Producer and Podcaster Hrishikesh Hirway will be the featured speaker of the Spring 2025 Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture in Public Affairs and the Arts.

Hrishikesh Hirway is an acclaimed musician, producer, and podcast host. He is the host, creator, and executive director of the popular podcast Song Exploder, which was adapted into a Netflix series, and has co-hosted podcasts such as The West Wing Weekly, Home Cooking, and Partners. Hirway will explore the intersection of creativity and artificial intelligence during the Spring 2025 Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture.

University of Puget Sound’s Iliana Barnes Diaz ’25 has been awarded the Governor’s Student Civic Leadership Award from the Washington Campus Coalition for the Public Good for her work with voter registration. Originally from Eugene, Oregon, she will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony on March 28, 2025, at Seattle University, where she will receive a $1,000 stipend.

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.

Admitted undergraduate students and their families are invited to attend Puget Sound Bound, a special event that elevates the traditional campus visit. The event allows future Loggers to truly envision themselves at Puget Sound, and for many, it will be their first time setting foot on the campus they’ll call home for the next four years—an exciting moment in any prospective student’s college search process. 

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.

The Arches team asked President Isiaah Crawford to share his thoughts on partnering with the community to benefit students and a good cause.

The University of Puget Sound’s commitment to global engagement extends far beyond its campus, reaching across continents and cultures. This year, two Puget Sound alumnae, Kyra Lee ’24 and Khysa Gustafson ’24, are making their mark as Fulbright scholars, pursuing research in Australia and teaching in Germany. Their experiences highlight the university’s dedication to preparing students for impactful careers at home and abroad.