Whitman Stories

The Walla Walla community is invited to join Whitman College in creating positive social change during its inaugural Unity Week events, Jan. 20-24, 2020. It’s a week that brings together community members, leaders in social justice, and college students from Whitman College, Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) and Walla Walla University (WWU) with speakers and workshops aimed at transforming a passion for equality into action.

Associate Professor of Psychology Erin Pahlk, who co-authored a study last year about kids' reactions to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, said that right now children need some help "thinking through the different politicians’ perspectives and the different policies."

The new decade is being ushered in at Sheehan Gallery with a trio of nature photography shows, which open at Whitman College’s art gallery on Jan. 31. The larger gallery space will feature “Fire Stories,” an exhibit displaying the photography of John Marshall and the Osborne Panorama Project

Carl Ye ’21, a junior from Qingdao, China, will spend spring semester studying abroad in Hungary through the Budapest Semesters in Mathematics.

Native American beadwork artists Marcus Amerman ’81 pushes the envelope on traditional beadwork by creating realistic pieces based on historic photographs. A member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Amerman earned a degree in art from Whitman College and often infuses his work with sociopolitical messages.

A college located 260 miles east of the Pacific Ocean may not be thought as the best environment to pursue studies in marine biology. But biology major Makana Stone ’20 found that despite Walla Walla, Washington’s high desert climate, she was able to find the opportunities she needed to pursue her love of marine science at Whitman College.

When John Cunnison '95 started at Whitman College, he thought he wanted to be a doctor. But in a first-year class with now-Emeritus Professor Timothy Kaufman-Osborn, he discovered politics. Driven by intellectual curiosity, after he earned his bachelor's in politics from Whitman, Cunnison traveled to Kunming, China, to teach English through the Whitman in China Program.

Kim Smith ’90 returned to Whitman to give the 2019 Sava and Danica Andjelkovic Endowed Lecture: "Education for Sustainable Development: The Future Depends on Us!" Smith’s expertise in — and passion for — environmental sociology has made her an international leader in sustainability education, representing the U.S. in global efforts, while also bettering her own community in Portland, Oregon.

Religion major and psychology minor Sam Geschickter '20 got first-hand experience learning the theories and processes of investment banking as an intern at Baker Boyer Bank in Walla Walla, Washington. Geschickter combined the critical thinking skills he's learned at Whitman into his internship experience.

The Whitman College Board of Trustees has announced the renewal of President Kathleen Murray's contract dating from July 1, 2020.

Each semester, dozens of students at Whitman College work closely with faculty mentors in labs and classrooms across the campus. These collaborations often result in research papers, journal articles, capstone projects for graduating seniors, and presentations at the Whitman Undergraduate Conference. This fall, nearly two dozen science students had the opportunity to share their research projects with other scientists and students at the 28th annual Murdock College Science Research Program Conference in Vancouver, Washington.

It’s important to study history, the old saying goes, because history tends to repeat itself. If we study the past, we can avoid repeating our mistakes. When it comes to America’s history with slavery, Hasan Kwame Jeffries thinks we still have plenty of reflection and work to do.