are continued on page 39

wrangling, culminating in a monumen-tal decision at the U.S. FederalCourthouse in Tacoma. ThisSeptember, federal judge RobertLeighton ruled that sexual orientationdoes not negatively impact unit moraleor cohesion, and that Witt is constitu-tionally entitled to reinstatement.

With the ruling, Witt has won theopportunity to get her job back –though she understands there may bemany more years of appeals, perhaps allthe way to the U.S. Supreme Court.More importantly, she acknowledgesthat she has become the central figurefor what many consider a key civil-rights issue: allowing all gays and les-bians to openly serve in the military.

“I just want to be with my unit,” shesaid of her battle. “At the same time, Iknow it is a much bigger issue [thanjust me].”

Witt had a part in high-profile courtcases before – in 2008, the U.S. NinthCircuit Court of Appeals ruled the mili-tary’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policycould remain in place. However, a testknown as “The Witt Standard,” cameout of it – U. S. armed services thatwished to discharge someone under“don’t ask, don’t tell” had to first provethat his or her conduct hurt morale andunit cohesion.

In the September 2010 ruling, JudgeLeighton found that it did not. In thecourt’s finding of fact, he ruled “nocredible evidence was presented to thiscourt which indicated that Major Witt’ssexual orientation ever had a negativeeffect on the unit morale, order, disci-pline, or cohesion.”

Witt, in her experience, certainlyfound that to be the case. “The armedservices aren’t given enough credit,” shesaid. “We can adapt to this. We are themost diverse workforce in the world.”

Of her time at PLU, Witt, who playedboth softball and basketball, speaksfondly. “I practically grew up on thatcampus,” she said, noting that manyrelatives attended PLU, including hersiblings and her parents – as well as hergreat uncle Harold Leraas, of the LeraasLecture Hall.

“I’ve had tremendous support fromPLU, especially from my old professors[in the Nursing and Women’s AndGender Studies],” she said. “At the trial,PLU was very well represented.”

—Steve Hansen

Years after PLU, trackstar keeps breakingrecords

Karen (Bell ’86) Steen has yet tomeet a running challenge shecannot overcome.

The 1986 PLU graduate and formertrack team member reached the nation-al tournament for the Lutes in each ofher four years. Her athletic accomplish-ments since then have been even moreimpressive.

During her senior year, Steen becamethe first collegiate woman inWashington state to break the 60-sec-ond barrier in the 400-meter hurdlesevent. Her time of 59.79 seconds stillstands as the PLU record.

Bradford Moore, Steen’s formercoach at PLU and current associateprofessor of movement studies andwellness education, described her asone of PLU’s all-time top competitors.

“It was her tenacity and competitivespirit that led her to extremely high lev-els of athletic achievement,” Mooresaid. “She combined her talent with anenormous work ethic, stimulated byher desire to excel. Excel she did.”

Steen earned All-American honorsduring her junior and senior seasons atPacific Lutheran.

After leaving PLU, she married fellowPLU alum Mike Steen ’85 in 1987. Shespent a few years away from running.But when she returned, the former col-legiate hurdler decided to transition torunning marathons, starting withOlympia’s Capital City event.

“I did the local marathon just to doone marathon,” Steen said, “and Iended up doing 15.”

Steen won the Capital City race seventimes in 15 years. Her top time was twohours, 43 minutes. At that point, sheelected to move onto another challenge:the 2,000-meter steeplechase.

At age 40, Steen set a new worldrecord for her age group by completingthe race in seven minutes, five seconds.

But she was not done. Five years later,in 2009, Steen shattered the 45-49 agegroup record by nine seconds when sheran a 7:07.

Steen’s response to such success?Setting her sights on other records toavoid competing with herself.

“It is a new challenge because I’mafraid that I might not be able to runfaster in an event,” Steen says. “So, if Ifind a new event I won’t have to worryabout that.”

While any one of Steen’s accomplish-ments require dedication and persever-ance, she does not spend all of her timerunning. She is also the mother of threeand has taught physical education atMountain View Elementary in Lacey,Wash., for about 15 years.

In summer 2010, Steen began to focuson three different events: the outdoormile, the 800-meter, and a return to hercollegiate event, the 400-meter hurdles.She said she’d like to break the nationalrecords for each of those events, “justfor the fun of it.”

—Tyler Scott ’10

32 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > ALUMNI CLASS NOTES

alumni class notesClass Representative positions available:1946, 1949, 1951, 1952, 1954, 1959, 1968,1980, 1990 and 1991.

1928 Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

Marie (Espeseth) Hauge died April 28 inBend, Ore. She was 101-years-old. Marieand her husband, Larry, owned and oper-ated Larry’s Ice Cream in Portland, Ore.,for 27 years. She also taught elementaryschool in Poulsbo, Wash., and Kent,Wash. She is survived by two children,Margaret Hauge Larson ’64 and EvelynHauge Hellwig; three grandchildren, twostep-grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

1933Golden Club Class RepresentativeCommittee

Edgar R. Larson died July 4. After gradu-ating from PLU, he taught briefly andthen worked with the Red Cross in Japanafter World War II. He went on to earn amaster’s degree at the University ofWashington and became a librarian. Hisfirst library job was at the U.S. Library ofCongress, but he spent the majority of hiscareer at the Navy Post Graduate Schoolin Monterey, Calif. He retired in1982 andmoved to Lakebay, Wash. He was pre-ceded in death by his sisters Sylvia(Larson ’28) Daughters and Pauline(Larson ’30) Nelson, and his brother PaulLarson ’38. He is survived by several PLUrelatives, including nephews LarryLarson ’67 and Bruce Larson ’92, andgreat-niece Emily Larson ’03.

1936Class Representative – Volly (Norby)Grande

1940Class Representative – Luella (Toso)Johnson

Mildred Wallace died July 10. Mildredwas proud of her Norwegian heritageand enjoyed traveling, gardening andspending time with her grandchildren.She was a kindergarten teacher for manyyears in the Tacoma School District.

Thelma Willis died August 28, just shy ofher 94th birthday. Thelma was raised inParkland, Wash. Thelma and her hus-band, Stan ’42, also lived in Spain,Germany and Puerto Rico. Thelma spenta lifetime sharing her musical skills andinterests as a teacher, accompanist,organist and concert pianist. She con-ducted the bell choir at ParklandLutheran Church for 19 years, until Juneof this year. Thelma was preceded indeath by her husband, Stan ’42, and son,Jim ’68. Thelma is survived by twodaughters, Kathy (Henry) Pollakowski,

Paul Wangsmo died December 12, 2009.Paul was an educator for more than 30years and he received many awards dur-ing that time. Paul was most proud ofbeing elected student body president ofPLC in 1952 and being involved in manyactivities at that time. Paul, along withhis wife, Birdell, remained active at PLUthroughout his lifetime by being membersof Q Club (Paul was a Q Club Director)and by participating in many activities.

1954David Kelmer Roe died July 2 in Portland,Ore. During his long career as a profes-sor of chemistry, Roe held faculty posi-tions at MIT, the Oregon Graduate Centerand Portland State University. David wasthe son of beloved PLU Professor Kelmer(and Hannah) Roe, and brother of Naomi(Roe) Nothstein ’53.

