RUNNING HEAD: University of Puget Sound 1

College Case Study: University of Puget Sound

BRANDI HOFFMAN

Private Liberal Arts Colleges (HIED 76601)

Kent State University

Word Count: 4583

2University of Puget Sound

“Trees that would give shade to giants dot the ninety-seven-acre campus, and

everywhere shades of green, vibrant and varied, are a gorgeous reminder of Puget Sound’s spot

in the Northwest. On a sunny day- and there are plenty of them, despite the meteorological

stereotypes of Washington- Mount Rainer is visible from campus. Amid this natural beauty stand

handsome buildings so classically collegiate that they might have been plucked from a New

England college. The campus ‘expresses the college’s soul,’” says President Ronald Thomas.

(Pope, 2012, p. 293)

The University of Puget Sound is a Private Liberal Arts institution tucked away in the

North Western corner of the country in Tacoma, Washington. It is home to about 2,600 students

and has a long and rich history within this vibrant region stemming from the University’s

founding in 1888. (About Us, You Ask? 2014) The University of Puget Sound’s website

provides a comprehensive timeline of events throughout the years of the school’s history.

Specifically we can understand the university’s inception through the highlighted points

provided from this page.

1884

Bishop Charles H. Fowler, former president of Northwestern University, presides over

the first Puget Sound Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Conference

decides to create a university that will be a "praise in all the land."

3University of Puget Sound

1887

Port Townsend unwilling to live up to terms of agreement for Methodist College.

Committee of four ministers and three bishops created to find a new location.

1888

Puget Sound University incorporated in Tacoma and first board of trustees selected by

the church.

(1880s, 2014)

The university was founded within the customs of a Private Liberal Arts College and has

committed to this institutional profile in their past. Uncovering the journey to the University of

Puget Sound we know today is easily done by reading the webpage timeline as well. I chose to

focus my understanding of the path the university took to officially adopting the Private Liberal

Arts focus that prevails in the curriculum, starting with, what’s in a name? The University of

Puget Sound renamed itself as a ‘university’ in January of 1960. This was done to, “reflect the

addition of graduate programs and increased enrollment.” (1880s, 2014) The boom in the history

of Higher Education as a whole during this time period impacted the University of Puget Sound,

as it did many institutions across the United States. According to author Thomas Brock, as stated

in his journal article, Young Adults and Higher Education: Barriers and Breakthroughs to

Success, “Demographic trends, combined with the social activism of the 1960s, also created

pressure for change. As the baby boom generation reached maturity, young adults poured onto

college campuses in record numbers.” (Young Adults and Higher Education, 2010) According to

the Puget Sound timeline, in 1973 the University had 2,910 full-time equivalent students enrolled

4University of Puget Sound

on the main campus and in 1975 the University, “failed to reach budgeted enrollment goal for

fourth year is a row.” (1970s, 2014)

In my opinion the events and historical realities that transpired in Higher Educations

leading up to the 1980’s, created the environment needed to persuade university official’s to

consider their goals for the future of the institution and the students it would focus on serving.

The growing world of colleges and expanding numbers and types of Higher Education

institutions lead to the University of Puget Sound making the choices necessary to define

themselves within this growing world. “In the 1970s, when other universities were embracing the

idea of a “multiversity,” being all things to all people, the faculty and trustees here [University of

Puget Sound] agreed that the college must return to its liberal arts roots.” (Pope, 2012, p. 294)

Following that choice the University began to take action in their approach to return to their

roots. “In 1986 the Board approved a plan to reduce enrollment to 2,660 students.” (1980s, 2014)

From this initial decision the university’s enrollment numbers fluctuated throughout the years,

often reaching higher enrollment numbers. It wasn’t until 1993 that the Carnegie Foundation

reclassified Puget Sound as a liberal arts college. (1990s, 2014) This classification can serve as a

point of reference in the history of Puget Sound. From here we can to see the University

strategically moving and building toward the campus we see today.

