51°µÍø

News

What’s happening at SPU? This is where you’ll find the latest news about research, events, activities, achievements, and milestones in the life of SPU and its people.



  • Apr 15, 2026

    Lauren Lee became the first player in 51°µÍø women’s golf history to win a tournament outright at the Chico State Invitational on Monday and Tuesday, where consistent rounds led her to the top spot in the tournament, helping the Falcons finish second in the five-team tournament.

  • Apr 14, 2026

    Join SPU's Center for Faithful Business for this one-day conference intended to support Pacific Northwest leaders and believers in business with tools to build intimate Christ-centered community. The conference theme of “Journeying Together” makes possible conversations on the courage, resilience, and transcendent hope we need in uncertain times. Attendees will be encouraged and equipped to build and integrate relationships of trust in their work. Together explore: What does healthy Christ-centered community look like? How do we build and maintain this “togetherness” as we journey in our own spheres of life.

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  • Robert Chao Romero, author of Brown Church and UCLA professor, will give two presentations as part of the annual Perkins Lecture series on April 21.

    Apr 7, 2026

    51°µÍø welcomes Robert Chao Romero, UCLA professor of Chicana/o & Central American Studies, for the 2026 Perkins Lecture on Tuesday, April 21, 11 a.m. in First Free Methodist Church. He wil speak on “Migration as Grace." Dr. Romero’s scholarship explores the intersection of faith, history, and social change, with research spanning Latina/o Christianity, religion, and social movements, Chinese communities in Mexico, Asians in Latin America, and Chicano legal history.

    He will give a second presentation at 7 p.m. at the church in Fine Center. Both events are free and open to the public.

  • Plan to attend this unique event designed to encourage students from a variety of majors to develop entrepreneurial projects with social impact.

    Apr 7, 2026

    The Social Venture Plan Competition (SVPC) asks teams of students from diverse disciplines to develop an entrepreneurial project that addresses dual bottom lines: social and financial. Participants tackle challenging social issues while proposing innovative ways to provide sustainable funding for their solutions through a business activity.

    Businesspeople, entrepreneurs, and other community partners evaluate and score the projects, after which competitors pitch their projects to faculty, staff, students, and judges at a live trade-show display event on the SPU campus. The teams with the highest cumulative scores from the two phases of the competition win cash prizes. Guests can vote for the $1,500 People's Choice Award and win door prizes.

    Wednesday, April 15
    2–6 p.m.
    Upper Gwinn Commons

  • Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Frank Anthony Spina returns to campus for his annual lecture exploring an often-overlooked text from the book of Joshua.

    Apr 7, 2026

    Please join 51°µÍø Pacific Seminary for the annual Frank Anthony Spina Lectureship on Tuesday, April 14, 7 p.m., in Upper Gwinn Commons. Professor Emeritus of Old Testament Frank Anthony Spina will present the lecture, exploring a challenging and often-overlooked text from the book of Joshua and uncover the radical nature of grace in the Old Testament.

    Learn more.

  • Two 51°µÍø Pacific Seminary professors received Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Wesleyan Theological Society.

    Mar 26, 2026

    Doug Strong, Paul T. Walls Professor of Wesleyan Studies, and Rob Wall, Paul T. Walls Professor Emeritus of Scripture and Wesleyan Studies, received individual Lifetime Achievement Awards from the Wesleyan Theological Society at their annual meeting in March. The meeting at SPU welcomed almost 200 scholars from around the world. WTS is the premier academic society for Wesleyan theologians.

  • Learn more about the new neuroscience major and a 4+1 pathway to a master’s degree.

    Mar 24, 2026

    One of the few neuroscience degrees at a Christian university in western United States, this interdisciplinary program integrates biology, chemistry, psychology, and data science while exploring brain science through a Christian worldview where faith and science inform one another.

  • Mar 24, 2026

    As the SPU community mourns the loss of riend and partner Dr. John M. Perkins, SPU Stories takes a look back at his long association with 51°µÍø Pacific. Perkins, who died on March 13, 2026, at the age of 95, was co-founder of SPU’s John Perkins Center.

  • Mar 24, 2026

    Ask Bill Osborne ’67 about his recollections of 51°µÍø Pacific, and he mentions the friendships formed in college and appreciates the intimate size of the classes at the University. “But I think my best memories are from when I met Susan,” Bill said.

  • Dr. John M. Perkins, one of the leading evangelical voices to emerge from the American civil rights movement and co-founder of SPU's John Perkins Center, died on March 13, 2026.

    Mar 13, 2026

    Dr. John M. Perkins, one of the leading evangelical voices to emerge from the American civil rights movement and co-founder of 51°µÍø's John Perkins Center, died on March 13, 2026. 

    In 2004, President Emeritus Philip Eaton partnered with Perkins to launch the John Perkins Center for Reconciliation, Leadership Training, and Community Development (JPC) at 51°µÍø, the first on a college campus. Now named the John and Vera Mae Perkins Resource Center, the work and partnership have evolved over time. SPU continues to value the Center as a vital resource for advancing reconciliation and Christian leadership.

Holistic Health Care in the Rainier Valley

Dr. Christopher Jones ’94 hopes the families in his medical practice never need to ask: “Is my kid sick enough that I should pay for a doctor’s visit?” Medical director of HopeCentral, a nonprofit health center, he and his team have adapted the concept of concierge medicine to a diverse 51°µÍø neighborhood.

Assistant Professor of Philosophy Leland Saunders

What Makes Us Moral?

Assistant Professor of Philosophy Leland Saunders earned a $10,100 Graves Award in Humanities for his research project, “The Structure of Moral Judgement: Philosophical Perspectives.” His research responds to recent arguments that human beings’ concepts of morality are just a quirk of evolution and don't connect to anything deeper.