1955Class Representative – Phyllis (Grahn)Pejsa

Shirley Kohl-Dimler died July 4 atTacoma Lutheran Home. Shirley taughtelementary school and music at severalTacoma-area schools before she foundher true calling as a kindergartenteacher at Life Christian School. She wasincluded in “Who’s Who AmongAmerican Teachers” in 1994. She is sur-vived by many members of a loving fami-ly including her step-daughter Sandy(Dimler ’73) Privett.

Karen (Hille)Phillips diedSeptember 12.Karen first heardof PLC in the late1940s when PLCPresident SethEastvold came to

visit her parent’s family farm in Ritzville,Wash. She graduated from the School ofNursing in 1955, working at SwedishHospital in Seattle before helping to openthe new University of WashingtonMedical Center, where she was its firstnurse. She worked there for 30 years.Karen Phillips was the greatest singlebenefactor in the history of PLU, support-ing scholarships, Xavier Hall, the MorkenCenter, the coming renovation of thePerforming Arts Center and Chapel atEastvold Hall. She served on PLU’s Boardof Regents for nine years beginning in2000. She we preceded in death by herhusband and longtime companion, J.W.Phillips, who died in 1998.

1956Class Representatives– Ginny (Grahn)Haugen and Clarene (Osterli) Johnson

1957Class Representative – Ed Larson

1958Class Representative – Don Cornell

Ron Ho has been designated as a Fellowof the American Craft Council in recogni-tion of outstanding artistic achievementand leadership for his jewelry art. Theaward honors an individual who demon-strates extraordinary ability as an artistand who has worked 25 years or more intheir respective craft field. His necklacewas recently exhibited in “Celebrating70” at Facere Jewelry Art in Seattle.

1959Larry Eichler died suddenly on July 20. Heproudly served in the U.S. Navy from 1959to 1964 and was honorably discharged asa submarine officer. He remained in theNaval Reserves, retiring as captain. Upondischarge from active duty, Larry took fly-ing lessons and was hired as a commer-cial airline pilot in 1965. His career lastedmore than 30 years, the last five as a line-check captain and instructor. Larry andhis wife, Janice, lived in Henderson, Nev.,and enjoyed spending time on LakeMead, following UNLV basketball, andtraveling.

1960Class Representative – Marilu (Miller)Person

Dan Witmer looks forward to celebratinghis 50th reunion at PLU this fall. He isretired after many years of service as acollege professor, pastor and chaplain.His wife, Betty Jean (Patterson ’61), is aretired real estate broker. Together theyhave raised three children and now enjoy11 granddaughters and one grandson.

1961 Class Representative – Ron Lerch

Gerald Fosen died from cancer July 23 athis home in Litchfield Park, Ariz. Gerryserved in the Marine Corps. He earnedhis master’s degree in guidance andcounseling from the University of Arizona.He also earned a Master of Divinity fromTrinity Lutheran Seminary. He moved toArizona in 1984. He was a retiredLutheran pastor and currently a memberof Community Church of Joy. He lovedwatching PLU Lute Football and oftenspoke to the team when they played inSouthern California. He is survived by hiswife, Janice ’66; two daughters, GretheHedrick and Ruth Diehl; and five grand-children.

1962 Class Representative – Leo Eliason andDixie (Likkel) Matthias

1963Class Representative – Merlyn and Joan(Maier) Overland

Judy Carr ’70 (Jack Kirkman); son BrianWillis ’77 (Liz Pine Willis ’75); 11 grand-children, including Lutes Mark ’05 andLauren ’06, and five great-grandchildren.

Caroline Anderson died on July 14. Shelived in Bothell, Wash.


Mary (Nicklason) Grover died May 26.She married Capt. Ernest Grover on May26, 1942. After Ernest’s retirement as aLt. Colonel in 1954, they settled nearSpokane, Wash. In 1960 they moved toCarson City, Nev., and then, in 1976, toHogan’s Corner, Nev. Mary loved spend-ing time with her family, her dog Benji,watching the Mariners, and growingflowers. She was preceded in death byher daughter, Susan; her sister,Margaret, and a granddaughter. Mary issurvived by her son, Peter; her brother,William; and grandchildren and great-grandchildren.


Robert Parker died June 27.

1945Class Representative – AnnabelleBirkestol

1946Dorothy (Nieman) Anderson died June18. Dorothy and her husband, Gustaf ’48,lived in Spokane and Mercer Island,Wash., until they bought AndersonBlueberry Farm in Bow, Wash. Her lifecentered on being a very active memberof Edison Lutheran Church, her commu-nity, and both the Washington BlueberryCommission and the American BlueberryCouncil. She is survived by sons Gerald’70, Donald (Linda Clement ’72), Richard’78 ’87 (Krista Neely ’83) and David ’81(Catherine); brother Robert ’50 (PatNieman); four sisters-in-law includingStella (Anderson ’57) Nieman and Anna(Anderson ’47) Hoiland; nine grandchil-dren, eight great-grandchildren andnumerous nieces and nephews, somewho attended PLU.

1947Class Representative – Gerry Lider

1948Class Representative – Norene(Skilbred) Gulhaugen

1950Class Representative – DickWeathermon

1953Class Representatives – Naomi (Roe)Nothstein and Carol (Schuler) Karwoski

1964Class Representative – Jon and Jean(Riggers) Malmin

Bill Robb died May 23. He is survived byhis wife, Marilyn (Brueggemeier ’65)Robb, and his daughter, Liz.

1965 Class Representative – Dave Wytko

Arden Flom died July 20 after a longstruggle with cortical basal degenera-tion. Arden was the director of theatre atEverett Community College for 31 years.He earned a master’s degree from theUniversity of Oregon and did additionalgraduate work at the University ofDenver. He is survived by his loving wifeof 43 years Cathy; his children Erik and Kristen; and six grandchildren; sister Audrey and brothers Richard andRandy.

Stanley Hoobing has begun anotherinterim assignment at AscensionLutheran Church in Orofino, Idaho. This ishis sixth interim assignment since the fallof 2002 when he completed 35 years as aparish pastor in various churches in thePacific Northwest.

1966Class Representative – Frank Johnson

Hope Cecelia (Svinth) Carpenter diedJune 25. She taught several years in theTacoma School District and was anIndian historian and advocate. She hadpublished several books dedicated to herNative American heritage and to herNisqually people. She received severalawards and acknowledgements through-out her lifetime as a proud member of theNisqually Indian Tribe, including the PLUDistinguished Alumni Award and an hon-orary doctorate from the University ofPuget Sound. She was preceded in deathby eight brothers, four sisters, her moth-er, father and husband of 60 years,Marvin Carpenter. Cecelia is survived byher son, Dean, daughter, Susan; eightgrandchildren and four great-grandchil-dren.

Christopher Howell released his ninthcollection of poems, “Dreamless andPossible: Poems New and Selected”published by the University ofWashington Press. A two-time winner ofthe Washington State Book Award, heteaches at Eastern WashingtonUniversity’s Inland Northwest Center forWriters, in Spokane.

1967Class Representative – Craig Bjorklund

Dr. Alan Hedman recently published thebook, “Killer Bs and Worker Bs: Surviveor Thrive?” The publication asks thequestion, “Is there more to life than justsurviving? Is life getting in the way of usliving out our passion or dreams?” Formore information, go to www.killer-b-project.com.

