SPU Theatre presents this gripping drama about one woman's fight for those with mental illness and the rights of married women in the 19th century.

Oct 17, 2022

In 1860, without proof but within his legal right, Rev. Theophilus Packard had his wife, Elizabeth, committed to the Illinois Hospital for the Insane. Imprisoned for three years, Elizabeth continued to battle her confinement and defend her sanity. Once free, Mrs. Packard devoted her life to improving the treatment of those with mental illness in America and defending the rights of married women.

Emily Mann’s gripping play, "Mrs. Packard," is a back-and-forth journey between Elizabeth’s incarceration and the trial that sets her free.

Learn about the many events SPU is hosting for Indigenous Peoples Day on October 10, 2022.

Oct 7, 2022

Seattle Pacific University is hosting several campus events for Indigenous Peoples Day on October 10, 2022. In 2014, the City of Seattle designated the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples Day. SPU joins the city in recognizing this day and the Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest.

Taproot Theatre Co-founder and Alumna Pam Nolte received an award for an improv class she started for individuals experiencing early stage dementia.

Sep 28, 2022

The annual Maude’s Award Recipients were announced Sept. 13, 2022. Three organizations will each receive $25,000 and five individuals will receive $5,000 each.

Maude’s Awards was created to enrich the quality of life for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias and their care partners. It provides monetary awards to organizations and individuals for innovations excelling in one of the categories of care found here: The Awards – Maude's Awards (maudesawards.org)

One of the individual recipients is Seattle Pacific University alumna Pam Nolte from Seattle, WA. Her innovation is an Improv program to Re-ignite the Mind. Here is Pam’s story:

“My mother passed away in 2003, at age 73, with Alzheimer’s disease. In 2010, the facilitator of North Seattle Senior Center's program, The Gathering Place, reached out to me personally to inquire as to whether Taproot Theatre, the company I co-founded in 1976 and continued to work with, would be interested in beginning an improv class for individuals experiencing early-stage memory loss. I have taught, continued to develop and guide the Dementia Friendly improv program for Taproot Theatre without interruption since then. The theatre’s work is unique in its commitment to the education of professional actors with specific brain science related to memory loss to assure the best classes possible for both those experiencing memory loss and their care partners.

The improv classes are called "Re-Ignite the Mind with Improv" and "Re-Ignite the Mind with Imagination." During the pandemic years, the classes quickly moved to Zoom and were renamed Z-IMPROV. Those classes have continued to serve individuals experiencing memory loss without interruption throughout the pandemic. We use a simple measure number of 1-3 to quantify outcomes, measuring individual's ability and desire to enter into improv both before and after class. The numbers show an increased enhancement in the quality of life of all participants.”

Join us for a free public lecture, "Indigenous Spirit: Weaving Justice and Peace in a Wounded Land," on Monday, Oct. 10, with Dr. Randy Woodley, a recognized leader in the fields of Indigenous and Intercultural Studies.

Sep 27, 2022

Dr. Randy Woodley, a recognized leader in the fields of Indigenous and Intercultural Studies, ecology, spirituality, race, theology, and missiology, will present a public lecture titled “Indigenous Spirit: Weaving Justice and Peace in a Wounded Land," on Monday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m. in Upper Gwinn Commons. Dr. Woodley will talk about finding the joy of place through an Indigenous perspective and give tools to live with the land, not just on the land. This event, hosted by the School of Theology and the Land Acknowledgement Committee, is part of a series of events recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day.

SPU's Blakely Island Field Station, a research site for marine and aquatic biology and other sciences, was featured in Classic Chicago magazine.

Sep 26, 2022

Classic Chicago magazine featured SPU's Blakely Island Field Station, a teaching site for marine and aquatic biology courses along with oceanography and astronomy for non-science majors. Students and professors talk about their research.

For his annual Constitution Day essay, Professor Emeritus of History Bill Woodward looks at the long journey to the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery.

Sep 17, 2022

Perhaps the greatest tragedy of the American constitutional system, and of its English antecedents, was its extended tolerance — even protection — of categorizing persons as property. Chattel slavery, in short.

But perhaps its greatest triumph was to make possible slavery’s end — an outcome agonizingly delayed but finally achieved. We rightly insist that the sad story be told, and its legacies confronted. But we need equally to discern how the end happened and recall its origins.

What hinge point first pivoted law, and the public sentiment undergirding it, toward removing that taint? That’s the largely forgotten story to tell this Constitution Day 2022: I take you back 250 years to find the first legal crack in the ancient system of enslavement.

Read Professor Emeritus of History Bill Woodward's Constitution Day essay titled, "Freeing James Somerset: Start of the Long Journey to the Thirteenth Amendment."

Take a remote visit around campus, the residence halls, and our Seattle neighborhoods in this interactive 360-video.

Sep 15, 2022

Virtually walk through the Seattle Pacific campus on a sunny Seattle day. Enter a classroom to see what your day-to-day life will be like. Soar over the Seattle waterfront, Golden Gardens Beach, or downtown.

Welcome to Seattle Pacific University’s state-of-the-art 360 virtual tour.

For the seventh year in a row, Seattle Pacific has been named a “Best National University” in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings for 2022-23.

Sep 13, 2022

For the seventh year in a row, Seattle Pacific has been named a “Best National University” in U.S. News & World Report’s annual rankings for 2022-23. U.S. News defines national universities as those institutions offering a range of undergraduate majors plus master's and doctoral programs and emphasize faculty research or award professional practice degrees.

Campus flags are at half-staff today for Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy.

Sep 11, 2022

Campus flags are at half-staff today for Patriot Day and a National Day of Service and Remembrance for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy.

Alumna Jamie Crespo was a healthcare worker when she suddenly found herself caring for her parents. Her newfound passion for running provided her escape and a new community of support. Listen to her story at SPU Voices.

Sep 1, 2022

Jamie Crespo '12, an applied human biology major, was already a healthcare worker when she suddenly found herself caring for not one, but both of her parents. Her newfound passion for running provided her escape and a new community of support when she needed it the most. She is now using that passion to raise money and awareness for the prevention of colon cancer.

Listen to her story at SPU Voices.