News

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



  • Jun 30, 2025

    If you're thinking about applying to SPU, join us on campus this summer for a counselor led information session where you will learn more about our university and our application process, have a chance to ask questions, and tour campus with a current student!

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  • Learn about two new science majors — data science and biomedical engineering — beginning Autumn Quarter 2025.

    Jun 30, 2025

    Beginning Autumn Quarter 2025, Pacific will offer two new academic programs in the sciences. 

    The data science (BS) program will equip students with the mathematical, statistical, and computational skills needed to extract meaningful insights from data. Through hands-on learning and ethical inquiry, students prepare for careers in data-driven industries, applying their expertise across diverse fields.

    The biomedical engineering (BS) program blends engineering with biology and health sciences to prepare students for a hands-on, interdisciplinary career. This degree also prepares students to design cutting-edge biomedical devices while earning both a biomedical engineering degree and an ABET-accredited general ngineering degree.

  • Old Testament theologian Walter Brueggemann died June 5 at the age of 92. He spoke on campus in 2013 and gave an interview with SPU’s Response magazine.

    Jun 11, 2025

    Old Testament scholar, preacher, teacher, author, and theologian Walter Brueggemann died on June 5 at the age of 92. In an interview with SPU’s Response magazine in 2013, he talked about prayer, imagination, and what Christians of different faith traditions can learn from one another.

  • Pacific receives high marks in several 2025 national rankings.

    Jun 6, 2025

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

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

    See more rankings.

  • Jun 6, 2025

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

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

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  • Jun 6, 2025

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

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

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

    Jun 2, 2025

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

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

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

    May 30, 2025

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

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

  • May 30, 2025

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

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

    May 22, 2025

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

Holistic Health Care in the Rainier Valley

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

Assistant Professor of Philosophy Leland Saunders

What Makes Us Moral?

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