A Seattle university clocktower displays symbols from six ancient cultures to represent human knowledge.

Science · Published 20 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In front of Seattle Pacific University’s central academic building stands a clocktower featuring a bas-relief sculpture titled Science, Religion and Humanities. Created by former art professor Ernst Schwidder, the work incorporates symbolic motifs from Pima, Arabic, Aztec, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greek cultures to represent the breadth of human academic inquiry.

Seattle Pacific University, a private Christian institution founded in 1891, has evolved significantly from its origins as a seminary for the Free Methodist Church. Originally established to train missionaries, the school has grown into a doctoral-degree-granting university. Its campus, situated on 43 acres at the northern end of Queen Anne Hill, reflects this history through its architecture, ranging from the 1893 Alexander Hall—the oldest building on campus—to the modern Philip W. and Sharon K. Eaton Hall, a facility dedicated to the hard sciences.

The university's academic identity is deeply tied to its religious roots, yet it maintains a focus on diverse fields of study. The Eaton Hall facility, completed in 2003, serves as the hub for biology, chemistry, and psychology, housing advanced equipment like an electron microscope. This focus on scientific rigor is paired with a unique honors curriculum, the University Scholars program, which requires students to engage with questions about the nature of humanity and the intersection of faith and science. This interdisciplinary approach is physically manifested in the campus clocktower, where the relief panels illustrate the unity of the physical sciences, social sciences, and humanities.

Despite its academic pursuits, the university has faced significant internal and external challenges in recent years. In 2022, the board of trustees faced a no-confidence vote from faculty following a decision to maintain hiring policies that exclude LGBTQ individuals, leading to legal scrutiny from the Washington Attorney General. Furthermore, the institution has navigated financial pressures, resulting in budget cuts and the elimination of academic majors in 2023 and 2024. These events highlight the ongoing tension between the university's traditional religious mission and the evolving expectations of its broader community.

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