Whitman Stories

Whitman College President Kathleen Murray has signed the America Is All In statement, assuring Whitman’s commitment to the Paris Agreement on climate change and pledging to partner with the Biden-Harris administration to tackle the climate crisis.

On Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, Whitman College, Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) and Walla Walla University (WWU) are coming together to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with two events open to the entire Walla Walla community.

Before the first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines could begin arriving in Walla Walla to immunize local health care workers, some logistics had to be figured out. When Providence St. Mary Medical Center was unable to get a freezer delivered in time, Whitman professors Brit Moss and Jim Russo stepped up and took action.

A giant volcano may be hidden beneath the waters off the southwestern coast of Alaska. The discovery is the result of years of research by scientists from across the country including Whitman Geology Professor Kirsten Nicolaysen and her team of student researchers.

Walla Walla Child Advocates is a volunteer-based advocacy program for children in foster care. The program's mission is to provide culturally sensitive, best interest advocacy to children within the court system who have experienced abuse or neglect. Albert Schueller, a mathematics professor at Whitman College, has been a Walla Walla Child Advocate for seven years.

Laura Krantz’s career has taken a few turns, but the wildest of them all is the one that got her researching Bigfoot and aliens. As she releases the second season of her hit podcast “Wild Thing” it is worth looking back to the origins of Krantz’s stories. How exactly does a history major and daily news journalist become involved in producing a podcast that tells the stories of questionable beings such as sasquatch and aliens? Krantz ’00 says it all started with a shared last name.

Whitman College and Walla Walla University are both planning to bring students back to campus in January. Officials at Whitman College and Walla Walla University announced their plans earlier this fall. “We have learned a great deal more about the virus,” Whitman College President Kathleen Murray said. “We have also learned from institutions that did well this fall, as well as institutions that struggled.”

An online survey conducted out of Whitman College found more than half of Washingtonians say they have delayed medical visits this year. The findings underscore widespread concerns about disruptions to health care during the pandemic. Researchers from the college in Walla Walla asked more than 2,300 Washingtonians if they experienced delayed medical care due to COVID-19.

Jonathan Weinberg '22 has wanted to make an influence on the education system in his hometown since he was a student in the district, not too many years ago. When an opportunity presented itself in the form of an opening on the school board, the junior philosophy major at Whitman felt called to step forward.

A global pandemic. Social unrest. A presidential election year. Across the nation and college campuses, 2020 has upped stress and anxiety to exhausting levels.That’s why counselors representing the Walla Walla Tri-Colleges came together to provide self-care tips and resources for students, faculty and staff across the three communities.

In this issue of Whitman Magazine, we’re highlighting members of the Whitman community who are supporting each other and their communities during the current COVID-19 crisis. Whitties are too creative to let a global pandemic keep us from building community and doing important work.

Whitman College is famed for its challenging academics, deep community engagement and the way it uniquely empowers students to create their best life. Last spring, when COVID-19 forced the college to move to online learning, professors had to ask: How do we translate Whitman’s robust academic programming, community-building and close connections to a virtual format?