Additional Whitworth Facts & Figures

Mission

Whitworth, founded in 1890, is a private, residential, liberal-arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Whitworth's mission is to provide its diverse student body an education of the mind and heart, equipping its graduates to honor God, follow Christ, and serve humanity. Whitworth's community of teacher-scholars is committed to rigorous and open intellectual inquiry and to the integration of Christian faith and learning.

Students

Enrollment (2008-09)

• Undergraduate: 2,394
• Graduate: 280

Under-Represented Ethnic Enrollment (2008-09)

• Undergraduate: 17.9 percent

Six-Year Graduation Rate (2008-09)

• 74.2 percent of first-time, full-time students enrolled in fall 2001 graduated within six years.

Freshman-to-Sophomore Retention Rate (2008-09)

• 88 percent

Selected Recent Graduate School Placements

Azusa Pacific University
Baylor University School of Law
Brown University
California Institute of Technology
Case Western Reserve University
Chaminade University
Charles University Seminary, Prague
Columbia University
Dominican University
Duke University Divinity School
Eastern Washington University
Fuller Theological Seminary
Harvard University Law School
Harvard University Medical School
Johns Hopkins University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Northwestern University
Old Dominion University
Oregon Health & Science University
Oregon State University
The Pennsylvania State University
Princeton Theological Seminary
The Ohio State University
Seattle Pacific University
State University of New York at Stonybrook
University of Arizona
University of California/Berkeley
University of Colorado
University of Hawaii
University of Massachusetts
University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill
University of Notre Dame
University of Oregon
University of Pennsylvania
University of Rochester
University of San Diego
University of Texas Southwest Medical Center
University of Washington School of Medicine
Vanderbilt University
Washington State University
Western Washington University
Whitworth University

Class of 2013 profile

• Total freshman applications: 5,863
• Acceptance rate: 53 percent
• Enrollment: 570 students
• Average SAT: 1790 (national average: 1510)
  (SAT scores are required for top academic scholarships but are not mandatory for admission.)
• Average GPA: 3.69
• Gender ratio: 55 percent female, 45 percent male
• Non-Caucasian enrollment: 17.9 percent
  

Undergraduate Majors and Programs

• Accounting (B.A.)
• American Studies (B.A.)
• Applied Physics (B.A.)
• Art (B.A.)
• Art, Three-Dimensional: Ceramics, Sculpture, Mixed Media
• Art, Two-Dimensional: Drawing/Painting & Printmaking
• Art Education
• Art History
• Arts Administration (B.A.)
• Athletic Coaching
• Athletic Training (B.S.)
• Biblical Languages
• Biochemistry
• Biology (B.A., B.S.)
• Biophysics (B.S.)
• Business Management (B.A.)
• Certification for Ministry
• Chemistry (B.A., B.S.)
• Communication
• Community Arts
• Community-Based Theatre
• Community Engagement and Transformation
• Computer Science (B.A., B.S.)
• Criminal Justice
• Cross-Cultural Studies, History Emphasis (B.A.)
• Cross-Cultural Studies, Political Science Emphasis (B.A.)
• Dance
• Economics (B.A.)
• Education (Elementary, Secondary, Special Education)
• Engineering (Dual Degree)
• Engineering Physics: Electrical, Mechanical, Management (B.S.)
• English (B.A.)
• English/Language Arts
• ELL (formerly ESL)
• French (B.A.)
• German
• Graphic Design
• Health Science (B.A., B.S.)
• History (B.A.)
• Information Technology
• Instrumental Performance
• International Business (B.A.)
• International Studies, History Emphasis (B.A.)
• International Studies, Political Science Emphasis (B.A.)
• Jazz Performance
• Journalism and Mass Communication (B.A.)
• Kinesiology (B.A.)
• Leadership Studies
• Literature
• Marketing (B.A.)
• Mathematical Economics (B.A.)
• Mathematics (B.A., B.S.)
• Medieval and Early Modern Studies
• Military Science/ROTC
• Music (B.A.)
• Music Business
• Music Composition
• Music Education (B.A.)
• Music Ministry
• Nursing (B.S.)
• Peace Studies (B.A.)
• Performance Theatre
• Philosophy (B.A.)
• Physical Chemistry
• Physics (B.A., B.S.)
• Piano Pedagogy
• Piano Performance
• Political Science (B.A.)
• Pre-Chiropractic
• Pre-Dental
• Pre-Engineering
• Pre-Law
• Pre-Medical Technolog
• Pre-Medicine
• Pre-Ministry
• Pre-Pharmacy
• Pre-Physical Therapy
• Pre-Veterinary
• Printmaking/Digital Art
• Psychology (B.A.)
• Public History
• Reading Instruction
• Social and Cultural Analysis
• Social Service and Community Action
• Sociology (B.A.)
• Spanish (B.A.)
• Speech Communication (B.A.)
• Study Abroad
• Technical Theatre
• Theatre (B.A.)
• Theology (B.A.)
• Visual Communiction
• Voice Performance
• Women's and Gender Studies
• Writing
  