“The key for us at Puget Sound at this moment in our history is not to invent a new story

about ourselves, but to understand where our story has taken us and how it might further unfold.

Ours cannot just be an account of institutional transformation; it must also be a story of

distinction. This is our challenge: to tell that story and make it true by defining our character and

the difference it makes.  This is the thread that will lead us into the next chapter of a great story

and will empower us to define the future and Puget Sound’s place in history.” (Puget Sound

5University of Puget Sound

Strategic Planning, 2014) This incorporation of history into the present allows Puget Sound to

not only inspire pride for the University but inspire pride in the University throughout the years.

All pride stemming from those who have had a hand in guiding the path the institution has taken.

Student life at the University of Puget Sound today is shaped by what the institution

currently looks like and the experiences of the student body. Starting with the financial level of

experience for the students you must begin by looking at the tuition bill. According to the

University’s webpage we can look to see the Cost of Attendance in a broken-down format.

Cost of Attendance (2014–15)

Tuition: $43,200

Room and Board: $11,180 (Appendix A)

Fees: $228

Total: $54,608

(About Us, You Ask? 2014)

What is important to realize is that with a hefty tuition price tag there is often a larger assistance

package granted through financial aid. This is also the case for many Private Liberal Arts

Colleges that are similar to the University of Puget Sound. Assistance from Puget Sound looks

something like, “More than 90 percent of students receive need-based financial aid or merit

scholarships… Puget Sound provides merit scholarships that range from $5,000 up to the full

cost of tuition, room, and board.” With an endowment standing around $250 million dollars, the

University has been able to provide security and support for students, faculty and staff

comfortably. With the investments in the history and future together you can find active alumni

and successful donors looking to give back and assist in the development of the University while

6University of Puget Sound

doing their part to help better the experience for the students there today. (About Us, You Ask?

2014)

“We’re kind of quirky here.” Students also describe themselves as “happy,” “respectful

of others,” “social,” and “having interests in academics but also in life outside the classroom.”

(Pope, 2012, p. 297) My personal reflection on this semester of learning about the Private Liberal

Arts College has lead me to make connection between the importance of a community identity

and the role it plays within the small home like campus environments of these institutions. At the

University of Puget Sound there is a tradition of the UPS Hatchet and the story itself speaks to

the quirky nature of the student body and the curious characteristics they portray. “The

Hatchet was first unearthed by students in 1908 as they were tearing down a barn at the 6th and

Sprague campus. The students decided to carve their year of graduation on the old carpenter's

hatchet and the tradition became one in which each class would carve in their year when the

hatchet was "passed" from the seniors to the juniors on Senior Recognition Day.” (1990s, 2014)

Since the tradition began it has turned into a competition among the classes to see who

could possess the hatchet the longest. Eventually the tradition of "hatchet running" became so

dangerous it was finally outlawed in 1965. The hatchet has since disappeared many times, once

for over 15 years. In 1998, the hatchet's return was negotiated through an intermediary and the

University placed it on permanent display in the Wheelock Student Center. The current President

Ron Thomas (Appendix B), who took on this role at the University in 2003, had an encounter

with the self-proclaimed “hatchet men” who anonymously returned the hatchet in 2008.

President Thomas wrote an entertaining article titled, The hatchet men, detailing the mysterious

return of the hatchet to the campus. The introduction reads, “This year marks the 100th

anniversary of the tradition of The Hatchet, and, just in time for the centennial, the venerable

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icon of campus high jinks is back where it belongs. How The Hatchet was last stolen and how it

came home again is a twisting tale of intrigue—as usual.” (Defining Moments, 2005)

Campus is not just a place that embraces the quirky side of students, it is also a place of

caring and respect for students from the top down beginning with the administration. An

important fact I learned while reading more about President Thomas is the care he still takes to

communicate with students at their level. “President Thomas has open office hours between eight

and ten every Monday morning, and once a month him and his wife host a fireside dinner for

students. An e-mail goes out to the whole student body with an invitation; the first ten students to

respond are in.” (Pope, 2012, p. 297) It is this care taken by the university leaders and officials,

faculty and staff that consistently makes a difference within the lives of students at the

