The Washington State Supreme Court will visit the University of Puget Sound Sept. 13–14 for an immersive two days with justices attending classes, hosting a panel, and holding two oral arguments. This marks the third visit from the court, following their previous stops in 2013 and 2017.
Since its founding in 1888, University of Puget Sound has played a pivotal role in the unfolding history of Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest. Today, the university announced it will launch the Legacies Project, an initiative to examine and reckon with its long and complex past, understand how those legacies continue to resonate in the present, and take steps to create a more welcoming and inclusive future.
University of Puget Sound’s motto—"To the heights!”—has rarely felt so apt. In July, the university closed the books on another successful year as it celebrated raising $26.16 million, a 43% increase from the previous fiscal year. The gifts will help Puget Sound continue to work toward the ambitious goals set forth in its Leadership for a Changing World strategic plan. Puget Sound's endowment sits at $448.6 million.
TACOMA, Wash. — University of Puget Sound announced that it has selected a new director for the Puget Sound Museum of Natural History. Professor of Environmental Policy & Decision Making and chair of the Department of Geology Kena Fox-Dobbs will assume leadership duties from Professor Emeritus Peter Wimberger. Wimberger has served as director of the museum since 2005, during which time he greatly expanded the museum’s outreach programs, including a pivot to online programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.
University of Puget Sound earned a top spot in Money’s newest rankings of colleges across the United States. Puget Sound received 4 out of 5 stars, placing it among the top universities in 2023 for education quality, affordability, and graduate outcomes.
“I’m pleased to see publications like Money continue to recognize the exceptional value of a Puget Sound education,” said President Isiaah Crawford. “Puget Sound is committed to preparing graduates with the knowledge and skills to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world—and excel in their chosen fields.”
University of Puget Sound is one of the nation's best colleges for students seeking a great education with excellent career preparation and at a relatively affordable price, according to The Princeton Review®. The education services company named Puget Sound as one of its Best Value Colleges for 2023.
Hollywood legend Rita Moreno charmed the campus community in April when she delivered the Spring 2023 Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture and spoke to a class. Now 91, Moreno is perhaps best known for playing Anita in the 1961 film West Side Story, a role that earned her an Academy Award for best supporting actress— and made her the first Latina to win an Oscar.
Summer around here has a different rhythm than the rest of the academic year. What does it feel like to you?
It’s not quite as busy on campus as it is between September and May, but it’s far from a ghost town. We have students here taking classes and doing summer research, and we have a very vital and busy conference schedule, among other activities. Conferences, summer camps, and our Summer Academic Challenge allow us to make the campus available to the broader community, where people are able to utilize our facilities in a variety of ways.
Ronald R. Thomas is home. For 13 years, from the summers of 2003 through 2016, that beloved home was here, as president of University of Puget Sound. His irrepressible enthusiasm for all things Puget Sound so animates the campus today that it’s impossible to speak of it in the past tense. He loved it all: every student, every possibility, every building, every blade of grass. The campus looks the way it does because he was a master of master planning.