Student Life

• Whitworth's newest residence hall, currently known as East Hall, was dedicated in September 2009. The building is the academic-year home to 170 Whitworth students.
• Residence halls and/or on-campus houses/apartments: 31, accommodating 1,363 students. Whitworth has a two-year residency requirement.
• Student clubs and organizations: Whitworth has nearly 40 student clubs, ranging from Amnesty International to the Hawaiian Club.

Recent Student Highlights

• 2009 President's Cup winners (who maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout their college careers) are Rachel Michelle Anderson, Eric Jacob Brewer, Melissa Joy Garner, Allison Rose Geeslin, Kathryn Jean (Katy) Hartung, Brent Alexander (Xander) Knight, Abraham James Spung, Kellie Marie Vincent, and Larissa Michelle Zeiler.
  
  
• Whitworth's Michelle Creek, '11, Tyler Whitney '11, Gillian Goodrich, '10, and Rashid Gabdulhkov, '09, are four of eight area college students selected for the Class of 2009 Nethercutt Fellows. The Nethercutt Fellowship program gives college students a greater understanding of the importance of civic education and involvement through academic and hands-on experience in eastern Washington and in Washington, D.C.
  
  
• Ben Spaun, '08, was selected from 1,110 top math, science and engineering students nationwide to receive a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship for 2007-08. Spaun was among 317 Goldwater Scholars selected on the basis of academic merit to receive one- and two-year scholarships of up to $7,500 per year. Spaun's one-year award will help pay his tuition during his senior year at Whitworth. He joins Ashley Gibbs, '07, and Caleb Hug, '04, who received the Goldwater Scholarship in 2005 and 2003, respectively.
  
  
• Tim Coughlin, '08, won the top monetary prize in Gonzaga University's 2007-08 Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program Business Plan Competition. Coughlin, a business-management and marketing major, won $10,000 for his company, Buysellfix.com, a repair and refurbishing service for handheld electronics.
  
  
• Leah Hartanov and Travis Hartanov, both '08, won the Best Idea Prize at the University of Washington's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Business Plan Competition. Their business, Krochet Kids International, employs African women to make crocheted hats and accessories for import to the U.S.
  
  
• Five Whitworth teams won more than half of the $42,500 total cash awards in Gonzaga University's 2007 Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program Business Plan Competition. The competition is the largest of its kind in the Inland Northwest. Whitworth's Daniel Belko, '07, and Lewis Turner, '08, took home the $7,500 Avista Social Impact Award for their business plan for a nonprofit bike shop run by and for at-risk teenagers. In the social-enterprise category, Tim Coughlin and Sean Thompson, both '08, won $3,500 for second place. In the community-based category, second place ($3,500) went to Darien Brown, '06, Brennen McQuerry, '07, and Margi Begalka (Gonzaga). And in the student-generated category, Emilie Olson, '08, and Dustin Smith, '08, won the $5,000 second prize.
  
  
• Leah Silvieus and Lindsey Kiehn, both '07, were selected to the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program, which places young Americans as English teachers in middle and high schools throughout Korea. Silvieus, an English major whose 4.0 GPA earned her a 2007 President's Cup, and Kiehn, who earned a 3.91 GPA in her triple major (international studies, French and cross-cultural studies), will join 53 other ETAs in Korea for intensive training and language-immersion orientation. They will be in Korea through the 2007-08 academic year.
  
  
• Trombonist Greg Hoff, '07, earned a gold medal in the Young Artist Brass Division at the 2006 Musicfest Northwest competition at Gonzaga University. The festival, now in its 61st year, draws participants from throughout the country. Hoff, who played lead trombone with the Whitworth Jazz Ensemble, earned a Musicfest Northwest Scholarship and was invited to perform as a soloist with the Spokane Symphony Orchestra.
  