University of Puget Sound. The campus does also host a generous range of options for students

to spend time dedicating themselves to hobbies they wish to pursue. The campus boasts over

100+ wide ranging organizations and clubs including Greek- letter organizations. Engaging the

active student body on all levels of interest ranging from personal, to academic to extra-

curricular, the 90% graduation rate within 4 years from their students institutes an understanding

that something is being done right in terms of student life at the Puget Sound.

Student life at the University of Puget Sound takes shape in more than just the

University’s quirky student personalities and engaging campus environment. “From the day the

University of Puget Sound was established by the citizens of Tacoma in 1888 (the year the city

was incorporated) the University of Puget Sound and the greater Tacoma community have been

more than neighbors, they have been partners” (Community Engagement, 2014). The whole

institution, including its programs in support of both the academic side of development and

8University of Puget Sound

through the Division of Student Affairs, encompasses an underlying focus of the bigger

community picture. Understanding the University of Puget Sound means understanding the

community they are a part of. It’s not often that universities make such targeted efforts to

incorporate their surrounding environments into their education and student life. This unique

approach by the university inspired me to better understand the issues the area of Puget Sound is

currently dealing with to in turn take a unique viewpoint on the discussion of the challenges the

institution is currently facing.

Puget Sound is called home by about 4.4 million people, accounting for about 67% of

Washington State’s entire population. (Saving the Sound) So indeed a large majority of the

challenges being faced in the area are environmental in nature. Understanding this you must first

develop a better picture of the marine life of the area. “Puget Sound is the second largest estuary

in the United States. Only Chesapeake Bay is larger. The Puget Sound estuary is an arm of the

Pacific Ocean that extends inland where it meets 19 different river basins. The Sound

experiences tidal flows and there is a changing mixture of fresh and salt waters... Unlike

Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound includes vast stretches of deep, open waters, shallow bays and

inlets, and muddy to sandy to rocky sediments underneath.”(Saving the Sound). The important

thing to note here is not just that Puget Sound is home to one of the nation’s largest estuaries, but

rather what that means to the community and to a community specifically with a rapidly growing

population. (Appendix C) “As ecosystems, estuaries are under threat from human activities such

as pollution and overfishing. They are also threatened by sewage, coastal settlement, land

clearance and much more. Estuaries are affected by events far upstream, and concentrate

materials such as pollutants and sediments.” (Estuary, 2014) Puget Sound boasts one of the

largest concentrations of the population within the state of Washington. Taking into

9University of Puget Sound

consideration the expansion of people requiring space and the development of the land within

this area, you can start to piece together where the issues of this community are springing from.

The Department of Ecology for the state of Washington has created a ‘Saving the Sound’

campaign to help educate the population of city livers on how they too can join in and spread

awareness within the community. This campaign has multiple aspects within it. The education of

the public aspect focuses on topics like manure management, dog poop, yard care, septic

maintenance, car maintenance, car washing and boat maintenance tips. (Saving Puget Sound) In

relation to how the University of Puget Sound works to educate their community of college

students you see an approach of intentionality with a keen eye for continued campus

development and the ability to interconnect the classroom with the larger picture of real life

context. The university's engagement with the community has been widely praised, including

recognition from:

Cross District Association of Tacoma, which named Puget Sound its Community Partner of the year in both 2007 and 2010

American Red Cross, which honored Puget Sound with its Good Neighbor Award in 2010 for our work on the Zinna Linnik project

Pierce County AIDS Foundation, which recognized Puget Sound for its commitment to the community with the foundation's Community Service Award for 2008

Pierce County Department of Community Services and the Road Home Leadership Team, which recognized Puget Sound with its Systems Change Achievement award in 2008 for our contributions to ending homelessness in Pierce County

United Way of Pierce County, which honored Puget Sound's highly successful Workplace Giving Campaigns in 2006 and 2007

According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, Puget Sound was

also named to the President's National Honor Roll for Higher Education Community Service in

both 2006 and 2007. (Corporation for National) Although the University has been recognized

10University of Puget Sound

nationally for its time, dedication and resources devoted to service within their surrounding

community, the student body continues to respond by challenging the institution to do more.

