Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) is a private university offering liberal arts and professional school programs located in Parkland, a suburb of Tacoma, Washington, United States. Founded by Norwegian Lutheran pioneers in 1890, PLU is sponsored by the 580 congregations of Region I of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. PLU has approximately 3,300 students enrolled. As of 2016, the school employs approximately 220 full-time professors on the 156-acre (630,000 m2) woodland campus.