1968Class Representative

Dolores Insel died June 5. After PLU,Dolores taught seventh and eighthgrades for 16 years at Holy Cross Schoolin Tacoma, where she later became reli-gious education coordinator for theparish. In 1979 she began work as reli-gious education director at Ft. Lewis,where she continued until her retirementin 2008. Dolores will be remembered forher sense of humor and her appreciationof the people with whom she worked.She loved reading, gardening, cooking,calligraphy and dogs. Dolores is survivedby her cousins, Dawn Mitolo and DianeAkins; her nieces and many friends.

1969 Class Representative – Rick Nelson

Marv Slind has published a two-volumecollection of letters from men andwomen serving in World War II, “LutherCollege Goes to War: ‘Scuttlebutt’” and“The World War II Letters.” The volumesinclude letters sent to Luther College his-tory professor, Chellis Evanson, whopublished a newsletter that was sent toall former Luther students serving in themilitary. Slind is associate professor inthe Department of History at LutherCollege in Decorah, Iowa, where heserves as department head.

1970 Class Representative – Bill Allen

Charlotte Thompson is a family nursepractitioner at The Boeing Company.

1971 Class Representative – Joe Hustad, Jr.

1972 Class Representative – Molly Stuen

Steve Browder received the FacultyDistinguished Service Award. He is aprofessor of biology at Franklin Collegein Franklin, Ind. Since 1984, Steve hasserved as the Deppe Endowed Chair ofBiology and the adviser for pre-medicalstudents. In addition, he has served ashead of the natural sciences divisionsince 2002.

The Rev. Richard Stetson was inductedas rector of the Parish of Salt SpringIsland, in the Southern Gulf Islands,British Columbia. This completes histransition to the Anglican Church ofCanada.

Joe Evans recently published “Death,Despair and Second Chances in RockyMountain National Park.” Availablethrough Amazon.com, his book chroni-cles the nearly 300 deaths in the historyof the national park, as well as stories ofmany injured visitors that survived acci-dents. The book provides many tips onhow to stay safe on public lands. He andhis wife, Caroline, live in Estes Park,Colo. Caroline recently retired as an ele-

mentary school teacher and they areresearching international teachingopportunities.

1973Class Representative – Karen(Wraalstad) Robbins and Sandy (Dimler)Privett

1974 Class Representative – David E. Johnson

Kris Polda Bulcroft has been named asthe 6th president of Capilano Universityin North Vancouver, British Columbia. Forthe past two years, she has served asprovost and vice president for academicaffairs at Franklin College in Switzerland.Her husband, Richard, is an associateprofessor of sociology at WesternWashington University in Bellingham,Wash.

Randal Spitzer has re-branded his busi-ness. Shared Values Group is now calledResponsibility Cultures. More informationabout the company and his new book,“Take Responsibility: How the BestOrganizations in the World Survive in aDown Economy and Thrive When Timesare Good,” may be found atwww.responsibilitycultures.com.

Kim Green retired after 34 years workingas a physical therapist, the last 22 yearswith Multnomah Education ServiceDistrict in Portland, Ore. She now con-centrates on improving her game of golfand going on vacation (during the schoolyear!) with her husband, Mike Goebel.She’ll continue on a limited basis to helpstudents with physical disabilities in eastMultnomah County.

1975Class Representative – Helen Pohlig

Wendy Enger, avice president atMerrill Lynch,suggests “newhobbies for theClass of 75”

Theodore Hile, a current MBA candidatein the PLU School of Business, will spendthe 2010 fall semester as an exchangestudent at the Trondheim School ofBusiness in Norway. In addition,Theodore’s daughter, Danica Hile, startedPLU fall term as a junior transfer student,majoring in history. She will study inVienna, Austria, during the Spring 2011semester.

Dr. Terris Kennedy has recently acceptedthe newly created position of chief nurs-ing officer for the Riverside (Va.) HealthCare System. For the previous sevenyears, Kennedy served as chief nursingofficer and vice president at Riverside(Va.) Shore Memorial Hospital. She hasalso served as associate dean for aca-demic affairs at Duke University Schoolof Nursing, and as assistant chief of theArmy Nurse Corps.

Ann Marie Mehlum, president and chiefexecutive officer at Summit Bank inEugene, Ore., was elected president ofthe Oregon Bankers Association at theirannual meeting in July.

1976Class Representative – Gary Powell

Janine “Kooch” Kikuchi died May 25.She worked at Fred Hutchinson CancerResearch Center in Seattle for more than30 years. Kooch loved movies, costumedesign, cooking, fishing, shopping, andher friends and family. She is preceded indeath by her mother, Hiroko, and herFather, Jun. She is survived by her broth-er, Mark; sisters, Kris and Lori; and twonieces.

Ray Heacox 76, president and generalmanager of KING-5 TV, recently receivedthe Northwest Regional Emmy for OverallStation Excellence from the NorthwestChapter of the National Academy ofTelevision Arts and Sciences. The tophonor was one of 17 Emmys awarded toKING-5 TV, the most awards given anyNorthwest television station.

1977Class Representatives – Leigh Erie andJoan (Nelson) Mattich

Keith Davis served as president of theIdaho Academy of Family Physicians2008-2009 and IAFP Immediate Past-President 2009-2010. He continues toserve on the IAFP board. Keith waselected District 5 trustee for the IdahoMedical Association to represent physi-cians in central southern Idaho at theIMA board of trustees. In addition to his25 years in private practice at ShoshoneFamily Medical Center in Shoshone,Idaho, Keith is employed part-time as anemergency department physician at St.Benedict’s Family Medical Center inJerome, Idaho. He welcomes communi-cation with alumni at [email protected] or [email protected].

1978Class Representative – Pete Mattich

1979Class Representatives – Dave and Teresa(Hausken) Sharkey

1980 Lionel Alford graduated with a Ph.D. inaerospace engineering from theUniversity of Dayton in May 2010. Hereceived a patent for the Capped HelixWinglet, a blended winglet, in January2010.

John Swanson has been promoted to therank of Captain in the U.S. Navy. He hasbeen a Navy Chaplain for the past 19years and is currently stationed inYokosuka, Japan. He and wife, Shirley(Cole ’80), have four children and fourgrandchildren.

1981 Class Representative – Dean and Susan(Lee) Phillips

ALUMNI CLASS NOTES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 33

1982 Class Representative – Paul Collard

1983Class Representative – Dave Olson

Brad Tilden was appointed as independ-ent director of the board of FlowInternational, the world’s leading manu-facturer of industrial waterjet machinesfor cutting and cleaning applications.Brad has been president of AlaskaAirlines since 2008.

1984 Class Representative – MarkChristofferson

1985Class Representatives – Janet (Olden)Regge and Carolyn (Plocharsky) Stelling

1986 Class Representative – Stacey (Kindred)Hesterly

Robynn (Rockstad ’87) Rex is living inParis and works as the communicationsdirector for the International BrainResearch Organization (IBRO), whichworks to promote excellence in neuro-science research and teaching world-wide.

1987 Class Representatives – Lisa Ottoson andJohn Carr

John Wolfe was named the executivedirector of the Port of Tacoma. Wolfehad served as the deputy director of thePort of Tacoma since June 2005.

Darrel Bowman, won the new veteran-owned business “Top Gun” award fromthe Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber.Bowman, a disabled veteran, ownsmynetworkcompany.com, a companythat prioritizes hiring veterans and cur-rent active duty information technologymilitary personal. Bowman was one ofseven award winners at the 2010Spotlight on Business awards luncheon.