  
• In 2007, The Whitworthian, Whitworth's student newspaper, won the top award in the Excellence in Journalism competition held by the Inland Northwest Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. The paper placed first in the general excellence category, competing with periodicals from Washington State University, Gonzaga University, Eastern Washington University, and North Idaho College. Whitworth also won awards in arts criticism (Dani King, '10), investigative reporting, (Jessica Davis, '08 ), government and politics (Davis and Jamie Evans, '06 ), features (Joy Bacon, '09 ), editorial cartooning (Diana Painter and Peter Smelser, both '07 ), and photo-page photography (Thomas Robinson, '09 ).
  
  
• Bethany Monroe, '06, was honored with a scholarship from the Washington National Press Association Foundation.  The Jim and Kay Flaherty Intern Scholarship includes a stipend and a summer internship at a WNPA-affiliated newspaper.  A journalism/mass-communication major at Whitworth, Monroe is currently a part-time features reporter at Spokane's The Spokesman-Review.  Her future plans include newspaper work as a feature or news reporter.
  
  
• Lisa Trefts and Sara Tanzi-Dunham, both '07 MIM, were selected for academic internships in the 2006 Graduate Study Programme at the United Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland. The students' appointments to the highly competitive program follow those of the Master of International Management Program's Randall Johanson, who participated in 2005, Jolene Piccolo, '04, and Mike Jazskowiak, '03.
  
  
• Samantha Kephart, '08, brought two NCAA Division III national championships to Whitworth in spring 2006.  Kephart, from Santa Maria, Calif., won the 100- and 200-meter butterfly races at the DIII national meet at the University of Minnesota, shattering her own NCAA record in the 200 and beating the defending national champion by more than five seconds.
  
  
• Leah Silvieus and Benjamin Tkach are Whitworth's 2007 President's Cup winners.  The President's Cup is Whitworth's highest academic award, given to graduating seniors who have maintained a perfect 4.0 average throughout their four years at Whitworth.

Faculty

Full-Time Faculty: 133
Student-Faculty Ratio: 12-to-1

Recent Faculty Highlights

• Associate Professor of English Laurie Lamon, '78, was chosen by U.S. Poet Laureate Donald Hall as one of two new voices in poetry to receive 2007 Witter Bynner Fellowships. Newspaperman David Tucker was the other honoree. Hall awarded the prizes to Lamon and Tucker in March 2007 at the Library of Congress, and the two poets read from their works during the awards ceremony. Each received a $10,000 fellowship provided by the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry in conjunction with the Library of Congress. Lamon, whom Hall characterizes as "an exquisite writer of lyrics, writing a musical poetry that is delicate and pure," recently published her debut poetry collection, The Fork Without Hunger (CavanKerryPress, 2005).
  
  
• Associate Professor of Kinesiology & Athletics Russ Richardson, who also directs Whitworth’s Athletic Training Education Program, received the Washington State Athletic Trainers Association 2007 Excellence in Service Award, as well as the Northwest Athletic Trainers Association Outstanding Service Award. Richardson received the first award in recognition of his co-authoring a bill that would regulate the practice of athletic training and moving that bill through the Washington State Legislature. He was also recognized for his efforts to develop the Alaska Athletic Trainers Association and for his service to NATA District 10 through various leadership roles.
  
  
• Math and Computer Science Professor Susan Mabry has been awarded two National Science Foundation grants to research and develop intelligent software agents for complex medical environments and recently published a book titled Intelligent Agents for Patient Monitoring and Diagnostics.
  
  
• Is Jesus the Only Savior? (Eerdmans, 2005), by Whitworth Theology Professor James Edwards, '67, was selected Best Book of 2006 in the "Apologetics/Evangelism" category by Christianity Today magazine. Edwards, who serves as chair of the Whitworth Theology Department, is also an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the author of The Divine Intruder (NavPress, 2000) and commentaries on the biblical books of Hebrews, Romans, and the Gospel of Mark.
  
  
• The second edition of Whitworth Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Alan Mikkelson's book about the relationship between biology and communication was published by Thomson Learning in April 2007. Mikkelson co-authored the second edition of The Biology of Human Communication: Issues and Applications with Kory Floyd, of Arizona State University, and 2003 Whitworth alumnus and communication-studies major Colin Hesse, who is now a first-year Ph.D. student at Arizona State University.
  
  
• Associate Professor of Theology Keith Beebe received a 2006 Graves Award in the Humanities from the American Council of Learned Societies. The award, presented for exemplary skill and enthusiasm in the classroom and for faculty research that enhances students' educational experience, allowed Beebe to travel to Scotland to work on the McCullough Manuscripts (1742), comprising 108 first-person conversion narratives from the Scottish Great Awakening.
  
