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At Puget Sound, we’re committed to engaging with our neighbors. We’re proud to give back to our community and work hand-in-hand with our local partners to strengthen Tacoma today and invest in our shared future.

2019 Summer Academic Challenge Celebration
Access Programs

We’re committed to improving access to postsecondary education and increasing the number of students from underrepresented populations who attend college. Since 1995, we’ve invested in improving access to postsecondary education by offering year-round academic support to students in Tacoma.

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Freedom Education Project Puget Sound has Puget Sound professors and students working with incarcerated women in a local prison to further their education.
Community Engagement Initiative

We’re putting our faculty and student research knowledge to work to benefit our community. This initiative pairs organizations and governments with expert scholarship aimed at solving real-life problems, developing policy, and educating the public.

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Community Music teacher and student
Community Music

We believe everyone should experience the joy of music. This program provides year-round music instruction to Tacoma students of all ages and skill levels.

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Two students sit on a bench and have a conversation as part of FEPPS work
Freedom Education Project Puget Sound

FEPPS provides a rigorous accredited college program to incarcerated women in Washington and creates pathways to educational opportunity after women are released from prison, increasing women prisoners’ economic and personal empowerment, contributing to family stability, and reducing recidivism through college education.

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Brian Cladoosby speaks at the 2018 Race & Pedagogy National Conference
Race & Pedagogy Institute

Changing our nation’s discourse on race begins in the classroom. The Race and Pedagogy Institute (RPI) is a community collaboration focused on educating students and teachers at all levels to think critically about race and act to eliminate racism. The initiative hosts a national conference on race and education on campus every four years, as well as regional summits each year.

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Tacoma's Dune Peninsula at Point Defiance Park with Commencement Bay and Mount Rainier
Sound Policy Institute

We believe we can be good stewards of our environment and encourage sustainable, equitable growth. The Sound Policy Institute seeks to restore and sustain the natural environment of the South Sound while balancing the needs of a healthy, prosperous, and just community.

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Downtown Tacoma and Mount Rainier
Tacoma Public Schools Commitment

Get a world-class education right here in Tacoma. At Puget Sound, we’re committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need for a limited number of eligible students who graduate from Tacoma’s public high schools through a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work study.

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