Road Trip

Washington State Supreme Court in Schneebeck Hall in 2023.

The Washington State Supreme Court went on the road in September, setting up shop on the Puget Sound campus for two days. It was the third visit to campus for the state’s highest court; justices made similar visits in 2013 and 2017.

“We don’t just hear cases—we also go to classes, answer questions, and learn from the questions that that are asked to us,” says Justice Susan Owens, who co-chairs the Traveling Court Committee. “Traveling court allows a wide variety of people who want to know more about the justice system to see it at no expense.”

Puget Sound Professor Receives $598,500 Grant to Boost College Education in Prisons

The University of Puget Sound campus sits in front of Mt Rainer.

TACOMA, Wash. — The University of Puget Sound is pleased to announce that Tanya Erzen, associate professor of religion, spirituality, and society and director of crime, law, and justice studies, has been awarded a grant of $598,500 from Ascendium Education Group. This funding will support the university’s Technical Assistance for Teaching and Learning Initiative, aimed at enhancing education within college classrooms in prison.

U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer to Deliver Spring Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture in Public Affairs and the Arts

Derek Kilmer stands in front of an American flag smiling.

The University of Puget Sound is proud to welcome U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer as the featured speaker of the Spring 2024 Susan Resneck Pierce Lecture in Public Affairs and the Arts. 

Kilmer, known for his dedication to advancing the regional economy, prioritizing higher education accessibility for all, and advocating for our armed forces and veterans, will share insights on his bill, the Building Civic Bridges Act, during the lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in the Schneebeck Concert Hall. 

University of Puget Sound Awarded $1.3 Million from The Mellon Foundation

A student looked through bars at a jailhouse.

Tacoma, Wash. - The University of Puget Sound has been awarded $1.3 million from The Mellon Foundation to fund its groundbreaking project, "Reimagining Justice and Carceral Systems through the Humanities." This transformative initiative will employ humanities approaches to shed light on the experiences of those most affected by criminal and legal systems and expand our crime, law, and justice studies program.

Flow Symposium Explores Intersections Between Art, Ecology, and Climate Change

A book with blue pages is opened next to a mortar and pestle of blue powder.

Artists, professors, and students from various universities will gather at the University of Puget Sound November 3–4, 2023, for a two-day symposium, Flow: Art and Ecology in the Time of Global Warming. This event, supported by a Northwest Five Mellon Engage Grant, aims to explore the connections between art, ecology, and place-based knowledge in the context of climate change while fostering community engagement and collaboration. 

'How We Got Here'

An activist raises awareness of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

Over the summer, 30 people—some from campus, many from the local community—spent a series of Saturday mornings in Howarth Hall hearing about a weighty subject: the history of Native Americans in the U.S.