1988 Class Representative – Brenda RayScott

1989 Class Representative – Lisa (Hussey)Ferraro

1991 Stacey Loftin was appointed principal atCoe Elementary School in the QueenAnne neighborhood of Seattle.Previously, she served as an instruction-al intervention specialist in the EdmondsSchool District.

1992 Class Representative – Darcy (Pattee)Andrews

1993 Class Representative – Barbara(Murphy) Hesner

Lucinda (Cindy) Watters has beenselected as the new assistant principalof Einstein Middle School in theShoreline (Wash.) School District. Cindyhas been the house administrator atEckstein Middle School in Seattle for thepast two years. Prior to her position atEckstein, Cindy spent three years at theShanghai Community InternationalSchool in China teaching social studies,serving as athletic director, and coachingbasketball. From 1994-2005, she held vari-ous positions in the Puyallup (Wash.)School District.

Greg Wilson has been named principalof Greenwood Elementary School inLakewood, Wash. Prior to this assign-ment, he was the assistant principal atWoodbrook Elementary School, alsoLakewood, Wash.

1994 Class Representatives – Dan Lysne andCatherine (Overland) Hauck

Benjamin Moore has written and pub-lished his first comic book. It becameavailable in Portland, Ore., area stores onSeptember 7. It is available online at http://tinyurl.com/benjaminmoore.

1995 Class Representative – Christi Rupp

Chris Egan received a regional EmmyAward for his work as a sports anchor atKING-5 TV in Seattle.

Brian Laubach has been appointeddirector of teaching and learning for theClover Park School District in Tacoma,Wash.

1996 Class Representatives – Mari (Hoseth)Lysne and Jennifer (Riches) Stegeman

Erik and Heather (McDougal ’97) Melverhave just completed their first year livingin Saudi Arabia working for SaudiAramco Schools. Erik is teaching drama,film and improvisation classes in middleschool, and Heather is working as alibrary aide at the local elementaryschool on Dhahran camp. They are both active members of the DhahranTheatre Group. The Melvers first met inthe theatre program at PLU.

1997 Class Representatives – Andy andStephanie (Merle) Tomlinson

1998 Class Representative – Shannon(Herlocker) Stewart

1999 Class Representative – Julie (Johnston)Bulow von Dennewitz

Zach Hiatt is working with Graham & Dunn in Seattle as an environmentallawyer. He received his J.D. from the University of Washington in 2006.


Jenny (Johnston ’01) Sullivan and Lori (Blachowski ’93) Harrison, registered nurses at MultiCare MaryBridge Children’s Hospital, pose witha Vietnamese baby girl at Nui Dong#1 Children’s Hospital in Ho Chi MinhCity, Vietnam.

Picture Perfect

Would you like to share your pictures with your fellow alumni?Send pictures to us by e-mail at [email protected], or by mail to theOffice of Alumni and Constituent Relations, Pacific LutheranUniversity, 12180 Park Ave. S., Tacoma, WA 98447. Please feel freeto call us at 800-ALUM-PLU if you have any questions.

Elise Erickson ’03,Devon Van Dyne ’03,Jacob Himmelman ’03,Elisabeth PynnHimmelman ’03, DougBaxter ’03 meet atStanley and Seafort’s inTacoma. Jacob andElisabeth now live inWisconsin.

Cindy Jacobsen Shove ’74, Mary Donatello Hines ’74,Debbie Bomgren ’76, Sylvia Meacham Wallen ’75 andAnn Meacham ’75 all met for a Seattle dinner whileMary was visiting from Anchorage. Ann and Sylvia liveand teach in Gig Harbor, Wash. Debbie lives on MercerIsland and teaches in Bellevue. These Harstad friendshave many shared memories.

From left to right, three old PLU friends, Gay(Thompson ’75) Mitchell,Carol (Littlejohn ’75)Johnson and Jennifer(Buchholtz ’77) Hall, celebrate their annualgirls’ weekend at Gearhart Beach, Ore.

In Memoriam

Carol A. Leeper died September 29, 2009after a long battle with cancer.

Roni (Young) Cagle is a nurse case man-ager at Madigan Army Medical Centernear Tacoma. She loves taking care ofAmerica’s service members, giving herbest back to them for all they do for usand ours.

2000 Class Representative – Ashley Orr

Jeremy Johnston was recently named apartner at the law office of MessinaBulzomi Christensen in Tacoma. He wasnamed by the magazine “WashingtonLaw and Politics” as a Rising Star, largelyfor his successful cases against negli-gent drivers, manufacturers, medicalproviders and property owners. Jeremywas also named member of the MillionDollar Advocate Forum, which includesattorneys who have returned results of$1 million or more.

Sarah Cunningham received a lawdegree from the University ofWashington School of Law in June 2010.

2001 Class Representative – Keith Pranghofer

Brooke Anne(Mueller)Hartman marriedCraig ThomasHartman on May29, 2010 in SunValley, Idaho.Heather Bledsoe’01 was the maid

of honor. Brooke is a pharmaceuticalsales representative for Lilly USA. Craigis a pilot for FedEx. They currently residein Chugiak, Alaska, with their chocolatelab, Wrangell.

Angela Meade sang the title role of“Norma” in a concert performance of thegreat Bellini opera “Norma” at the 2010Caramoor International Music Festival inKatonah, New York. She also performedin Giuseppe Verdi’s “il Trovatore’ for the Portland (Ore.) SummerFest’s Opera in the Park series. She has performances scheduled in St. Paul,Minn., Ireland, Pittsburgh and Austria in the year ahead.

Tarah Demantcompleted herPh.D. in Englishand Americanliterature, and agraduate certifi-cate in women,gender and sex-uality studies at

Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.Fellow Lute Josh Dasler ’05, flew to St.Louis to help celebrate commencement.Tarah and her husband, ChristopherWatson, will be moving to Oakland, Calif., where Tarah has secured a position in the English department atMills College.

Danielle (Cook)Beck completedher Ph.D. indevelopmentalpsychology atthe University ofWashington inDecember 2009.Danielle is an

assistant professor of psychology atSimpson University in Redding, Calif.

2002Class Representatives – Nicholas Gorneand Brian Riehs

Jennifer (Osier) Castaneda received hermaster’s degree in May 2008. She is afourth grade teacher in the BethelSchool District and her husband, Johnny,is a network engineer. They reside inSpanaway, Wash.

2003 Class Representative – Elisabeth PynnHimmelman

Chris Anderson recently moved toPortland, Ore., to take a promotion asassistant director for international admis-sions at Portland State University.

Troy Oppie mar-ried Carly LucilleBooth on May 1,2010. OtherLutes at thewedding wereAnna(Bartholomew’03) Coughlin,

Matt Coughlin ’03, Erin (Feutz ’04) Loe,Melissa Rasmussen ’05, Jaci Hendricks’04, Andy Loe ’03, Taryn Arvold ’02, DanGomez ’03, Eric Beckemeier ’03, and BenBlixt ’03.

Amanda Weissmarried Craig D.Sherrod onNovember 7,2009, in Malibu,Calif. OtherLutes in atten-dance weremaid of honor

Kari (Keller) Rallo ’02, Chris Rallo ’05 andJen Baumgarten ’01. Amanda and Craigare both teachers and they live inMoorpark, Calif.

