With the FIFA World Cup 2026™ less than a month away, the University of Puget Sound has launched a new Faculty Experts page — a resource designed to connect journalists, community members, and organizations with faculty whose scholarship and experience bring depth to the global tournament.
University of Puget Sound Assistant Professor of Biology Elisa Frankel has launched a new research program focused on synapses, the vital connections between brain cells, following a successful grant proposal to the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust. The project investigates the molecular mechanisms that help synapses remain stable as the nervous system ages.
Rovin Ian Antonio ’23, DPT’26 is graduating with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy. An army veteran and Puget Sound alumnus, Antonio has been a steadfast leader within his cohort, serving as co-president of the Student Physical Therapy Association. In this role, he organized program-wide events and secured partnerships to fund student research and global travel. Antonio also coordinated the Fall 2025 PT/OT Job Fair, connecting more than a hundred students with potential employers.
Isa Fitzgibbons ’26 is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts. Since joining the University of Puget Sound as a transfer student, Isa has distinguished herself as an exemplary scholar and artist, stepping into leadership roles both on and off the stage. In 2025, she studied abroad in London and was one of 15 students to receive the Agricola Scholar Award, which she used to develop Every Sound I’ve Ever Made, an original one-woman show weaving together writing from various women authors.
The University of Puget Sound will launch a new interdisciplinary emphasis in Artificial Intelligence and Human Values in Fall 2026, offering students a structured pathway to understand AI not just as a technology but as a force reshaping democracy, creativity, health care, law, and human relationships.
The University of Puget Sound is celebrating major milestone anniversaries for three honor societies this year. Phi Kappa Phi is in its 50th year, Phi Beta Kappa is in its 40th, and Phi Eta Sigma (formerly SPURS) is in its 20th. Mortar Board celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2022.
University of Puget Sound will honor its graduates on Sunday, May 10, at 2 p.m. at the 134th Commencement Ceremony. The ceremony at Baker Stadium will celebrate the accomplishments of the Class of 2026, including both undergraduates and students completing one of Puget Sound’s five graduate programs.
University of Puget Sound student Tdohasan Sunray ’27 received a President and Chancellor’s Student Civic Leadership Award during an April 17 ceremony at The Museum of Flight at Boeing Field. The award, sponsored by the Washington Campus Coalition for the Public Good, recognizes outstanding college student civic leaders from consortium schools. Sunray was joined onstage by Gov.
When Jake Elorduy ’26 arrived at the University of Puget Sound, football was his entry point. A lifelong athlete, he expected a run-of-the-mill college experience, centered on his experience on the field. What he found went far beyond the game.
“It’s hard to get a full grasp of what campus looks like if you’re not physically there,” Elorduy said. He grew up in Sacramento, California, and hadn’t traveled to the Pacific Northwest before touring Puget Sound. “Once I saw the community, that really drew my attention.”