Recognizing that the University does an excellent job of focusing on community service

and experiential learning both outside and inside the classroom allows us to recognize what this

dedication to involvement brings to the campus as a whole. The idea of servant leadership can be

assumed here. “Servant leadership is a philosophy and set of practices that enriches the lives of

individuals, builds better organizations and ultimately creates a more just and caring world.”

(What Is Servant Leadership) The phrase “servant leadership” was coined by Robert K.

Greenleaf in The Servant as Leader, an essay that he first published in 1970. In that essay,

Greenleaf said, “The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one

wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. That person is

sharply different from one who is leader first, perhaps because of the need to assuage an unusual

power drive or to acquire material possessions…The leader-first and the servant-first are two

extreme types. Between them there are shadings and blends that are part of the infinite variety of

human nature.” (What Is Servant Leadership) This idealism is important to recognize because

not only does it play into the current student body and student experience it also further defines

the community identity. The influence can also be seen in the future goals student set for

themselves and the future of Puget Sound. We can also connect the impact of this type of

learning environment on the alumni and their actions post-graduation from the University of

Puget Sound. “These experiences influence students long after they graduate. The college has

ranked in the top ten small colleges for producing Peace Corps volunteers since 2001, when the

Peace Corps began issuing its annual report. In 2011, Puget Sound tied for seventeenth among

small schools for the number of graduates who joined Teach for America.” (Pope, 2012, p. 298)

11University of Puget Sound

It is within the curriculum that we see the melting pot of ideas begin to come together in a

structured way that enriches the education and experience of the students. “Our engagement

work is aimed at connecting the university's academic assets and personal resources to the

community in order to create and support a variety of projects and programs. The common

purpose of these programs is to collaborate with stakeholders in enhancing the quality of life of

our neighborhood, our great city of Tacoma, and the Puget Sound region as we enrich the

educational experience of our learning community and advance the frontiers of knowledge.”

(Community Engagement, 2014) Advancing the frontier of knowledge stems heavily from the

unique structure of programs of study. The refocusing to a liberal arts approach by the University

of Puget Sound provides for a vision of collaboration within academic fields. “It’s devotion to

the liberal arts feels less like the assumed love between an old married couple and more like the

passion of newlyweds: exciting and enchanting, hopeful and forward looking.” (Pope, 2012, p.

294)

Faculty enjoy the stimulating environment of creating change and advancement of the

current state of their professional fields.  “For proof, look to the colleges curriculum, which is

full of interdisciplinary programs, valuable for their emphasis on connecting ideas from different

fields.” (Pope, 2012, p. 294) Though the issues of faculty and staff security are present at many

Private Liberal Arts Colleges across the nation currently, the faculty at Puget Sound find

themselves in a more stable predicament. The average class size is about 18 students and the

faculty to staff ratio is standing at 12:1. There are about 93% of the faculty that are full time and

those holding a doctorate or equivalent are 99% of tenure-line faculty. (About Us, You Ask?

2014) These facts alone help provide an environment for not only student success but also faculty

success, which holds the key to the forward thinking attitude that fuels the campus. The faculty

12University of Puget Sound

are eager to work with students and to serve as mentors and role models to their students. Many

faculty members represent the epitome of a ‘good professor’ and students rant about the quality

of the teaching at Puget Sound. The faculty not only serve as teachers they do their fair share of

research and development within their fields. The interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum and

programs of study are inspired by the ideas of students and faculty often pushing the boundaries

of knowledge together to expand the depth of understanding we hold in the present day of our

fields of study. “But the faculty here like to dream up new courses and expand offerings as their

fields grow, change and overlap.” (POPE, 2012, p. 294) Something like an exceptional student

creating a Special Disciplinary Major (SIM) in combination of multiple academic interests is not

unheard of at the University. This attitude toward growth and change does wonders for the

creativity found in the classrooms all across campus.

