| A newsletter for alumni and friends
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Whitman College President Kathy Murray Announces Plans to Retire in 2022
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In a statement to the Whitman College community on Feb. 22, 2021, Kathleen M. Murray, the college’s 14th president, announced her plans to retire at the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
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Alumni Forum with
President Kathy Murray
Friday, March 5th 4-5:00 PM PT
President Murray will share an update on the state of the college with a focus
on the recommendations of the collaborative financial sustainability review (FSR) working groups made up of faculty, students, staff, administration and alumni and parent members of the Board of Trustees.
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Wednesday, March 10th 4:00 PM PT
Alumni, students, families and friends of Whitman College are invited to screen the documentary film "Signing Black in America" with associate producers Ceil Lucas '73 and Carolyn McCaskill.
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‘Forever Yuck,’ a Collaboration Rooted in Disgust
A recently published study by psychology professor Thomas Armstrong, a Cambridge researcher and several Whitties examines disgust’s resistance to exposure therapy.
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More Praise for Whitman's Early Financial Aid Guarantees
New York Times columnist Ron Lieber references Whitman's financial aid policy in favorable terms in an interview with NPR about his new book, "The Price You Pay for College."
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2021 Power & Privilege Symposium Opens with Teju Cole’s Reckoning with Racism
Whitman’s annual student-run Power and Privilege Symposium, which provides opportunities for the Whitman community to discuss forms of structural oppression, opened with a keynote address and discussion led by Nigerian-American writer and photographer Teju Cole.
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Virtual Story Times with Whitman Students Become YouTube Channel for Walla Walla Public Schools Students
The YouTube channel, "Story Time With Whitman College", features Whitman students reading aloud a variety of children's books in English and Spanish. Story Time program leader, Claire Weissman '23, explains that the project aims to continue the essential practice of reading with the youngest members of the community, especially during the pandemic. The more than 40 story time videos promote diversity, accceptance and the celebration of culture through stories.
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Reunion News
50th Reunion for Classes of 1970 and 1971 postponed to June 23-26, 2022
The 50th Reunion scheduled for May 20-23 is being postponed until June 2022 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Watch for reunion news in your mailbox, e-mail inbox and Whittie News.
The postponement of the reunion does not impact Commencement Weekend; the decision about graduation will be made by the President’s Cabinet at a later date.
June 2021 Reunions Go Virtual
Reunions originally scheduled for September 2020 then postponed to June 25-27, 2021 will take place virtually. We are disappointed alumni will not be able to visit campus in June, but we made this decision based on the health and safety of our alumni, faculty, staff and students. Stay tuned for details.
Alumni from the Classes of 1955, 1960 and 1965 will join the Classes of 1956, 1961 and 1966 for the Reunion Weekend from September 24 through 26, 2021. Watch for updated information via mail, e-mail and Whittie News.
September 2021 Reunion Weekend
Classes of 1955, 1956, 1960, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1981, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2011
We are moving ahead with plans for reunion weekend in September. Contact your friends and encourage them to join you on campus in the fall! To stay up-to-date on reunion news, go to www.whitman.edu/reunions.
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Coming Attraction: Whitman Undergraduate Conference
The 23rd annual Whitman Undergraduate Conference will take place on Tuesday, April 13, 2021. The event will be virtual but interactive, with opportunities for live discussion. Alumni near and far are invited to attend.
Individual oral presentations will be prerecorded and shared online on the day of the conference. A live Q&A discussion will follow each videotaped oral presentation. Posters will be displayed as PDFs on the conference website. Attendees will be able to interact with poster presenters through the virtual platform Gather.town during the poster session of the conference.
Alumni will have full access to the conference. Stay tuned for updates and the complete 2021 conference schedule on the WUC website.
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Virtual Whitman
Missed a virtual alumni event? Recent additions to the Virtual Whitman site include "Whitman, National Security and America's Long Wars" in two parts - a conversation with four Whitties who served in the U.S. Foreign Service. You can find these recordings, attend a COVID-19 class, find a science experiment to try at home and more on our Virtual Whitman page. See all recordings here.
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Race, Violence and Health Events for March
Friday, March 5, 4 p.m. PT
Michelle Edwards, professor of sociology at Texas State University
“Environmental Injustices in Immigrant Detention: Absences in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Process”
Join the Zoom Here
Monday, March 15, 5 p.m. PT
Mark Golub, associate professor of politics at Scripps College specializing in critical race theory, constitutional law, and African American political thought.
“Race/Riot/Rebellion: rethinking ‘rule of law’ in times of mass protest”
Zoom link coming soon
Please check the Academic Theme site regularly; more events are scheduled through the end of the academic year. These listings are updated with talk titles, descriptions, and Zoom links as they become available.
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Alumni Award Nominations - Deadline March 29
Each year, the Alumni Association recognizes alumni with outstanding achievement in their careers, communities, or through service to the college. New this year: The Trailblazer Diversity & Inclusion Award, recognizing alumni striving to light a path for others to follow. Nominate a classmate, family member or friend by March 29th. See the criteria and nomination form.
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Athletic Schedules
Blues Basketball, Swimming, Soccer and Volleyball continue this month, to be joined by Baseball and Tennis! Competition will be streamed live whenever available. See the schedule for all varsity sports in one place.
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Whitman LinkedIn Community
3,151 Whitties have joined our LinkedIn community. Why don’t you?
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Faculty Book of the Month
Snakes of Central and Western Africa by Jean-Philippe Chippaux and Kate Jackson, Professor of Biology
Published by Johns Hopkins University Press in 2019
“Nobody knows exactly how many snake species live in the biodiversity hotspots of Western and Central Africa. While field guides abound that make mammals, birds, and even insects identifiable for residents, travelers, and scientists, half a continent's herpetological richness has remained shrouded in mystery.” Johns Hopkins University Press
This book is the first comprehensive guide to the region's snakes.
Kate Jackson earned a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 2002; a BSc, MSc University of Toronto in 1994 and 1995, and is a herpetologist interested in African herpetology (especially central Africa), the evolutionary morphology of African snakes, and snakebite in Africa. She arrived at Whitman in 2007
Learn more about Professor Jackson and her herpetology work in the Congo by watching this video.
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Whitman community musicians perform two songs touching on the topics of justice, struggle and resilience.
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