  
• A recent $115,000 National Science Foundation grant is the ninth external grant that Associate Professor of Physics Richard Stevens has received to fund his research using laser spectroscopy to examine physical phenomenon related to spacecraft propulsion. Stevens is among a select group contracted under NASA's electric propulsion research program to study the new thruster technology.
  
  
• Whitworth Professor of Political Science Julia Stronks directs Whitworth's initiative to serve homeless youth in Spokane and the Lives of Commitment Program, funded by a $1 million grant from the M. J. Murdock Foundation. She is the author of the books Law, Religion and Public Policy: A Commentary on First Amendment Jurisprudence (Lexington Books, 2002) and Christian Teachers in Public Schools (Baker Books, 2000).
  
  
• Professor of Theology Gerald Sittser was named 2005 Gold Medallion Book Award winner for his book When God Doesn't Answer Your Prayer. The Evangelical Christian Publishers Association awards the prize in recognition of Christian books that meet the association's highest criteria for excellence in content, literary, quality, design and significance. Sittser is the author of a number of popular Christian books, including The Will of God as a Way of Life, Loving Across Our Differences, and A Grace Disguised: How the Soul Grows Through Loss.

Academics

In U.S. News' 2008 rankings, Whitworth is No. 3 on the "best values" list and No. 9 on the "best colleges and universities" list among master's-level universities in the West.

Undergraduate Degrees

• Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
• Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
• Bachelor of Liberal Studies (B.L.S.)

Graduate Degrees

• Master of Arts in Teaching
• Master of Business Administration
• Master of Education
• Master of International Management
• Master in Teaching

Academic departments and programs

• Art
  • Art: Drawing/Painting and Printmaking, Graphic Design or Three Dimensional (Ceramics, Sculpture, Mixed Media) track
  • Art History
  • Arts Administration
  • Community Arts
    
    
• Biology
  • Biology (B.A. and B.S.)
    
    
• Chemistry (B.A. and B.S.)
  • Chemistry: Biochemistry or Physical Chemistry track
    
    
• Communication Studies
  • Communication
  • Journalism and Mass Communication
  • Speech Communication
  • Visual Communication
    
    
• Education
  • Elementary Education
  • English as a Second Language
  • Secondary Education
  • Special Education
    
    
• English
  • English: Literature or Writing track
  • English/Language Arts
  • Medieval and Early Modern Studies
    
    
• Global Commerce & Management
  • Accounting
  • Business Management
  • Economics
  • General Business
  • International Business
  • Marketing
    
    
• History
  • American Studies
  • History: Liberal Arts and Professional Degrees or Teaching (History and Social Studies) track
  • Cross-Cultural Studies
  • International Studies
  • Public History
    
    
• Kinesiology & Athletics
  • Athletic Coaching
  • Athletic Training
  • Health, Fitness, and Physical Education
  • Physical Education
    
    
• Leadership Studies
  
  
• Mathematics & Computer Science
  • Computer Science (B.A. and B.S.)
  • Mathematics (B.A. and B.S.)
  • Mathematical Economics
  • Information Technology
    
    
• Modern Languages
  • French: French and Francophone Studies or French Education track
  • German
  • Spanish: Language and Literature or Spanish Education Track
    
    
• Music
  • Arts Administration
  • Music: Composition, Instrumental Performance, Jazz Performance, Music Business, Music Ministry, Piano Pedagogy, Piano Performance or Voice Performance track
  • Music Education: Choral and/or Instrumental track
    
    
• Nursing (B.S.)
  
  
• Physics (B.A. and B.S.)
  • Applied Physics
  • Biophysics (B.S.): Mathematical Methods or Biochemistry option
  • Dual Degree Pre-Engineering Transfer Program
  • Engineering Physics (B.S.)
    