Alongside the unique collaborative approach to learning there is a core liberal arts

education. Puget Sound provides a four-year core curriculum, as is traditional in the liberal arts,

and the offer of more than 50 traditional and interdisciplinary programs to choose from are. Over

1,200 courses are offered annually and there is a restriction at Puget Sound that all students must

wait to declare their major within their sophomore year. The delayed timing allows for more

exploration and reflection many students need during this often daunting time in their lives as

young adults. (About Us, You Ask? 2014)

The themes of experiential learning expand beyond the classroom and the Tacoma

community for the students of Puget Sound. The learning expands out to the global community

through the University’s intentional and poignant investment in the study abroad experience. In

1963 the Study Abroad program began and funding for these programs quickly followed suit as

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well. (1880s, 2014) Although the University has multiple study abroad experiences for students

to choose from today, The Pac Rim experience stands alone in comparison (Appendix D). In

1973 The Pac Rim experience assumed the reoccurring three year structure it still abides by

today. (1880s, 2014) As a noted Study Abroad program of the University, “The Pac Rim

experience strips away a student’s assumptions and gives her powerful academic and personal

experiences. She sees for herself the cultural, political, and economic influences of each place

and expands her understanding of global affairs.” (Pope, 2012 p. 296)

A program that provides personal understanding to a student and knowledge they will

need to have prior to departing as well as prefacing them for the knowledge they will likely gain

throughout the experience, ultimately provides a more quality program for the students. This

process also helps evade or reduce the likelihood of ‘disaster tourism,’ a term I learned from the

“10 Myths of Social Justice,” presentation given by Vernon Wall at the American College

Personnel Association (ACPA) Convention in late March. The term disaster tourism explains the

issues faced by communities when students visiting from affluent environments visit

communities abroad (or at home in the nation) without the proper level of self-awareness and

personal contextual understanding. A common culprit of this phenomenon is both spring break

trips and study abroad programs.

Quality assurance has been an underlying theme throughout this process of discovery of

Puget Sound. This extends to the environmental realm, academic realm, professional realm and

personal realm of the student experience at the University of Puget Sound. The quality of the

experience aligns with the mission the University holds itself to. “The mission of the university

is to develop in its student’s capacities for critical analysis, aesthetic appreciation, sound

14University of Puget Sound

judgment, and apt expression that will sustain a lifetime of intellectual curiosity, active inquiry,

and reasoned independence. (Mission Statement, 2014) It is through this mission of the

University that we see the accomplishments being made and the plans for the future being

constructed to continually grow Puget Sound. “In fall 2003, the university began the first phase

of a 20-year master plan. This comprehensive plan will build on the university's strengths and

make improvements that will enhance the value of the institution for all who participate in the

life of the campus.” (2023 Master Plan, 2014) Within this master plan set for 2023, the focus will

be upon environmental construction as well as the strategic planning goals that have been

identified. There are four objectives of the overall strategic plan for the university. They are as

follows:

INNOVATE: Enhance and distinguish the Puget Sound experience.

INSPIRE: Build an inspiring physical environment for learning.

ENGAGE: Forge lifelong relationships.

INVEST: Strengthen our financial position.

