Davis Family Endows Scholarship To Support the Study of Humanities

When he graduated from Whitman College, Joe Davis ’80 could see a clear career path ahead of him. He was confident his Economics degree and liberal arts training had set him up for a successful career in business. After going on to earn his MBA from Harvard University, he spent nearly 40 years at Boston Consulting Group, retiring as Managing Director and Senior Partner.

Today, with the advent of new technologies and the changing outlook for some career fields, things are a bit more complicated for those entering the workforce. But for Joe, the liberal arts are as important as ever.

“What’s really going to be required to rise to leadership roles is the ability to think through complexity, sort out what matters and what does not, and connect with humans,” Joe says. “A liberal arts education is fundamental to all of that.”

That’s why he and his wife, Sarah (Nordholm) Davis ’80, with support from their son Andrew Davis ’18 and daughter-in-law Katie (Duncan) Davis ’23, established the Davis Family Humanities Endowed Scholarship in 2024. The scholarship provides need-based support for students interested in majoring in the humanities.

“The humanities underpin a liberal arts education,” says Joe. “The future is going to require people who can see past the technology and deeply think through the human impact of the inevitable changes that will affect each of us.”

A Community That Cares

Joe and Sarah met when he was Head Resident and she was a Resident Assistant in Jewett Hall. Many of their fondest memories involve their professors, from studying volcanoes on a spring break trip with Bob Carson (Grace Farnsworth Phillips Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies, Emeritus) to being married by George Ball (the late Weyerhaeuser Professor of Biblical Literature) in 1981.

“The professors were deeply interested in you as a student,” says Sarah, who majored in Sociology and later earned a Nursing degree from Samuel Merritt College. “They helped me develop a love for learning.” 

That level of attention and support has not changed over the years, notes Andrew. 

“I majored in Philosophy, and I can’t imagine studying it in any other type of environment,” he says. “I’d be in a class with seven people gathered around a table. Sometimes we’d hold our discussions outside on Ankeny Field. Whitman is a wonderful place to explore your values, surrounded by a special community.”

Today, Andrew is an entrepreneur in the biotechnology sector. He founded InoculateTheWorld, a fungal genetics company, as well as co-founding 5DG Therapeutics, a research lab based out of the University of Florida’s McKnight Brain Institute.

A Family Who Gives Together

Joe and Sarah have made gifts to Whitman every year since graduation, starting with a $10 gift in 1980. Over the years, they have donated to support scholarships, internships, Cleveland Commons and the new Junior-Senior Village. They also have been generous with their time: Joe currently serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees.

“I think it’s important to support the places that play a pivotal role in your life, and it is quite apparent how important Whitman was, and is, to Sarah and me,” Joe says. “This place is deeply and personally meaningful to our family.”

Like his parents, Andrew first donated to Whitman with a $10 gift to support the Senior Fund—and when she graduated, Katie gave $50 to support Panhellenic and the student food pantry. Andrew later was one of the first alums to join the 50 Under 50 program, which recognizes alumni under 50 years old who have made gifts or pledges exceeding $50,000. His generous multiyear pledge to The Whitman Fund is designated to internships. He and Katie are proud to join Joe and Sarah’s legacy in making a difference in the lives of future Whitties.

“I had a similar scholarship that allowed me to attend Whitman,” says Katie, who majored in Computer Science and Classics and now works as an Executive Functioning Specialist at Encompass Tutorial Services. “My sense of self completely changed at Whitman, and I grew into a version of myself I didn’t know existed. That would not have been possible without a scholarship like this.”