Roni (Dittli)Crews marriedR. Brian Crewson August 22,2009, at the SanFranciscoTheologicalSeminary in SanAnselmo, Calif.

Fellow Lutes in the wedding party werebridesmaid Heather Short ’04, Heather(Applegate’03) Collom and ZachariahCollom ’01. Roni is currently the parishadministrator at the Episcopal Church ofSt. Mary the Virgin in San Francisco.

2004 Class Representative – Tammy LynnSchaps


Tamara LynnSchaps andAndrew RolandSternard ’03were married onAugust 21, 2009,at LagerquistConcert Hall onthe PLU campus.Lutes in the

wedding party included Josh Baeth ’04,Dave Edmiston ’04, Jamie Sowell ’03,Joey Sternard ’08, Bridget (Roth) Baeth’04, Shella Biallas ’04, Jenna(Steffenson) Serr ’06 ’10. The receptionwas held in Puyallup, Wash., and morethan 30 Lutes were in attendance. Thehappy couple has moved to Washington,D.C., in pursuit of graduate educationopportunities.

2005 Class Representative – Micheal Steele

Anna (Mastrodonato) Amstutz is the new director of alumni relations atKansas Wesleyan University in Salinas, Kan.

Jennifer Schlies graduated in May 2010 with a doctor of osteopathic medicine (D.O.) from Des MoinesUniversity in Des Moines, Iowa. Shebegan her four-year OBGYN residencyprogram in Muskegon, Mich., at Mercy Health Partners on July 1.

2006 Class Representative – Jenna(Steffenson) Serr

1928Marie (Espeseth) Hauge died April 281933Edgar R. Larson died July 4.1940Caroline Anderson died July 14.Mildred Wallace died July 10.Thelma Willis died August 28.1941Mary (Nicklason) Grover died May 26.1944Robert Parker died June 27.1946 Dorothy (Nieman) Anderson died June 18.1953Paul Wangsmo died December 12,2009.1954David Kelmer Roe died July 2.1955 Shirley Kohl-Dimler died July 4.Karen (Hille) Phillips died September12.1959Larry Eichler died July 20.1961Gerald Fosen died July 23.1964Bill Robb died May 23.1965Arden Flom died July 20.Hope Cecelia (Svinth) Carpenter diedJune 25.1968Dolores Insel died June 5.1976Janine “Kooch” Kikuchi died May 25.

1999Carol A. Leeper died September 29,2009.

2006Teresa Ann Marie (Palmer) Autreydied August 15.

Friends and Family

Seiichi “Sei” Adachi died June 15from complications related topulmonary fibrosis. He came to PLUin 1967 as the director of theCounseling and Testing Center andassistant professor of psychology.He served in the capacity of directoruntil 1975. His PLU career spanned32 years and he entered phasedretirement in 1999. Throughout hisyears of service he assistedthousands of students as a therapistand was a good friend and mentorto students and colleagues alike. Heenjoyed listening to Mozart, writingpoetry, growing vegetables,spending time at his family’sproperty on Hood Canal and, ofcourse, playing badminton. He issurvived by his wife, Yoko, and son,Derek ’92.

SandraKosteleckydiedSeptember 9of cancer. Shejoined PLU in1995 as a

senior office assistant in the Schoolof Physical Education. She becameassistant to the dean and athleticdirector in 2001, and in 2006 becamethe assistant to the athletic director.Sandra thoroughly loved her work atPLU and was passionate about allsports. She was also a committedcommunity volunteer, andcoordinated advertising for the PLUWomen's Club annual YuleBoutique. She was known for herbright smile, infectious laugh, andwarm and gentle spirit. Sandra issurvived by her children Adam, Saraand Amy ’04.


Teresa Ann Marie (Palmer) Autrey diedAugust 15 at the age of 44. After the birthof her three children, Lawson (16), Emily(14) and Hunter (10), Teresa returned toschool at PLU and earned her BA degreein history. She is survived by her childrenand her husband Ralph.

Rase (Ryan) McCray received an MA incomparative literature from theUniversity of Cincinnati, and an MFA increative writing from Hollins University inRoanoke, Va. He recently accepted anew position as writing specialist atJefferson College of Health Sciences inRoanoke, Va.

2007 Class Representative – Kaarin Praxel

Katie Oxenford was promoted to accountexecutive at Waggener EdstromWorldwide in Bellevue, Wash. Sheresides in Renton, Wash.

Lindsey Baloghmarried JoeMeszaros ’06 inElkhart, Ind. onMay 30, 2010.The weddingparty includedEmilee(Sieverkropp)Telyea ’06, Molly

Meszaros ’11, Cam Duncan ’07, MorganKeys ’07, Regan Babst ’06 and MattMeikle. Also in attendance were LutesKris Olsen ’06, Matt Kennedy ’07, KaseyMcPherson ’07, Katie Gribble ’07, Wes Telyea ’06, Jess Muir ’06, JeffMaahs ’06, Allison Haar, Margaret Chang ’07.

2008 Class Representative – Christy OlsenField and Courtney Stringer

2009 Class Representative – Maren Andersonand Amy Spieker

Timothy Siburg earned his masters of arts degree in management from the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi ItoGraduate School of Management atClaremont Graduate University, May 2010.

2010Class Representative – Nick Caraballo,Jillian Foss

Trey Watt signed a free agent contractwith Major League Baseball’s ArizonaDiamondbacks. He plays for the Missoula Ospreys, the Diamondbacks’Rookie League team in Missoula, Montana.

Brett Monson recently relocated toWashington, D.C., where he is a research assistant for the Henry M.Jackson Foundation for theAdvancement of Military Medicine. He is doing research on therapies forphantom limb pain.

Future Lutes1998

Michael andJana (Steiner)Strasburgannounce thebirth of AudreyMarie on

January 5. She joins big sister Emma,age 4. Michael is kept busy as a stay athome dad and Jana is working as aresearch scientist at Pacific NorthwestNational Laboratory. The family lives inRichland, Wash.

1999Seth Cooper andhis wife,Gretchen,announce thebirth of their firstchild, ElysiaPhyllis, on July

30. The family lives in Fairfax County, Va.Elysia is the beloved granddaughter ofDelores (Holt ’69) and Ken Klubberud ’67.

Sara Locke andher husband,Aaron,announce thebirth of MadisonGrace on June21. She joins big

sister Mackenzie, 7. Sara, Aaron,Mackenzie and Madison live in Sumner,Wash. Sara is a special educationteacher in the Puyallup School Districtand Aaron works for the Walt DisneyCompany as a computer storage engineer.

2000Beth (Colwell)Isenhath andScott Isenhath’99 announcethe birth of twingirls, Annie andClaire, on May

22. The family lives in Seattle.

2001Anna (Hall ’01)and JoeAndersonannounce thebirth of their firstchild, RachelGrace, on

August 4. Anna is pursuing a Master’s ofScience in marriage and family therapyat Seattle Pacific University. Joe worksas a clinical manager for a medicaldevice company in Seattle. The familylives in Seattle.

Tricia (Schmidt)and Mike (’00)Bergerannounce thebirth of their sonJordan DieselWilliam, onMarch 2. Tricia

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> MAIL TO: Office Alumni and Constituent Relations, PLU, Tacoma, WA 98447-0003; FAX: 253-535-8555; E-MAIL: [email protected]; Internet: www.plualumni.org. Please limit to 100 words.

