Alumna Ellen Ferguson ’72 will deliver the keynote address for the 134th Commencement Ceremony at the University of Puget Sound and will receive an honorary degree alongside community leader and Trustee Emeritus William T. Weyerhaeuser.

Rebecca Johnson ’27 and her classmates spend their Wednesday mornings at the YMCA, showing local teenagers the difference between a proper squat and one that invites injury later. No prescriptions. No diagnoses. Just conversation, demonstration, and the occasional laugh between sets.

African American Studies (AFAM) will host a conversation between Lily Godwin ’26 and Dr. Melanie Rouse on April 1 in honor of Women’s History Month. The celebration also serves as a commemoration of Godwin’s accomplishments on and off the field. 

Dominique Langevin ’26 stood in front of a small crowd of students in the Harned Hall atrium. They weren't just presenting a class assignment. They were sharing research they helped shape — work rooted in the same datasets used by scientists at the Allen Institute.

The University of Puget Sound will host the Puget Sound Symposium on AI & Privacy on April 16, 2026. This one-day event brings together an interdisciplinary cohort of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to confront the ethical and legal challenges posed by the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence. The symposium is organized by the university’s AI & Human Values Initiative.

The Washington State Legislature passed its supplemental budget, without restoring funding for the Washington College Grant and College Bound Scholarship programs to prior levels, resulting in sustained reductions to state student financial aid. The decision maintains the significant cuts made to state aid programs last year. This change affects Washington students at the University of Puget Sound and many others across the state who rely on this funding to help pay for college.

The American Occupational Therapy Foundation has named University of Puget Sound Prof. Renee Watling as the recipient of the 2026 Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence. The award recognizes clinicians who advance theory in brain-behavior relationships. 

Visitors to Disney's Animal Kingdom may be in awe of the park's immersive storytelling, with its crumbling architecture, overgrown ruins, and the sense of an ancient, distant world. But Professor of Communication Studies Derek Buescher sees a different story. His research shows how these manufactured ruins subtly teach tourists to view non-Western cultures as broken, outdated, and in need of fixing.

Tiffany Newton became University of Puget Sound’s director of Alumni & Parent Relations in December 2025. Originally from Northern California, Newton served as the Director of Alumni and Community Engagement at Willamette University before joining Puget Sound. Newton’s unique background brought her to Puget Sound with a keen understanding of human connection and empowerment.