Newsroom

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.

Visiting Educators Bring Unique Expertise to Whitman

May 2, 2019 Each semester, students at Whitman College get the chance to be exposed to ideas from around the globe, thanks to the O’Donnell Visiting Educator program. Managed by the Center for Global Studies, the O’Donnell program funds visitors from around the world, who bring their expertise and perspective to Walla Walla.

Professor Aaron Bobrow-Strain Publishes Nonfiction Border Story

May 2, 2019 In his new book, "The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez," Professor of Politics Aaron Bobrow-Strain weaves "a rich, novelistic tale of a young woman whose life spans both sides of the United States-Mexican border."

Court of Appeals' Visit to Whitman Features Alumni on Both Sides of the Bench

May 1, 2019 Two alumni will meet in legal action on Whitman's campus this week, when trial lawyer Andrea Burkhart '00 argues a case in front of Chief Judge Robert Lawrence-Berrey '86 of the Washington State Court of Appeals (Division III). The oral arguments will be held in Maxey Auditorium at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. on Thursday, May 2, and are open to the public.

Hosokawa Lecturer: Tell the Stories that Need to be Told

May 1, 2019 Best-selling author Sarah Kendzior came to Whitman on April 24, 2019, to encourage students from the Whitman Wire to continue their pursuit of journalism.

Bécquer Medak-Seguín '10 Examines Impact of Spain's Election

April 30, 2019 Bécquer Medak-Seguín '10 is an assistant professor of Iberian studies at Johns Hopkins University. He co-wrote this essay titled, "In a Polarized Spain, Voters Give the Socialists Another Chance." It reports on the latest political shifts within Spain's government, including Socialist gains as well as the emergence of a strong far-right.

Patrick Page '85 Nominated for Tony Award

April 30, 2019 The actor earned his first Tony nod for his role in the new Broadway musical "Hadestown," from director Rachel Chavkin and singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. The show, which brings the ancient Greek story of Orpheus and Eurydice and their journey to the underworld to 1930s America, leads the field of Tony Award nominations this year with 14, including Page's for best featured actor in a musical.

Alumna Becky Avila '09 Shares Advocacy Message with Students

April 29, 2019 Becky Avila ’09 knows how hard it can be for first-generation students of color to succeed in college. As a first-year student at Whitman College in 2005, she worked hard to overcome hurdles. Since graduating with her degree in race and ethnic studies, Avila went on to earn a graduate degree and return to the Los Angeles neighborhood where she grew up.

Life After Whitman: Leah Wilson-Velasco '03

April 29, 2019 As CEO of the Walla Walla Symphony, Leah Wilson-Velasco '03 brings people together through music. Starting with her undergraduate work managing the Fridays at Four recital series at Whitman College, Wilson-Velasco found her calling in the arts administration field.

Lauren McCullough '12 Featured in Photography Series on Multilayered Identity

April 28, 2019 A politics major at Whitman who currently resides in Seoul, McCullough provided this statement to accompany her portrait: "I'm Korean. I'm American. I'm an adoptee. I don't care to hyphenate or qualify; if I did, where would it end? I push against the rigid boundaries of Koreanness." Korean-Canadian photographer Hannah Yoon, who is behind the project, says connecting with other Koreans abroad while collaborating on her work led to a deeper understanding of her own life experience.

Sociology Professor Discusses Implications of Household Contaminants

April 22, 2019 Assistant Professor of Sociology and Garrett Fellow Alissa Cordner, who specializes in environmental health and risk management, talked about the public safety concerns associated with a group of fluorinated pollutants known as PFAS, common but little-understood chemicals used in water-resistant clothing, stain-resistant furniture, nonstick cookware and many other consumer products. Cordner is one of the organizers of a nationwide PFAS contamination list.

Sociology Professor Explores How to Help Kids in Blended Families Feel at Home

April 21, 2019 Raymond and Elsie DeBurgh Chair of Social Sciences and Professor of Sociology Michelle Janning explained the importance of personal space for children living in blended families, whether that means a room, a shelf, a chest, a desk or a drawer of their own. She noted, "The amount of stuff or the size of the space one controls doesn’t matter so much as the feeling that you have control over your things."

Politics Professor Interviewed on New Immigration Book, Border Policy

April 20, 2019 Professor of Politics Aaron Bobrow-Strain spoke to NPR Weekend Edition host Scott Simon about his new book, The Death and Life of Aida Hernandez, which chronicles one undocumented woman's journey through the U.S. immigration system.

VIDEO: I'm a Whittie - Lukas Koester '19

April 18, 2019 Lukas Koester graduates from Whitman in May 2019. From trombone playing to working in the student engagement center, Lukas has learned a lot during his four years at Whitman, a place he knew he could call home the first time he visited.

Debate Team Trains Students to Listen Critically

April 18, 2019 At Whitman College, students are learning the critical role that well-honed arguments and careful listening play in the art of debate. Led by Lauran Schaefer, director of Debate and Forensics, and Baker Weilert, assistant director, the Whitman Debate Team is training students not just to argue, but also to listen.

Whitman Hosts Printmaking Classes for Bilingual First-Graders

April 17, 2019 This spring, the Fouts Center for the Visual Arts is the site of a new arts program bringing bilingual first-graders from Edison Elementary School in Walla Walla to Whitman’s campus.

All In: Debi Toews '76 Knows the Impact of Scholarships

April 16, 2019 Debi (Aucutt) Toews '76 journey to Whitman College began in a hair salon. That's where her mother ran into another mom whose daughter was a sophomore at Whitman. Her mom loved the idea of the small class sizes. For Toews, she loved the friendly approach of then-director of admissions William Tingley, whom she met at a college fair shortly thereafter.

All In: Community Connections Spur Alumni Couple to Give Back

April 16, 2019 Kate (Pringle) VanDonge ’11 met her future husband in the History of Ancient Greece. But it wasn’t the battle of Troy or the birth of philosophy that ignited young love. It was the wardrobe of a guest lecturer.

All In: From “New Dorm” to a New Dorm — 40 Years Gives Employee Couple Unique Perspective on Giving

April 16, 2019 Nancy Tavelli and Keith Farrington came to Whitman College in 1977. Farrington took a faculty position in the Department of Sociology. Tavelli was a resident director in “new dorm” — now William O. Douglas Hall.