> Please fill out as much information below as possible, including city of residence and work. Feel free to use another piece of paper, but please limit your submission to 100 words. Photos are welcome, but only one photo will be used, and on a space available basis. Notes will be edited for content. Photos must be prints or high quality jpegs. Please, no reproductions or copies from other publications.Deadline for the next issue of Scene is January 5, 2011.

became a National Board Certifiedteacher in 2008 and teaches in theRenton School District. Mike is a seniortech support engineer with CertainSoftware in Bellevue, Wash. They live inIssaquah, Wash.

2002Kristen (Bailey)Boudon and herhusband, Chad,announce thebirth of EvelynGrace on April 3.Chad and

Kristen were married in 2003. Lutes in thewedding party included Sarah Yonich ’02,Lindsay (Smith) Beal, Sarah (Phillips)Rasmussen ’02, and Melissa (Lagen)Bowers ’02. They live in Mukilteo, Wash.,where Kristin is a teacher.

Jeremy and Kristen (Luddy ’03) Rolfannounce the birth of their daughterPearl Elena on April 6. Jeremy is a man-ager with the FedEx Office in Puyallupand Kristen teaches sixth grade atLighthouse Christian School in GigHarbor, Wash.

Michael Mauss,wife Kristine,and daughterAvila Mairewould likeeveryone toknow that thenewest addition

to their family – born April 10 – isMaximilian Joseph Mauss, not JosephMauss, as reported in the Fall ’10 issueof Scene.

2003Lee and Megan(Freiling ’03)Huttonannounce thebirth of theirfirst child, ColinDietrich, onApril 14. They

live in Auburn, Wash.

2004Noah Frerichs and his wife, Kjersten,announce the birth of their son, Vance,on Feb. 27. The family resides in Othello,Wash.


Come byand seewhat’s new

S

Evan Ameluxen-Coleman – MarciAmeluxen ’82

Ryan Brisbin – Colleen Brisbin ’99

Nathan Brown – Gayle (Dalsanto’02,’04) Mollerstuen

Spencer Brueske – Scott ’84 andCathleen (Swanson ’83) Brueske

Kayla Carlson – Michael ’81 andLisa (Henninger ’82,’91) Carlson

Mackenzie Carlson – StephenCarlson ’83 and Stacy WaddellCarlson ’83

Kiera Carpenter – StevenCarpenter ’86

Danielle Cryer – Heidi (Knutzen’80) Cryer

Catherine Curtis – Brian ’85 and Ardys (Burt ’86) Curtis

Jasmine Dansby – James Dansby ’72

Vanessa Darrah – Marcia Darrah ’93

Brian Dennis – Scott ’83 andKatherine (Johnson ’84) Dennis

Michelle Dezihan – Egon Dezihan ’80

Ryan Donovan – Patrick Donovon ’83

Amy Driver – Margo (Blecha ’76)Driver

Anna Ellersick – Steve Ellersick ’83

Nickolas Erickson – Janet (Sugars’81) Erickson

Scott Ferrin – Timothy Ferrin ’79

Staci Ferrin – Timothy Ferrin ’79

Darren Frank – Brenda Frank ’08

Ryan Gallagher-Burkholder – BretBurkholder ’82

Hannah Gjerness – Dale Gjerness’92; Deborah Marken-Gjerness ’89

Reed Gunstone – Reed ’77 andDiane (Nieman ’80) Gunstone

Adriana Guzman – RaymondBunk ’06

Cleo Hagen – Lori Harrison-Hagen ’88

Brittany Hammer – Karl Hammer ’84

Abigail Hardin – Susan (Dorothy )Hardin

Emily Harmon – Leslie (Jensen’76) Harmon

Morgan Hecker – Tamera Cole-Hecker ’85

Judah Heimlich – Mark ’78 andMeridee ’78 Heimlich

Eric Herde – Ed ’86 and Karen(Foster ’87) Herde

Danica Hile – Ted Hile ’82

Jacob Hoffman – RebeccaHoffman ’87

Rebecca Holtgeerts – StephenHoltgeerts ’79

Kelsey Houglum – Karl ’80 andMary (Stangland ’80) Houglum

Michele Houston – Barbara Sharts ’86

Tyler Howard – Diana Ortiz ’98

Larissa Hurd – Michael ’83 andCarlene (Lukin ’83) Hurd

Micaela Ingraham – Lisa (Rhea’85) Ingraham

Karlee Iverson – Kevin ’86 andTheresa (Zuehlewski ’89) Iverson

Alexander Johnson – Erik Johnson’89; Theresa (Harold ’88) Lorenz

Gregory Johnson – Gregory ’90and Cinthia (Garcia ’91) Johnson

Paul Johnson – Gregory ’82 andKristin (Loop ’84) Johnson

Alexander Kean – Roslyn Kean ’87

Margaret Kiffer – Jay Kiffer ’85

Sarah Kintner – Michael ’81 andTamara (Shrader ’81) Kintner

Lucas Kulhanek – Carla Bennett’77

David Kvamme – ThomasKvamme ’82

Kelsey Langston – Shawn ’89, ’93and Shelley (Johnson ’88, ’91)Langston

Hannah Lansverk – Marvin ’80and Kay (Landerholm ’81) Lansverk

Samantha Loete – Steven Loete ’85

Alexander Lund – Karyn (Atkins’80) Lund

Rebecca Lunde – Rolf Lunde ’80

Mariah Madden – TimothyMadden ’89

Jennifer Martin – Christina(Doelman ’83) Martin

Rachel Mason – Cara (Homestead’87) Mason

Anna McCracken – Ben ’78, ’90and Ellen (Govig ’86, ’90)McCracken

Nickolas Mertens – Sharilyn(Gibson ’03) Mertens

Haley Moe – Michael ’84 andHeather (Keith ’81) Moe

Chelsea Moorhead – Todd ’87 andLaura (White ’86) Moorhead

James Nelson – David Nelson ’75

Joshua Olsen – Eric Olsen ’80

Elizabeth Olson – Michael Olson ’75

Matthew Ostendorf – Kevin ’83and Terry (Dietsch ’83) Ostendorf

Brittany Paetel – Janet (Olson ’76)White

Samuel Perry – Dale Perry ’78

Andrew Peterson – Rebekah(Swenson ’81) Peterson

Kaitlyn Prideaux – SuzannePrideaux ’08

Saiyare Refaei – Sandy Soohoo-Refaei ’83

Carrie Reierson – Timothy ’87 andAnn (Forney ’84) Reierson

Amanda Robinette – Eva Tallman-Robinette ’85

Trevor Romo – Daryl ’84 and Julie (Hueners ’85) Romo

Austin Schorno – Amy Schorno ’93

Farah Schumacher – Norhana(Sulaiman ’86) Schumacher

Samantha Shockley – ShelleyShockley ’85

Rebekah Soltis – Kathy (Philby’82) Soltis

Stephanie Stromberg – Debi(Consear ’83) Stromberg

Marit Swanson – Mark ’68 andWendy Lider-Swanson ’71

Jenny Taylor – Martin Taylor ’83;Susan Paulsen ’82

William Tollefson – Cynthia(Susie) Tollefson ’87

Henry Tolstedt – Mark Tolstedt ’78

Jessica Trondsen – RobertTrondsen ’84

Michelle Turk – Gina Canada ‘98

David Twietmeyer – EileenHoffman ’85

Erik Udbye – Andreas ’83 and Kari(Pederson ’81) Udbye

Megan Valerio – Dena (Ingle) VanMatre ’89

Mark Walsworth – Charles ’83 andNaomi (Kauth ’84) Walsworth

Cameron Wiemerslage – R. KeithWiemerslage ’82

Jessica Williams – Tamra Williams ’86

Andrew Wise – Timothy ’85 andSusan (Simpson ’85) Wise

Emily Wold – Scott Wold ’83

Jared Wright – Suzanne Smithson’83

Megan Wusterbarth – GaryWusterbarth ’77

Each fall we welcome new students to our campus. The Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations extends a specialwelcome to our “Legacy Lutes” – those students whose parent(s) also attended and/or graduated from PLU. We recog-nize this extra special commitment to their alma mater and are thrilled to have their sons and daughters carry on theirlegacy. Please note that only parents who attended PLU are listed below.