(Puget Sound Strategic Planning, 2014)

Of the 2,600 students currently attending the University of Puget Sound the percentage

breakdown by gender stands at 43% men and 57% women who are attending from 44 states, 16

countries and 76% are from outside Washington State. (Diversity Strategic Plan, 2014) The

University’s strategic planning does not just focus its efforts in one capacity, but rater multiple

factors of planning for the future are considered and taken into account. Puget Sound aims for a

15University of Puget Sound

diverse campus by considering their current institutional profile and creating a Diversity

Strategic Plan as well. The current population hosts a student body of:

African American 3%

Asian/Pacific Islander 12%

Caucasian 74%

Hispanic/Latino 6%

Native American 2%

Other 3%

International approximately 1%

To become a more diverse campus the strategic planning committee laid the ground work by

identifying the moves that will receive concentrated efforts and funding to move progressively

toward the identified goals below. (Diversity Strategic Plan, 2014)

Goal One

We will increase the recruitment and retention of students, staff, and faculty from underrepresented minority groups.

Goal Two

We will create a campus environment that fully welcomes and supports social diversity.

Goal Three

We will improve working and business relationships with race/ethnic and other diverse communities in the Puget Sound region.

Goal Four

We will be accountable for implementing the diversity strategic plan and working toward achieving diversity goals.

(Diversity Strategic Plan, 2014)

16University of Puget Sound

In 2013 the University of Puget Sound celebrated 125 years as a university. A deep rich

history is not complete without the involvement of those who have made that history come alive.

Alumni express deep gratitude for what the college did for them. An executive of Netflix and a

1992 alumnus expressed his feelings about his alma mater. “Puget Sound taught me that really,

it’s up to you to choose your path... It gives you opportunities and makes the consequences of

failure low. It taught me to take chances and to be an outside-the-box thinker…The people who

are going to solve the problems of the world are the ones who see the problem differently from

anyone else. Puget Sound helped me with that, and I look for people who can do that too.” (Pope,

2012, p. 298) The phrase “Once a logger, always a logger,” resounds as more than just a saying

and instead is taken to heart by all those who have lived there. “One of our greatest sources of

pride is the alumni of this university, who distinguish themselves at such a high level throughout

the world and throughout the range of human experience. They embody the spirit of leadership

and innovation we have identified above and form a remarkable group of individuals in their

communities.” (Defining Moments, 2005) The University provides its students an institution

equip to inspire growth and learning about themselves and the environment they live in. Through

their experiences these students come away from the University of Puget Sound ready to not

only pursue their dreams, but to also create positive change in our world.

Resources

A Sound Past (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/history-traditions/

About Us, You Ask? (2014)

17University of Puget Sound

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/

Brock, T. (2010). Young Adults and Higher Education: Barriers and Breakthroughs to Success,

Transition to Adulthood, Vol 20, Issue 1, Retrieved from:

http://futureofchildren.org/publications/journals/article/index.xml?journalid=72&articleid=523&sectionid=3589

Community Engagement (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/community/

Corporation for Nationals and Community Service (N.D)

Retrieved From: http://www.nationalservice.gov/

Defining Moments: A Vision for the University of Puget Sound. (2005)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/history-traditions/defining-moments/

Diversity Strategic Plan. (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/diversity-at-puget-sound/diversity-strategic-plan/

Estuary (2014)

Retrieved From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estuary

Mission Statement (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/strategic-planning/mission-statement/

18University of Puget Sound

Pope, L. (2012). Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools That Will Change the Way You Think

About Colleges. London, England: Penguin Books Ltd.

Puget Sound Strategic Planning. (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/strategic-planning/

Saving Puget Sound. (N.D)

Retrieved From: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/puget_sound/education.html

What is Servant Leadership? (N.D.)

Retrieved From: https://greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

1880s. (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/125/timeline/1880s

1970s. (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/125/timeline/1970s/

1980s. (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/125/timeline/1980s/

1990s. (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/125/timeline/1990s/

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2023 Master Plan for University of Puget Sound. (2014)

Retrieved From: http://www.pugetsound.edu/about/strategic-planning/the-master-plan/

Appendix A

20University of Puget Sound

Schiff Residential Hall

Appendix B

Current President Ron Thomas and the UPS Hatchet

Appendix C

21University of Puget Sound

Puget Sound Watershed/ estuary

Appendix D

22University of Puget Sound

The Pac Rim Experience