    
• Political Science
  • Community Engagement in Transformation
  • Cross-Cultural Studies
  • International Studies
  • Peace Studies
    
    
• Pre-Professional Programs
  • Pre-Dentistry
  • Pre-Law
  • Pre-Medicine
  • Pre-Med Tech
  • Pre-Pharmacy
  • Pre-Physical Therapy
  • Pre-Veterinary
    
    
• Psychology
  
  
• Sociology
  • Sociology: Social and Cultural Analysis, Social Service and Community Action or Criminal Justice track
    
    
• Theatre
  • Theatre: General, Community-Based Theatre, Performance, or Technical Theatre track
  • Theatre Dance
    
    
• Theology & Philosophy
  • Biblical Languages
  • Philosophy
  • Theology
    
    
• Women's Studies
  

Alumni

Total Whitworth Alumni: 24,158

2009-10 Alumni Award Winners

Distinguished Alumni Award: Ben Frank Moss III, '58
As a student at Whitworth, Ben Frank Moss studied painting with Herman Keys, an adjunct professor who taught Moss what it meant to be a committed artist. After spending a short time as a graduate student at Princeton Theological Seminary, Moss completed his master’s degree in fine arts at Boston University. While working for 10 years as the director of the MFA and Visiting Critics Program at Fort Wright College in Spokane, Moss founded and served as acting dean of the Spokane Studio School. He went on to teach for 13 years at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City. Today, Moss is the George Frederick Jewett Professor of Studio Art at Dartmouth College, where he has served as chair of his department since 1988. Having been represented by galleries from New York to Seattle for more than 40 years, Moss has had 59 solo exhibitions, has been included in 362 group shows throughout the country, and has placed work is in 43 public collections, including those at The National Academy of Design, Yale University Art Gallery, The Tacoma Art Museum,  the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth. In May 2008, Moss was awarded The Charles Loring Elliot Award & Medal for Drawing at the 182nd Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art at the National Academy of Design Museum, in New York. He is the recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University as well as an honorary degree from Dartmouth.

Recent Alumni Award: Heather Steckler Parker, `96
A Spokane native, Parker studied with Whitworth voice instructor Marjory Halvorson in high school and throughout her time at Whitworth. “It was her mission to support and encourage young talent,” Parker says. “She always believed in my talent and encouraged me to keep singing, no matter what.” With guidance and encouragement from Halvorson and other professors within the music department, Parker continued to pursue a career in music after her graduation from Whitworth. She earned her master of music degree from the Eastman School of Music, in Rochester, N.Y., and then she moved around for awhile before settling in New York City, where she auditioned and continued to study voice. In 2002, she took second place at the Licia Albanese Puccini International Vocal Competition. As part of her prize, Parker performed at Alice Tully Hall, in New York City.  Since then she has sung with opera companies all over the United States. Heather and her husband, Derrick Parker (a baritone), have a one-year-old daughter, Grace Elizabeth.

Alumni Service to Whitworth Award: Kathie Koopmans-Neir, 64
Kathie Koopmans-Neir, ’64, began her career in coaching and teaching right after her graduation from Whitworth.  She earned her master's degree in physical education and taught physical education classes at schools in California and Washington. She also coached swimming, track, cross-country and basketball teams. Koopmans-Neir served as youth coordinator for the Governor's Commission on Youth in Oregon, and she was head coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Washington 1975-79. These days, Koopmans-Neir runs a swim school she founded in Sammamish, Washington. Her son is her co-director. They teach both children and adults, giving approximately 500 lessons a week during their busy season. Koopmans-Neir has also devoted much of her time to organizing class reunions. In 2005, she organized the joint reunion of the classes of 1963-65, one of the largest reunions in Whitworth’s history. She is currently organizing another reunion that will take place in June 2010 for the classes of 1963-67. The Kathie Koopmans-Neir 1963-65 Endowed Scholarship was established in Koopmans-Neir’s honor by graduates of the classes of 1963, ’64 and ’65; they established the scholarship in appreciation for her leadership and organization of the 2005 reunion.

Alumni Mind & Heart Award: Ben Lindstrom, '63
Since his graduation from Whitworth, Ben Lindstrom has been a pastor in several churches throughout California, Oregon and Washington. Over the years, Lindstrom found his calling serving smaller and smaller congregations. He has served as pastor at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Des Moines, Wash., for 31 years. By serving a smaller congregation, Lindstrom says he has been able to focus on his relationships with those in his church. “I’m a simple servant doing a simple task,” he says. “I’m doing Jesus’ work in Jesus’ way.” As a pastor, Lindstrom focuses on relationships with those already in his church rather than on growing a larger congregation. His closeness with the members of his church has allowed him to focus on cultivating strong Christian leaders--something he says he learned while at Whitworth. Lindstrom has maintained a strong connection with Whitworth since his graduation. He has attended several reunions and has missed only a few meetings of the Whitworth Institute of Ministry since its founding more than 30 years ago. Lindstrom and his wife, Mary Jo, have also supported numerous Whitworth students by providing excellent leadership for the funding of annual scholarships for incoming students.