Legacy Lutes

alumni profilescontinued

Cooking up a recipe for success

As vice president of SDI Media, asubtitling and dubbing servicefor media and entertainment

companies, PLU alum Ron Cook ’86knows the meaning of achievement.

But along the way, his path featuredboth expected and unexpected turns.

One thing was for certain: Cook wasgoing to be a Lute.

“I was born and raised in Tacoma just afew blocks from PLU,” Cook said. “I grewup going to PLU football and basketballgames. I was always around PLU.”

Several of Cook’s family membershad already graduated from PLU. Infact, Olson Auditorium is named afterhis grandfather, Clifford Olson, whowas coach and athletic director from1929 to 1948.

“I don’t know that I really ever con-sidered another college,” Cook said.

Cook and his brother, Bryan Cook,enrolled at PLU in the fall of 1982.Bryan transferred to the University ofWashington after one year. But Ronstayed on, keeping busy with businessand accounting classes, chapel choirand residence hall life.

Professor Judith Ramaglia sparkedCook’s interest in accounting.

“The attitude she had really inspiredme to go into this profession,” Cooksaid.

Cook ultimately became a CertifiedPublic Accountant, and earned his firstaccounting job at the MatsushitaSemiconductor Corp., the parent company of Panasonic.

“I got the job based on the recommendation of the dean of the

business school,” Cook said. Over the years, Cook also worked for

Investco Financial Corp., and PACCAR,Inc., the parent company of Kenworthand Peterbilt, a Fortune 200 companywith annual revenues of $10 billion.

From 2004 to 2006, Cook worked asan independent consultant in Seattle.In 2006, while visiting friends in LosAngeles, he made a bold decision.

“I went down for the weekend andended up buying a condo,” Cook said.“I had been in Seattle all my life. I justneeded a change.”

Cook didn’t have any trouble findingwork.

“I had five job offers in the firstweek,” he said.

One of those offers came fromPeopleSupport, Inc., a firm now knownas Aegis, where he was the corporatecontroller for three years.

Now at SDI Media, Cook is workingon a project called Oracle, a productthat would enable businesses to accu-rately compare currency without con-verting numbers.

Ron Cook credits his undergraduateeducation as the foundation for muchof his success. “Attending a small liber-al arts university gives you a lot moreaccess to professors and potential men-tors,” Cook said.

—Stephen Odell ’10

Alum joins family members to create children’s book

Family businesses are nothing new.But Paul Swenson ’84, a fine artsmajor at PLU, says illustrating a

book written by his mother and pub-lished by his brother proved to be aunique experience.

“It was challenging, speakingeuphemistically,” Swenson said ofworking with his mom. Swenson nowlives in Northern California with hiswife and two kids, and runs PaulSwenson Photography, which heopened in 2000.

Although photography is his focus,Swenson works in all facets of art,including painting, drawing and writ-

ing. That would come in handy whenSwenson’s mother, Tacoma authorChellis Jensen, asked if he could illus-trate her children’s book “Mrs.Annathena Gilly Gully From PuddleRumple Tilly Willy.” The story is abouta woman who grapples with her identityand unusual name. The book was pub-lished in September 2009.

Jensen, who struggled at first to get thebook published, eventually sought helpfrom Paul and his brother Patrick, bothof which turned out to be wise moves.

Patrick Swenson ’81, an educationmajor at PLU who is now an Englishteacher at Auburn (Wash.) RiversideHigh School, is the owner/operator ofFairwood Press, a small publishingcompany established in 2000. Beforestarting Fairwood, Swenson owned andpublished a science fiction magazinecalled Talebones.

“I had to switch gears and approacheverything differently because of themother-son dynamic,” said PatrickSwenson.

The family considers the book a suc-cess. So much so, Jensen and her sonsnow are thinking about working togeth-er on a sequel.

“There is no guarantee it will be a suc-cess,” according to Jensen. “All I reallycare about is finding children whowould like to have the book to read.”

For his part, Paul Swenson said he’sopen to the idea of doing anotherproject with his family.

“It was a great learning experience,”said Paul. “And now I know that if I canwork with my mother, I can work withanyone.”

—Caitlyn Hoerr ’11

ALUMNI PROFILES > PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 39

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62 PLU SCENE WINTER 2010 > PERSPECTIVE

perspective continued from back page

report was adopted. In that same docu-ment we set out our pathways to aca-demic distinction in global education,purposeful learning and lives of service,and the close interaction between stu-dents and faculty.

What a gift this collective vision hasbeen as we build on our accomplish-ments and plan for the future.

SURROUNDED BY CHANGEWhile we like who we are, and what we

do, there can be no doubt that the drum-beat of change is rumbling around us.Said more formally, there will be signifi-cant changes in the educational landscapein the coming decade and no institutionwill stand apart from the individual andcollective impact of these changes.

First, there are major demographicchanges ahead in our region of the coun-try. The number of traditional age stu-dents will not change dramatically, buttheir composition will, as the new cohortbecomes more diverse in learning experi-ence and style, in their economic situa-tion, in their ethnic heritage and in theireducational expectations. I believe thatboth more non-traditional age studentsand more first generation students areheaded our way. The implications for theschedule and the calendar, as well as thecampus and the classroom, are many fold.

Second, the wise and effective use oftechnology in education will continue togrow. We will never be a fully online uni-versity, and we may not, at least in theshort term, offer completely online class-es or programs. But I believe that wemust continue to stay near the cuttingedge in classroom-based technology useif we expect to compete for the next gen-eration of the best and brightest. Theywill expect nothing less.

Third, the world continues to getsmaller. Our nationally recognized posi-tion as a leader in global education is ahuge strength. But we will not be able torest on our laurels, we must find ways to"globalize" every PLU student's educa-tion, both on campus and through addi-tional study-away possibilities. Globaleducation is currently a key to admis-sions marketing, I believe it may becomeeven more important.

Fourth, the market for "higher" higher

education will continue to expand. TheMaster's may become the new BA and,in many fields, the applied doctorate willbe the new MA. While we have a solidfoothold in graduate education, we have,in recent years, tended to focus ourgreatest energy on undergraduate educa-tion. In the next decade, our focus willneed to broaden (not change, but broad-en) to include new master's and possibledoctoral programs. Our mission chal-lenges us to do our part in meeting theseemerging educational needs, and ouropportunities for enrollment growthand financial return are most abundanthere.

