Highlights of 2017-18

Welcome Center

The Tom and Meg Names Family Foundation pledged $1 million toward the construction of a new Welcome Center to receive prospective students, their families, and other campus visitors. 

National Science Foundation

Puget Sound behavioral ecologist Stacey Weiss and microbiologist Mark Martin received a $731,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to research the habits of egg-laying lizards. 

The Center for Speech and Effective Advocacy

Arthur Vining Davis Foundations awarded Puget Sound a $250,000 grant to help establish the Center for Speech and Effective Advocacy.

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded University of Puget Sound $800,000 to implement a transformative strategy that will ensure all undergraduates take part in meaningful, high-impact learning experiences. The four-year Engaging High Impact Experiences grant carries forward recent Puget Sound work to create and pilot new internship models and to implement experiential educational practices across the curriculum.

RISE Program

Puget Sound's new Reflective Immersive Sophomore Experience (RISE) program combines classroom sessions with summer internships to offer students the opportunity to connect their liberal arts education to an off-campus career environment. The RISE program also helps students build knowledge about career paths and move confidently toward life after graduation. In the spring 2018 pilot, 70 RISE students interned with 13 different industries, including health care, finance, science, technology, youth development, and government. 

Suzanne Wilson Barnett Chair of Contemporary China Studies

Puget Sound announced the establishment of the Suzanne Wilson Barnett Chair of Contemporary China Studies in May 2018. Made possible by a generous gift from the Trimble Foundation, the creation of the endowed faculty position is a major step in Puget Sound's ability to serve as a center for excellence in the study of contemporary China. 

The position is named for Professor Emerita of History Suzanne Wilson Barnett, who taught at Puget Sound from 1973 to 2007, and was a central figure in the launch of the Asian Studies Program more than 40 years ago. 

PacRim

Every three years, Puget Sound's Pacific Rim program sends a group of students on a nine-month journey through Asia. Twenty-five students made the incredible journey through the Pacific Rim in 2017–18. They began in Moscow, took the trans-Siberian railroad to Mongolia, and then studied in South Korea, Japan, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and India.

• Read an interview with Nick Kontogeorgopoulos, Director of the Asian Studies program.
• See photos and read their journal.

Puget Sound was again named one of Forbes' "Best Value Colleges."

Puget Sound was named among the 2017 Best College Values by Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and earned a spot in the 100 best-value private liberal arts colleges. 

Both the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education named Puget Sound among the top liberal arts colleges in the United States.

Roger Allen, physical therapy, received the Puget Sound President's Excellence in Teaching Award. 

Michael Beneveniste, English, won a Graves Award in the Humanities.

Jan Leuchtenberger, Asian studies, was awarded the Dirk Andrew Phibbs Memorial Research Award.

Mark Martin, biology, received the 2018 Carski Foundation Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award.

Nicholas Navin '19 presented at the Society for Applied Anthropology annual meeting.

Rosie Rushing '19 presented at the American Chemical Society annual meeting.

Renee Simms, African American studies, was named one of the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing  Fellows. 

Heather Rose Stegman '19 presented at the Western Psychology Association annual meeting. 

Insight, Access, and Mentorship

Students are encouraged to learn about careers related to their fields of study throughout their years at Puget Sound. This often affirms the academic and cocurricular courses students are charting. Occasionally, it prompts them to recalibrate with ample time to explore alternative fields and sectors.

Alumni are invaluable resources in this wayfinding process. Through programs like the Business Leadership Mentor Program, ASK (Alumni Sharing Knowledge), and Take a Logger to Work Day, Puget Sound graduates provide current students with insight, access, and mentorships that connect them to transformative experiences and prepare them for life after college. Learn more about mentorship opportunities and other ways to volunteer.

Logger Day Challenge

On March 20, 2018, more than 600 Puget Sound alumni, parents, and friends raised $75,000 during the inaugural Logger Day Challenge, a one-day online giving event held in celebration of the university's 130th anniversary. More than 100 class gift agents led the charge, building excitement among their classmates in creative ways. Gifts made during the Logger Day Challenge supported the university's growing Alumni Fund Scholarship program, among other priorities. The second cohort of Alumni Fund Scholarship recipients included 29 students from across the country. Hear some of their stories.

Dexter Gordon, African American studies and communication studies, received the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award from the City of Tacoma. 

Puget Sound's student chapter of Habitat for Humanity built a tiny house for the homeless and donated it to the Low Income Housing Institute. 

About 20 students volunteered at the Tacoma Moon Festival, an annual event presented by the Chinese Reconciliation Project Foundation. 

Sixty fifth-grade students spent a day on campus as part of "McCarver Day." The goal of the visit was to create a visible pathway to college for kids from Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood. 

Puget Sound continued to partner with Graduate Tacoma, a local nonprofit that seeks to increase the graduation rate of Tacoma Public Schools students.

Fourth Annual Southeast Asia Symposium 

Students and professors spent two days in collaboration and dialogue focused on the intersections of culture and sustainability in Indonesia and throughout Southeast Asia. 

Society of Composers Inc. National Conference 

Fifty-seven composers gathered at Puget Sound for three days of classical music theory, fellowship, and performance. 

Into the Woods

The production of the Tony-winning musical was one of more than 140 student performances throughout the year. 

Earth Week

Students, staff, and faculty hosted a Sustainability Expo, launched a sustainable paper campaign, and produced a wide variety of events.

A robust series of visiting artists, scholars, and lecturers included:

Robert Gates, former U.S. secretary of defense
Sally Jewel, former U.S. secretary of the interior
Charles Johnson, National Book Award-winning author and cartoonist
N. Scott Momaday, Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist and scholar
Eddie Moore, Jr., founder and program director for the White Privilege Conference
Maxine Williams, Facebook global director of diversity

Our 23 NCAA Division III teams gave it their all both on and off the field. More than 100 student-athletes were named Northwest Conference (NWC) Scholar Athletes. The football team's trip to China was another highlight of the year, providing opportunities to gain international experience, play an exhibition game, and lead youth clinics on a nine-day tour of the country. Individual Logger achievements include: 

Kelli Callahan '20, women's swimming, was named NWC Co-Swimmer of the Year and won conference titles in three events. 

Jessica Gott '18, softball, was an Academic All-American and second team All-Conference. 

Jamie Lange '19, women's soccer, was named NWC Defensive Player of the Year. 

Samantha Schaffer '21, women's cross country, was awarded the NWC Freshman of the Year. 

Matt Wells '20, track and field, was recognized as West Region Men's Indoor Track Athlete of the Year. 

Jimmy Wohrer '19, men's basketball, set the school record for 3-pointers in a season (104) and was named first team All-Conference.