In the spring and summer of 1986, Tacoma was rocked by the shocking rape and murder of two young girls, Michella Welch and Jennifer Bastian. Despite the killings occurring five months apart, the similarities between the victims, including their age, appearance, and the circumstances surrounding their disappearances, were hard to ignore. Locals worried that a serial killer might be lurking in Tacoma’s North End. Despite pressure from the community to bring the killer to justice and continued efforts by the Tacoma Police Department, there simply wasn’t enough evidence to build a case.

It’s been yet another incredible year at the University of Puget Sound. From launching innovative new programs to celebrating the accomplishments of our students, faculty, staff, and alumni, there are so many Logger stories that highlight the power of a liberal arts education to transform lives. Here are 10 stories from 2025 that you may have missed.

Sophie Billadeau ’29, a first-year student from Minnetonka, Minnesota, is quickly building a memorable college experience at the University of Puget Sound. A graduate of a small charter school where she was involved in theater and served as president of the National Honor Society, she’s wasted no time in immersing herself in campus life as a member of the University's Honors Program in Consciousness, Creativity, and Meaning.

The University of Puget Sound is proud to welcome Bishop Cedrick D. Bridgeforth as the keynote speaker for the 40th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026. Bridgeforth, who will also serve as the university’s Spring 2026 Swope Endowed Lecturer, will deliver his address at 7 p.m. in Schneebeck Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

University of Puget Sound has been recognized for its strong commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability in The Princeton Review’s Guide to Green Colleges: 2026 Edition.

The University of Puget Sound’s Taiko drumming club was not just an extracurricular activity for Lev Jersan '26 — it was a primary reason he chose to apply.

His journey from Missouri to Washington is a great example of the Puget Sound experience. It’s the opportunity to find a deep sense of community and fully invest in a passion. The Taiko club, known as Yume Daiko, serves as a home for students of all backgrounds, from those like Jersan who sought it out for years, to those who simply walk in curious, never having heard about it at all before.

The University of Puget Sound is honored to announce that Dr. Vanessa Gomez Brake, the senior associate dean for Religious and Spiritual Life at the University of Southern California (USC), will deliver the Swope Endowed Lecture at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2025, in Kilworth Memorial Chapel.

The University of Puget Sound’s Department of Theatre Arts will present Bertolt Brecht’s classic drama, The Caucasian Chalk Circle, this fall, exploring themes of justice and morality. 

The University of Puget Sound is proud to announce the launch of its new Hybrid Master of Education (MEd) Counseling Program, strategically designed to fill a widening gap in regional clinical mental health and school counseling education and provide aspiring counseling professionals with the flexibility and accessibility to advance their careers while balancing work and personal commitments.

The University of Puget Sound will host a powerful residency with New York’s Reentry Theater of Harlem (RTH), bringing its innovative, arts-based approach to justice and rehabilitation to campus from Oct. 20 to Nov. 17. The visit, featuring RTH founder Alex Anderson and assistant art director Rory Anderson and Arts educator Charanya Ramakrishnan, is a major initiative of the university’s Mellon Foundation-funded project to reimagine justice through the humanities.