Whitman Stories

On Monday, Jan. 18, 2021, Whitman College, Walla Walla Community College (WWCC) and Walla Walla University (WWU) are coming together to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with two events open to the entire Walla Walla community.

Before the first Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines could begin arriving in Walla Walla to immunize local health care workers, some logistics had to be figured out. When Providence St. Mary Medical Center was unable to get a freezer delivered in time, Whitman professors Brit Moss and Jim Russo stepped up and took action.

A giant volcano may be hidden beneath the waters off the southwestern coast of Alaska. The discovery is the result of years of research by scientists from across the country including Whitman Geology Professor Kirsten Nicolaysen and her team of student researchers.

Walla Walla Child Advocates is a volunteer-based advocacy program for children in foster care. The program's mission is to provide culturally sensitive, best interest advocacy to children within the court system who have experienced abuse or neglect. Albert Schueller, a mathematics professor at Whitman College, has been a Walla Walla Child Advocate for seven years.

Laura Krantz’s career has taken a few turns, but the wildest of them all is the one that got her researching Bigfoot and aliens. As she releases the second season of her hit podcast “Wild Thing” it is worth looking back to the origins of Krantz’s stories. How exactly does a history major and daily news journalist become involved in producing a podcast that tells the stories of questionable beings such as sasquatch and aliens? Krantz ’00 says it all started with a shared last name.

Whitman College and Walla Walla University are both planning to bring students back to campus in January. Officials at Whitman College and Walla Walla University announced their plans earlier this fall. “We have learned a great deal more about the virus,” Whitman College President Kathleen Murray said. “We have also learned from institutions that did well this fall, as well as institutions that struggled.”

An online survey conducted out of Whitman College found more than half of Washingtonians say they have delayed medical visits this year. The findings underscore widespread concerns about disruptions to health care during the pandemic. Researchers from the college in Walla Walla asked more than 2,300 Washingtonians if they experienced delayed medical care due to COVID-19.

Jonathan Weinberg '22 has wanted to make an influence on the education system in his hometown since he was a student in the district, not too many years ago. When an opportunity presented itself in the form of an opening on the school board, the junior philosophy major at Whitman felt called to step forward.

A global pandemic. Social unrest. A presidential election year. Across the nation and college campuses, 2020 has upped stress and anxiety to exhausting levels.That’s why counselors representing the Walla Walla Tri-Colleges came together to provide self-care tips and resources for students, faculty and staff across the three communities.

Although musicians have to deal with a variety of limitations, many students are still enjoying making music from home or the Whitman practice rooms.

The Princeton Review has ranked Whitman No. 9 among the 2021 Top 50 Green Colleges. Whitman ranked highest among schools from the Pacific Northwest. This ranking acknowledges the college’s efforts to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility on and off campus. The Princeton Review determines a school’s rating based on comprehensive measures of being an “environmentally aware and prepared institution.”

As the election nears, Whitman’s virtual campus has been abuzz with voter registration events, presidential debate watch parties, guest lectures and more. Whitman College faculty, students, staff and alumni have incorporated crucial voter education, activism and involvement into their busy schedules. In 2016, the last presidential election year, nearly 74 percent of eligible Whitman students voted according to campus voting data from the Institute for Democracy & Higher Education.