2017

Richard “Dick” Thomassen, professor emeritus of mathematics and computer science and an educator known for his dedication to students, faculty governance and the 3-2 Engineering Program, died on June 7 in Walla Walla.

The Whitman College women’s and men’s tennis teams aced this season, with both squads advancing to the NCAA Division III Championship tournament in Claremont, California, in May.

A record 130 students received Whitman Internship Grants this summer. The program began in 1999 and provides financial support for students who arrange their own unpaid internships at for-profit and nonprofit organizations within the United States and around the world.

Praise poured in over the weekend from the entertainment world about the performance legacy of Adam West (William West Anderson) '51, best known as the titular superhero on "Batman."

Adam West (William West Anderson ’51) died Friday night in Los Angeles, according to multiple news reports.

Hundreds of Whitman students continued the tradition by donating thousands of pounds of usable essentials to area charitable organizations during move-out week in May, including to the YWCA, Blue Mountain Action Council Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul Society, Goodwill, Blue Mountain Humane Society, Helpline and Better Together.

Assistant Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlke talked to The New York Times recently about her research on single-sex education for an article titled "No Such Thing as a Math Person." She was the first author of a 2014 meta-analysis representing the testing of 1.6 million students and says the popular idea that boys and girls learn differently is not upheld by neuroscientific literature.

As of the 2017-18 academic year, Whitman students who aspire to be novelists, poets and essayists will be able to earn a new creative writing minor—the college’s 34th.

The document constitutes a formal commitment to collaborate on the development of curricula focused on Native American studies while strengthening Native American recruitment and retention at Whitman. President Kathleen Murray called it a natural extension of the college's central mission to promote student learning and embrace diversity.

The class of 1967 raised almost $1.4 million for their alma mater, the second highest gift total for any graduating class in Whitman’s history, and they have estate commitments to Whitman valued at more than $9 million—the most for any Whittie class.