Whitman President George Bridges named to Washington State Academy of Sciences

Whitman President George Bridges has been elected to the Washington State Academy of Sciences, an organization established to advise the state on science policy. President Bridges will join 35 newly-elected members from around the state for an induction ceremony held in Seattle in September. The recent election brings the total number of active academy members to 184.

"I am deeply honored to join this group," Bridges said. "Its membership includes some of the nation's leading scientists, scholars and academic leaders."

Founded in 2005, the academy not only provides expert scientific and engineering analysis to inform public policy-making, but also works to increase the role and visibility of science in the State of Washington.

George Bridges

Individuals are elected on the virtue of their distinguished and ongoing scholarly achievements. Other inductees represent a range of academic disciplines and include faculty members and academic leaders at the University of Washington, Washington State University, Western Washington University, and Princeton University, among others.

Bridges spent much of his career studying the role of racial inequality in the American justice system. Some of his research findings prompted legal reforms in Washington State and on the national level promoting equal treatment for racial and ethnic minorities accused of crimes.

He says he feels very fortunate to have been able to shift his focus later in his career to the "equally important work of advancing undergraduate learning at Whitman."

"The opportunity to lead one of our country's great colleges solely dedicated to creating exceptional experiences for students and where the faculty are both extremely talented scholars and educators represents a tremendous honor and privilege," he said.

"The successes we have at Whitman represent the successes of many, most certainly not mine nor those of any one individual. To the extent that my position and work here contributed to this election, the faculty and staff of Whitman College deserve equal recognition for the honor."