Pacific Lutheran University

[bfrank]

I am wondering if anyone has information on this institution, particulary its reputation, is culture, problems etc.  Any help will be appreciated.

[trabb]

It's affiliated with the Lutheran Church.

[dundee]

I know someone who works there who is not Lutheran or even Christian and it has not been a problem. My friend enjoys working there and finds the students quite good.

[keep_on_searching]

I have been to the campus, knew two people with non-tt jobs there, and had a telephone interview there once.

PLU is a good regional comprehensive university, which tries to do both the SLAC thing and some professional progams- especially nursing.  Other than from the Northwest, they also get a good deal of Lutheran students from other parts of the country, most notably Minnesota.  There is no need to be Lutheran or even Christian, but they will want you to be on board with the Lutheran educational mission, such as service to the community.  My understanding is that the students are good but not great.  The biggest complaint I have heard about the place is the low pay.  In my telephone interview several years ago, I was told starting salaries were in the very low $40s.  There also is not very much support for research or conference travel, although the expectations are not high in those regards. 

Another issue is the fact that the PLU is in a bad neighborhood in Tacoma.  The city in general has a bad reputation, though it has been on the upswing in recent years as parts of Tacoma have become essentially suburbs of Seattle, with the increase in housing prices to go along.  The upside to South Tacoma is that housing prices have not gone up as much; the downside, Pierce county has something like the second highest meth use rate in the country, with much of it concentrated in South Tacoma, a serious gang problem, and a lot of prostitution and other crimes like that associated with nearby Ft. Lewis and to a lesser extent McChord AFB.  Downtown Tacoma has a good number of restaurants and bars and condos. 

South Tacoma is close to Mt. Rainier and the national park, which is great.  SeaTac is a good airport and accessible via express bus from downtown.  Portland is about 2 hrs south and Seattle about 40 miles north, though I-5 traffic is a horrible nightmare and it can take anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hrs to get to Seattle depending on traffic.  There is very limited rail service to both Seattle and Portland, with light rail coming someday to go to Seattle.

So, this place is kind of a mixed bag.  I did not receive a campus interview, so did not need to make a decision.

[thundering_]

Recent leadership has turned PLU completely around financially. Now it is in a very good position compared to a few years ago. Leadership is also becoming stronger regarding its mission. A couple decades ago it was deteriorating into a tuition-driven shell of its former 'servant leader' reputation. Ironically, as the church it is affiliated with becomes less cohesive and more divided, the university appears to have gathered a faith-based momentum.

As mentioned by others, this in no way assumes that all faculty must share the same faith--although everyone should certainly expect to be comfortable with the Lake Woebegone culture; polite to the point of aloofness, casual to the point of being anti-ostentation, and ethical to the point of Boy Scout virtue. Head football coach Frosty Westering is iconic in that regard.

The campus is small and when tragedy strikes it is exceptionally cohesive. Students who find their groove there make friends for life. PLU has been in the forefront of ecumenicism and has long had a very active outreach to foreign students. Hard core PLU folks consider their location in a less affluent area to be a plus, for they are 'in the world but not of it', and are fiercely individualistic regarding merit and having the courage of their convictions. Ironic, considering the Lutheran reputation of being vanilla.

Regarding low pay, as with other faith-based institutions, it helps if you have a sense of mission.

[bfrank]

Thanks for the replies and some very good and comprehensive information.  I have heard about the drug and problems in the Tacoma area in the past but was not familiar with the school. Some very interesting things to consider.

[seniorscholar]

I know someone there for whom the school made a real effort to generate a spousal hire in a different department.

[dundee]

Hmmm, interesting ... my contact there might leave due to the lack of a spousal hire for hu's partner