Who We Are
The Center for Global Studies serves as a nexus to help faculty, staff, and students access and reflect on existing global learning opportunities at Whitman College. The Center for Global Studies is a hub for creating innovative new communities and global learning opportunities for our campus.
What We Do
The Center for Global Studies assists faculty with the development of innovative curricula, oversees Whitman’s Concentration in Global Studies, connects students with global experiences in partnership with Off-Campus Studies and the Career and Community Engagement Center, and administers the O’Donnell Visiting Educator program.
Learn more about how we are connecting Whitman, Walla Walla, and the world below.
Global Studies Concentration
O'Donnell Visiting Educators
Global Returns: Critical Engagements After Study Abroad
Our History
The Center for Global Studies emerged from Whitman College’s long-standing commitment to preparing students for lives of purpose and ethical action in a global world—a world shaped by webs of natural, economic, cultural, and social connections that defy geopolitical borders. Today’s Center traces its origins more recently to a Global Studies Initiative launched in 2008 with support from a
Mellon Faculty Development Grant. In its first 10 years, this initiative supported faculty development through an annual symposium, summer workshops, and seminars taking a multi-dimensional, interdisciplinary approach to global studies. By supporting faculty innovation and developing unique
O'Donnell lectureships and workshops, the Global Studies Initiative infused global perspective into courses across campus and brought professionals and scholars in the global arena to Whitman College to enrich both student and faculty experiences.
Born in 2018, the Center for Global Studies centralized and expanded this work, notably by developing the Concentration in Global Studies, an innovative curricular program that helps students integrate their in-class learning with immersive off-campus education and globally focused internships. Today, the Center for Global Studies is administered by a Director and Advisory Board and centers its work on the mission of connecting Whitman, Walla Walla, and the world.
Questions?