Alisun Thompson has always aspired to be the kind of teacher she needed when she was in school. While she loved her time as an English teacher, she also saw firsthand many of the flaws in the K–12 education system. Her new book, Going the Distance: The Teaching Profession in a Post-COVID World (Harvard Education Press, 2024), presents an unflinching yet ultimately hopeful appraisal of the workplace factors that determine career risk and resilience among teachers, informed by the lessons of the pandemic.

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Brendan Lanctot, professor of Hispanic studies at the University of Puget Sound, has been recognized by the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Nineteenth Century Section for his chapter, “Civic Festivals, Popular Spectacles, and the Art of Drawing Republics.” He earned an Honorable Mention from the organization, highlighting Lanctot’s innovative exploration of how 19th-century public spectacles shaped political identities in Latin America.

The University of Puget Sound will launch an Interdisciplinary Data Analytics minor in Fall 2025, equipping students with the skills needed to navigate the growing world of big data, artificial intelligence, and data-driven decision-making.

The traditional college experience is often seen as a four-year journey of self-discovery and academic exploration. But for some, there is an opportunity and a drive to obtain the degree in just three years.

Sara Protasi, University of Puget Sound associate professor of philosophy, will expand her research on how courage and fear shape character and moral behavior thanks to a Teacher-Scholar Grant from the Educating Character Initiative at Wake Forest University. The grant will support her project, “Cultivating Courage in an Age of Fear,” and will help researchers understand how courage is acquired, especially in the context of intense political division.

For Reggie Westgate ’27, an email from Environmental Studies & Sciences Professor Kena Fox-Dobbs changed everything. It was an invitation to apply for the university's Georneys (pronounced "journeys") trip to the Galápagos Islands, an opportunity he immediately jumped on.

The University of Puget Sound will host "Insights into the Changing World of Artificial Intelligence," a business summit and panel discussion, on Thursday, March 27, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel Seattle, 99 Union St., Seattle.

This year's University of Puget Sound Business Insights event will explore the impact of artificial intelligence on business, providing insights into navigating the evolving AI environment. Topics will include disruptive technologies, emerging trends, and ethical considerations.

Aspiring lawyers in the South Sound will have greater access to immersive legal education and opportunities thanks to a new partnership between the University of Puget Sound and Seattle University School of Law. 

An event to inaugurate the partnership will be held on Puget Sound’s campus in Tacoma on Wednesday, March 26. More details to be announced soon.

Professor and Director of the School of Occupational Therapy Renee Watling has lived in Washington her entire life and spent 20 years as a practicing occupational therapist before taking the leap into teaching. She uses her clinical experience in pediatric neurodevelopment and her longstanding research into OT interventions for autism to help aspiring occupational therapists become confident practitioners. We recently sat down with Professor Watling to learn more about OT, her current research, and what students get out of the program.