CHARTING OUR COURSEThe great task facing us at Pacific

Lutheran University will be to build onour strengths as we address significantchanges – changes not of our own mak-ing – in the educational landscape thatlies before us. Said differently, the greatlong-range question is how do we wiselyand strategically navigate a path thatwill ensure that our mission and pro-gram remains compelling, relevant,effective and, yes, affordable in the yearsahead?

To do so will require that we facechange boldly and with confidence as weprepare to serve a new cohort of stu-dents, incorporate technology, becomemore global, teach more graduate stu-dents and seek new efficiencies in allthat we do.

FAITH AND HOPEAs I begin my 19th year here, I honest-

ly believe that no college or university in

America is any better positioned thanPacific Lutheran University to affirmand consolidate our strengths, toaddress the challenges of this seconddecade of the third millennium, andto emerge in 2020 as a stronger andeven more excellent university.

I believe this is the case because westand on and within the great heritage ofLutheran higher education; a heritagethat calls us to accept all of creation andeach person as God's great gift.

So it calls us to use our minds fullyas we explore and seek to understandthe world, always with a sense of won-der and awe and always in gratitude. Itcalls us to use our hearts fully as weembrace one another on this campusand in the global community.

It calls us to use our will as we seekindividually and collectively to servethe world on God's behalf, educatingeach day in the highest traditions ofthe liberal arts and academic freedom,and preparing each graduate to dis-cover a vocation-driven life that trulymatters.

I believe this is true because for over120 years, we have evolved a clear anddefining understanding of our mis-sion and purpose; an understandingthat is relevant and that connects withour wonderfully rich and diversePacific Northwest setting. And in pur-suing our mission we have built anabsolutely superb academic and cocur-ricular program that is at once charac-terized by excellence, and as always awork in progress.

Yes, all of us who care about PLUhave been tasked to participate in thisimportant work. It is work groundedin our religious faith, shaped by ourLutheran heritage and tradition,informed by enduring educational val-ues, and dedicated to good andhumane purpose.

May God bless all that we do in thisnew academic year for the calling wehold is both a remarkable gift and asacred trust.

Loren J. Anderson is president of PacificLutheran University. This article was adapt-ed from his September 1, 2010, UniversityConference State of the University address.

Our nationally recognized position as a leader in globaleducation is a huge strength.But we will not be able to reston our laurels, we must findways to “globalize” every PLU student's education, both oncampus and through additionalstudy-away possibilities.

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CALENDAR > PLU WINTER 2010 63

calendarcontinued from inside front cover

November 17, 5:30 p.m.Visiting Writer Series: Matthew Dickmanand Monica YounRegency Room, University Center

November 18, 7 p.m.The Chinese 21st Century Lecture Series:Daniel Bell on China’s New ConfucianismScan Center, University Center

November 18, 8 p.m.Artist Series: James Hall, Guest FlutistLagerquist Concert Hall

November 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.2nd Annual Danish Christmas BazaarScandinavian Cultural Center

November 20, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.Yule BoutiqueMemorial Gym

November 20, NoonStudio Series: Solvvinden Flute ChoirLagerquist Concert Hall

November 20, 9a.m.-5 p.m.Annual Nordic Sweater ExchangeFirst Floor Hallways, University Center

DECEMBER

December 1, 5:15 p.m.Light Up Red SquareRed Square

December 3, 7:30 p.m.Annual Sankta Lucia FestLagerquist Concert Hall

December 6, 10:30 a.m.No Oar-dinary Event: Rowing Across the Atlantic Community Room, Garfield Book Company

December 9-11, 7:30 p.m.Performance: “The Seagull”Eastvold Auditorium

December 10, 6 p.m.School of Nursing Recognition & Pinning CeremonyTrinity Lutheran Church

December 11Fall CommencementOlson Auditorium

Feb 10 – Mar 9Heather Cornelius ExhibitionIngram Hall

February 15Wang Center’s World ConversationsLocations across campus

February 24, 7 p.m.Faith & Reason DialogScan Center, University Center

MARCH

March 2, 7:30 p.m.Religion Department Public Lecture:“Resurrecting the Death of God”Nordquist Lecture Hall, Xavier

March 8, 9 a.m.Voices Against Violence CommunityPartnership ConferenceCK East, University Center

March 10, 7 p.m.Jolita Benson Education LectureScan Center, University Center

March 12School of Business 50th AnniversaryCelebrationMorken Center

March 17-April 13Bret Lyon ExhibitionIngram Hall

March 16, 5:30 p.m.Visiting Writer Series: Kellie Agodon andJulie WadeScan Center, University Center

March 17-19Powell and Heller Holocaust ConferenceLocations across campus

March 17, 7 p.m.Annual Lemkin LectureLagerquist Concert Hall

March 18-19, 4 p.m.Business Plan CompetitionMorken Center Atrium

A PLU Christmas: “Peace”December 4, 7:30 p.m.Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall,Portland

A PLU Christmas: “Peace”December 5, 3 p.m.Lagerquist Concert Hall

A PLU Christmas: “Peace”December 6, 7:30 p.m.Benaroya Concert Hall, Seattle



December 12, 2 p.m.Closing Matinee: “The Seagull”Eastvold Auditorium

December 16PLU Christmas LuncheonOlson Auditorium

December 18, 6 p.m.Annual Nordic Christmas FestScandinavian Cultural Center

JANUARY

January 20, 10 a.m.FDA and Food Safety with Dr. Olufs: Our Food our HealthRegency Room, University Center

January 26-29, 7:30 p.m.Alpha Psi Omega’s One-Act FestivalEastvold Auditorium

FEBRUARY

February 9, 5 p.m.Opening Reception - Heather CorneliusExhibitionIngram Hall

CHRISTMAS CONCERTS

www.plu.edu/scene

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continued on page 62

PLU Scene, Tacoma, Washington 98447-0003Address change: If this copy of Scene is addressed to your son or daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home,please notify the Office of Constituent Relations with his or her new mailing address. You can reach us by phone at 253-535-7415 or 1-800-ALUM-PLU. You can also fax us at 253-535-8555 or e-mail [email protected] with the new information. Thanks!

By Loren J. Anderson

T he public announcement lastmonth of the university’s newfund-raising effort, “Engage the

World: The Campaign for PLU,” setsout one of two critical initiatives thatthe campus community will be under-taking over the next two years. Theother is work on the long-range planPLU 2020. Together they will set thestage for the university’s progress in thedecade ahead.

In recent months, I have been askedmany times for my views on new direc-tions that will arise out of our long-range planning process and how our

campaign success will help transformthe university. My response is alwaysthe same. I don't know, because thelong-range plan will be shaped andwritten by the PLU community. Andour donors will play a determining rolein the nature and pace of our campaignsuccesses.

But I have been listening to the cam-pus community on the topic of long-range planning and I have been listeningto donors on their vital interests in theuniversity’s future. Here are some of thekey perspectives that I have heardemerging from these conversations.

BUILDING ON STRENGTHAt PLU we like who we are and what

we do. Said more formally, there isbroad support both on and off campus,for our current mission and our aca-demic program.

You know our mission statementwell: "To educate students for lives ofthoughtful inquiry, service, leadershipand care, for others, for their communi-ties, and for the earth." It was formallyaccepted by our Board of Regents whenthe PLU 2010 long-range planning

PLU President Loren J. Anderson greets students during opening convocation. He believes the next few years will be critical as PLU plans for its future.

perspectiveConsolidating our strengths and addressing new challenges

scene magazine - winter 2010

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