The Lunar New Year arrives on Jan. 22, when communities around the world begin to celebrate for 15 days. We asked Lo Sun “Lotus” Perry, who has taught Chinese language and culture at Puget Sound since 1986, to explain the centuries-old festival—a time to rest, gather with family, eat delicious food, and be filled with optimism about the year ahead.

Associate Professor of English and Director of Gender and Queer Studies Laura Krughoff has always loved to write. As a fiction writer and essayist, her work interrogates ideas of gender expression, sexuality, and family formation. Krughoff won a Pushcart Award for her short story “Halley’s Comet” in 2007 and her debut novel, My Brother’s Name, was a finalist for a 2014 Lambda Literary Foundation Award. Her latest book, Wake in the Night, is a collection of short fiction about women in rural Indiana.

When members of the Leavitt family gathered recently to consider the next steps in their philanthropy, they united around the University of Puget Sound and its ability, according to one family member, to develop students with “well-honed analytical skills to help solve the complex problems facing the people of the world.” After giving to the Puget Sound Fund for many decades, the Leavitt family first established a scholarship fund in 2014.

When Professor Emeritus John P. Dickson P’84, P’01 initially set foot on campus in 1980 as the inaugural George Frederick Jewett Distinguished Professor of Business—the first-ever endowed chair at University of Puget Sound—he was just 37 years old. It was the beginning of a decades-long relationship with the college that today includes several members of Dickson’s family as well.

Assistant Professor of Hispanic Studies and Latinx Studies Valeria Ochoa joined the faculty of University of Puget Sound this semester, bringing her expertise as a linguist and her passion for accessible pedagogy to the study of Spanish. We recently spoke with Ochoa about heritage language learners, the Pacific Northwest’s growing Latinx population, and how the study of language offers a path toward better understanding between people of different cultural backgrounds.

It’s a cold, clear night in the pitch-black dome of the observatory at University of Puget Sound. In the dark, Austin Glock ’23 makes minute adjustments to the telescope by the light of a headlamp. He’s focusing on Arcturus, a bright orange star located 37 lightyears away. He’s using Arcturus to calibrate the telescope in order to observe something which few people have ever seen—a planet orbiting another star in our galaxy.

Chris Nicol ’24 was freediving for lobsters off the coast of San Diego, Calif., when he realized that the cold water was impacting how long he could hold his breath. As an exercise science major with a minor in neuroscience and an emphasis in bioethics at University of Puget Sound, he was intrigued and wanted to know what was causing it. He wanted to know if water temperature was a factor in the strength of the mammalian dive reflex, so he decided to find out.

The first year of college is hard. It’s even harder when you’re the only person from your family—maybe the only person you know—to pursue a college degree. Whether writing papers, declaring a major, or living with someone you just met, making the transition to college life can be more than a little intimidating. That’s where Student Success Advisor Najhan Bell steps in. A recent college graduate herself, Bell helps students, and first-generation college students in particular, adjust to life at Puget Sound and succeed academically.

TACOMA, Wash. – Incoming first-year students Mercer Stauch of Niwot, Colo., and Alex Bude of Boise, Idaho, are University of Puget Sound’s two newest Matelich Scholars. The pair were awarded the prestigious scholarship in recognition of their outstanding potential to excel academically, succeed as inspirational leaders, and give back to their communities through sustained personal growth and a lifetime relationship with the university. The Matelich Scholarship award covers tuition, fees, and room and board at Puget Sound for up to four years.

Tacoma, Wash. – Incoming first-year students Nora Panoscha of Portland, Ore., and Dominique Langevin of Coronado, Calif., have been named University of Puget Sound Lillis Scholars. The university's most prestigious and competitive award honoring incoming students for their academic excellence, the Lillis Scholarship covers tuition, fees, and room and board for up to four years.