Newsroom

Renamed Department of Hispanic Studies Emphasizes Culture, Context

June 4, 2019 Whitman’s newly named Department of Hispanic Studies is alive with energy. For the 2019-2020 academic year, the department, formerly known as Spanish, has a new name, revamped existing courses and several newly created courses. The name change was many years in the making, but it was an external review conducted in 2018 that proved to be the catalyst for the changes.

Meet Our Whitties: Lauren Mendoza '22

June 4, 2019 Lauren Mendoza came to Whitman from Minneapolis, Minnesota. "I heard about Whitman at a Colleges that Change Lives college fair. I love the Pacific Northwest and I’m a huge backpacker. I wanted easy access to the outdoors. I visited Walla Walla and I really liked it."

The Caretakers of Whitman's Tree Canopy

June 2, 2019 From native plant gardens buzzing with honeybees to flowering shrubs to “celebrity” trees and all the flora and fauna in between, the campus brims with natural beauty. Maintaining its luster for everyone to enjoy is a team effort.

Research Opportunities Expose Students to New Career Paths

May 31, 2019 As a researcher and instructor in the Department of Chemistry at Whitman College, Dalia Biswas has worked with more than a dozen undergraduate students on different aspects of her research molybdenum-catalyzed transformation of CO. She's seen how much the exposure to research helps students connect what they learn in the classroom to a real career.

Whitman College Names New Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion

May 30, 2019 Whitman College President Kathleen Murray today announced the appointment of Thomas Witherspoon as the college’s new vice president for diversity and inclusion.

VIDEO: I'm a Whittie — Aliyah Fard '22

May 27, 2019 Aliyah Fard '22 came to Whitman through the Summer Fly-In Program available to first-generation and working-class students. The connections she made during that program allowed her to start on campus already knowing familiar faces around campus. As a social media intern, Fard helps run fun campaigns and come up with content for Whitman's social media channels. Fard is a first-year student from Denver, a soon-to-be environmental politics major, a social media intern and a Whittie.

Maddy Gold '19 Combines Love for Performance, Justice in Socially Engaged Theatre

May 24, 2019 This summer, Gold is staying in Walla Walla making socially engaged theatre with collaborators Erina Horikawa '19 and Donovan Olsen '19. The trio was inspired by "Because You Are Here," a project that began in Fall 2018 in Associate Professor Jessica Cerullo's devised theatre class and co-taught by Tia Kramer, a social practice artist in Walla Walla. The work is being funded through a Davis Projects for Peace grant and through Whitman's Ben Rabinowitz Award.

Lia Beatty '21 Finds Her Voice and a National Spotlight in Advocacy Work

May 22, 2019 When Lia Beatty '21 joined the Eye to Eye Chapter at Whitman College and became involved in advocacy for students with learning disabilities, she had no idea that work would catapult her into a national spotlight.

Whitman College Names New Athletic Director

May 22, 2019 Whitman College Provost and Dean of the Faculty Alzada Tipton today announced the appointment of Kim Chandler as the college’s new athletic director and chair of Sports Studies, Recreation and Athletics.

VIDEO: I'm a Whittie - Isaiah Banta '20

May 20, 2019 Isaiah Banta is part of the Class of 2020 at Whitman. Isaiah has had the unique experience of taking a class at the Washington State Penitentiary with incarcerated students. Isaiah is a resident assistant in Anderson Hall and while he initially thought he would be studying physics at Whitman he realized that computer science would help him learn, "to build the world."

Math Professor Adam Graham-Squire '98 Receives Distinguished Teaching Award

May 20, 2019 The associate professor of mathematics was honored with the Meredith Clark Slane Distinguished Teaching-Service Award during High Point University’s 2019 Commencement ceremony. The award is named for Meredith Clark Slane and has been given annually since 1973 to recognize excellence in teaching. Graham-Squire has been teaching at High Point since 2011.

Class of 2019 Feeling Good as Whitman Celebrates 133rd Commencement

May 19, 2019 Blue sky peeked through the clouds to shine on bright spirits on Sunday, May 19, 2019, during Whitman College's 133rd Commencement Ceremony. Keynote speaker Aisha Fukushima '09 led the class in a call-and-response rendition of the song "Feelin' Good."

Senior Class Speakers Call on Graduates to Keep Learning

May 15, 2019 On Sunday, May 19, 2019, the Class of 2019 will move on from life as students at Whitman College. But senior class speakers Dorothy Mukasa ’19 and Esther Ra ’19 hope their classmates won’t move on from a life devoted to learning. That’s the focus of the speech the two seniors will give during the ceremony, which begins at 11 a.m.

Aisha Fukushima '09 Returns to Tell Her Story at Commencement

May 14, 2019 The notable alumna returns to Whitman May 19 to deliver remarks on her worldwide journey as an artist and activist as the college's 2019 commencement speaker. "An image came to my mind of a cycle, of 10 years, and returning full circle," Fukushima said of being asked to address the graduating class. "I’m excited, I’m curious. I’m coming in with an interest in their goals. I hopefully have a message that the next generation of leaders need to hear."

VIDEO: I'm a Whittie - Nadyieli Gonzalez Ortiz '21

May 13, 2019 Nadyieli Gonzalez Ortiz '21 is in her second year at Whitman. After taking a class with Aaron Bobrow-Strain she realized she wanted to study politics because it would put her on the career path she wants to take. Although the Whitman community keeps her busy, Nadyeili enjoys the town of Walla Walla and feels there are people all around the community that contribute to her Whitman experience in "really cool ways."

VIDEO: Senior Explores Community Health through Pop-Up Acupuncture Clinic

May 9, 2019 Olivia Hagmann ’19 applied her experience as an intern at the People’s Organization for Community Acupuncture (POCA) in Seattle to organize a pop-up acupuncture clinic in downtown Walla Walla. A double major in anthropology and film and media studies at Whitman College, Hagmann was awarded a Mellon Community Engagement Grant to fund the Walla Walla Acupuncture Project, which served as her senior capstone integrative experience.

Undergraduate Research is Key for Geology Faculty Lyman Persico

May 9, 2019 In the driest desert in North America, Lyman Persico became a geologist. He was an undergraduate researcher working alongside doctoral students and professors on a project through the University of Vermont. In a remote part of the Mojave Desert, they were measuring erosion rates of hillslopes.

VIDEO: I'm a Whittie - Maegen Martin '19

May 6, 2019 Maegen Martin is a member of the Class of 2019. After visiting Whitman for the first time, she realized how close-knit the community was and knew she wanted to attend. As a member of the women's basketball team, Meagen has seen her role at Whitman change both on and off the court.

Alumna Brings Global Hip-Hop Message to 2019 Commencement

May 6, 2019 The founder of RAPtivism, Aisha Fukushima '09, will deliver this year’s commencement address at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 19, 2019.

Student Supports Sustainable Agriculture in Madagascar through Internship Grant

May 3, 2019 Halfway around the world in Madagascar, subsistence farmers are harvesting silk from silkworms and weaving them into burial shrouds. But it's a student from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, who is helping turn that fabric into a marketable industry.