Other Notable Whitworth Alumni

• Evan Cate, '08, received a full scholarship to pursue his doctoral studies at the Duke University Divinity School.
  
  
• Ashley Gibbs, '07, who won a Goldwater Scholarship in 2005, is pursuing a Ph.D. in biochemistry at Harvard University.
  
  
• Caleb Hug, '04, also a Goldwater Scholarship winner (in 2003), recently earned his doctorate in computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
  
  
• Kristina Ruggles, '93, is volunteer coordinator for Spokane's Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery, whose mission is to provide emergency respite care for children at risk for neglect and abuse, and to provide support for families.
  
  
• Matt Lockard, '00, was the sole 2000 recipient of highly competitive fellowships from both the Mellon Foundation and the Pew Foundation. The fellowships have supported Lockard through his master's-degree and  Ph.D. studies in philosophy at UCLA.  He is currently writing his doctoral dissertation on the epistemology of perceptual belief.
  
  
• Sheila Maak, '97, is founder of the Junior Achievement Honduras Foundation. Maak spent eight years after her graduation from Whitworth in Honduras, the first three as an economic-development volunteer with the Peace Corps. With the assistance of more than 200 local volunteers and 18 prominent board members from the business community, Junior Achievement Honduras now reaches more than 3,000 Honduran students each year.
  
  
• Frank Hernandez, '93, is an internationally known opera singer. He has won the Aria Award, the George London competition, and the Puccini Competition.
  
  
• Anna Schowengerdt, '93, has led humanitarian relief programs for Catholic Relief Services since 1998. She was first assigned to Liberia, where she managed the monitoring and evaluation unit for two years. She then went on to serve in Uganda and Iraq. In 2004, Schowengerdt joined members of other relief organizations in a humanitarian mission to Aceh, Indonesia, following the earthquake and tsunami that ravaged that country and its neighbors. She returned to Whitworth to deliver the commencement address in 2005.
  
  
• Kyle Orwig, '90, is a professor and research scientist at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He leads a six-person research team studying adult male germline stem cells, which show promise in the restoration of fertility and in other biomedical applications.
  
  
• Steve Miller, '83, was named 2002 Inventor of the Year for Battelle, an international research and development firm. Miller developed a new optically stimulated luminescence technique that resulted in the first million-dollar royalty license for Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, a Battelle subsidiary. He holds 13 U.S. patents and numerous foreign patents.
  
  
• Russell Working, '82, was the youngest writer ever to receive the Iowa Short Fiction Award, for his collection Resurrectionists. Working went on to become an award-winning reporter, both as a freelancer in Russia and as a staff writer for the Chicago Tribune. His journalism has appeared in the New York Times and dozens of other newspapers and magazines around the globe, and his fiction has been published in venues such as The Atlantic Monthly and Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope: All-Story. The title story of his second short story collection, The Irish Martyr, won a Pushcart Prize.
  
  
• Noel Castellanos, '82, is the associate executive director of the Christian Community Development Association and the president of Latino Leadership Foundation. A pastor in Chicago's La Villita neighborhood, Castellanos has worked in full-time ministry in the Latino community for the past 25 years.
  
  
• Peter Hunner, '76, is an internationally acclaimed glass artist in Ostermarie, Denmark, and is the director of Baltic Sea Glass.
  
  
• Ron Leighton, '73, was appointed U.S. District Court Judge for the Western district of Washington in 2002 after a successful career as an attorney and partner with Gordon, Thomas, Honeywell, Malanca, Peterson and Dayheim in Tacoma and Seattle.
  
  
• Ross H. Anderson, '69, shared the 1990 Pulitzer Prize in journalism for his article in The Seattle Times on the Exxon Valdez accident. He is an editorial journalist with The Seattle Times.
  
  
• Charles (Chuck) Boppell, '65, longtime chair of the Whitworth University Board of Trustees, recently retired as president and CEO of Worldwide Restaurant Concepts.
  
  
• Phil Eaton, Ph.D., '65, is the president of Seattle Pacific University in Seattle, Wash.
  
  
• Walt Oliver, '67, is vice president for human resources with General Dynamics Corporation. He also serves the university as a member of Whitworth's board of trustees.
  
  
• Marvin Sather, '67, was named Washington State's Teacher of the Year for 1999 for his 31 years of exceptional service teaching high-school English.
  
  
• Ray Washburn, '61, spent nine successful seasons as a pitcher with Major League Baseball's St. Louis Cardinals.   He pitched one no-hitter and won a number of World Series games during his career.
  
  
• Saisuree Chutikul, Ph.D., '56, is the former advisor to the Office of the Permanent Secretary, one of three departments within Thailand's Office of Prime Minister. She was one of the first Thai women to earn a doctorate and is currently Secretary-General of the National Youth Bureau of Thailand.
  
  
• The late Maj. General Richard Carr, '49, served as Chief of Chaplains in the United States Air Force and established marriage and military family support programs at air bases worldwide. Ordained in the Church of Christ, Carr was an interim pastor at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C., where he helped establish the D.C. office of World Vision.
  

Recent Whitworth Honors/Awards

• In February 2009, Whitworth was named to the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll by the Corporation for National and Community Service. The honor roll, which was launched in 2006, is the highest federal recognition a school can achieve for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement. Honorees for the award were chosen based on factors such as scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service, and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses.

• For the third consecutive year, Kiplinger's magazine has ranked Whitworth in its top 50 private university values in the West. The magazine ranked Whitworth No. 39 in its 2009 ranking of the top 50 values. West Coast schools joining Whitworth rankings are Stanford (No. 10), U.S.C. (No. 30), Pepperdine (No. 35), Gonzaga (No. 37), and Santa Clara (No. 43). Northwest schools in the ranking of best liberal arts college values include Whitman (No. 27) and Reed (No. 44). To view the complete rankings, please click here.

• In April 2008, Whitworth University President Bill Robinson received the Charles Foreman Award for Innovation in Private Higher Education in recognition of his leadership in helping private colleges forge successful partnerships with public universities, the business community and under-represented minority populations. The award is presented each year by the Foundation for Independent Higher Education to an individual, institution or organization for extraordinary and innovative leadership reflecting collaborative effort and endeavor. Robinson received the award at FIHE's annual meeting in New Jersey.

• Whitworth was selected, along with Crichton College, of Memphis, to receive the 2008 Robert and Susan Andringa Award for Advancing Racial Harmony. The Council for Christian Colleges & Universities presented the award to Whitworth President Bill Robinson and Crichton President Larry Lloyd during the Presidents Conference in Washington, D.C. The award celebrates the achievements of CCCU campuses in making progress in the areas of diversity, racial harmony and reconciliation.
  
  
• The Whitworth Jazz Ensemble, under the direction of Dan Keberle, D.M.A., won first place at the 2008 Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival, at the University of Idaho. Whitworth, which has won first-place honors six times since 1996, competed with such schools as University of Washington, Washington State University, University of Utah, and Boston College. Nathanael Ankeny, '08, was named Outstanding Alto Sax Soloist, and Jared Hall, '08, earned Outstanding Trumpet Soloist honors.
  

• The American Association of Physics Teachers presented a 2006 AAPT Special Presidential Citation Award to the Whitworth Physics Department for the exemplary increase in its number of majors. The number of department majors has increased 600 percent in the past 10 years.
  
  
• In recognition of its achievement in changing the community through art, Whitworth Theatre was recently named the recipient of the 2006 City of Spokane Bold Strokes Award. The Spokane Arts Commission presented the award as part of the city's celebration of National Arts and Humanities Month.
  
  
• In summer 2007, Whitworth wrapped up a two-year, $109,000 M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust program that funded science fellowships for 16 students to engage in student-faculty scholarship with Whitworth professors.
  
  
• U.S. News & World Report's 2009 America's Best Colleges guide places Whitworth No. 6 in its ranking of 116 master's-level universities in the 17-state region of the West; Whitworth is No. 5 – its third consecutive year in the top five – in U.S. News' best-values rankings in the same category.
  
  
• The Whitworth Athletics Program has won the Northwest Conference McIlroy-Lewis Trophy for the best combined standings across all sports in 2008 and 2005, and the Pirates have placed among the top three conference programs for four consecutive years.
  
  
• The Whitworth Communication Studies Department was the winner of the 2005 Rex Mix Program of Excellence Award. This prestigious award, given by the National Communication Association, honors a department's overall excellence in comparison with other small-college programs across the country. Whitworth's  emphasis on ethics instruction and its strong internship program drew admiration from peers.
  
  
• Whitworth has twice been named the Best Christian Workplace among large higher-education institutions, based on national surveys of employees at Christian businesses and nonprofit organizations. The surveys were sponsored by Christianity Today magazine.

Athletics

Northwest Conference, NCAA Division III

20 varsity sports: 10 women's, 10 men's

Recent Honors

The Whitworth Athletics Program holds the Northwest Conference's McIlroy-Lewis Trophy for the best combined standings across all sports for 2008-09; the Pirates also won the trophy in 2008 and 2005 and placed among the top three conference programs in 2006 and 2007.

• Baseball
  
  • 2008 First Team All-Northwest Conference: Chad Flett
    
    
  • 2008 Academic All-District VIII: Dan Belet
    
    
  • 2007 Second Team All-NWC: Chad Flett, Dan Ramsey
    
    
  • 2006 Academic All-District VIII: Todd Phillips
    
    
  • 2006 All-NWC: Steve Hare, Todd Phillips, Caleb Reaber, Jason Weatherman
    
    
• Men's Basketball
  
  • 2010 Post players Felix Friedt and Nate Montgomery are named to the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team.
    
    
  • 2009 NCAA Division III Playoffs, advanced to second round; finished season ranked 24th in the nation
    
    
  • 2009 Northwest Conference Tournament champions
    
    
  • NWC All-Conference First Team: Ross Nakamura, David Riley
    
    
  • 2008, 2007 Northwest Conference champions
    
    
  • 2008 NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen
    
    
  • 2008, 2007, 2006 NWC Player of the Year: Ryan Simes (2008), Bryan Williams (2007), Lance Pecht (2006)
    
    
  • 2008, 2007, 2003 NWC Coach of the Year: Jim Hayford
    
    
• Women's Basketball
  
  
  • 2010 Guard/Forward Cassie Pilkinton is named to the ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team.
    
    
  • 2008 First Team All Northwest Conference: Alida Bower
    
    
  • 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-District: Alida Bower
    
    
• Women's & Men's Cross Country
  • 2009 The Whitworth women win the NCAA Division III West Region title, with Dana Misterek, Joy Shufeldt and Tonya Turner leading the way. The Pirates finish sixth at the NCAA Division III Championships. Head Coach Toby Schwarz is named Women's NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year by the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
    
    
  • 2008 Men win conference championship; women tie for second. Nick Gallagher's win leads men to first place at NCAA regionals; team travels to Hanover College, in Hanover, Indiana, for the 2008 NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship Meet
    
    
  • 2007 NCAA Division III individual qualifiers: Nick Gallagher, Dusty Caseria
    
    
  • 2007 All-NCAA West Region: Nick Gallagher, Dusty Caseria, Jacob Dietz
    
    
  • 2007 Men finished third at Northwest Conference
    championship; Nick Gallagher named All-NWC
    
    
  • 2006 NCAA All-Region: Julie Lauterbach
    
    
  • 2006 NCAA DIII championship qualifier: Julie Lauterbach
    
    
  • 2005 USTFCCCA team award for highest DIII men's GPA
    
    
  • 2005 Team award for second-highest DIII women's GPA
    
    
  • 2005 NCAA DIII individual qualifiers: Kristi Dickey,
    Julie Lauterbach
    
    
  • 2004-05 Academic All-American: Aaron Coe
    
    
• Football
  • 2009 Whitworth finishes 5-5 for third place in the Northwest Conference. Brandon Martin is joined on the All-Northwest Conference First Team by Jeff Kintner and Zack Clow.
    
    
  • 2008 Bucs finish 6-3; third place in NWC.
    D3football.com 2008 All-West Region First Team: Adam Anderson. Anderson led the NCAA (all divisions) in all-purpose yards (243.8 per game) and scoring average (16.89 points per game) during the 2008 season.
    NWC Co-Offensive Player of the Year: Adam Anderson
    Academic All-District Football Team: Travis Niles, Dan Sanders, McLane Stone and Emilio Sulpizio
    
    
  • 2007 Northwest Conference champions
    NWC Coach of the Year: John Tully
    NWC Offensive Player of the Year: Adam Anderson
    D3.football.com All-America Second Team and NWC Co-Defensive
    Player of the Year: Jay Tully
    National Football League's Kansas City Chiefs select tight end Michael Allan in 7th round of NFL draft
    
    
  • 2006 Northwest Conference champions; advanced to the second round of the NCAA Div. III national tournament
    NWC Coach of the Year: John Tully
    D3football.com, AFCA, AP First-Team All-America: Michael Allan
    NWC Offensive Player of the Year: Joel Clark;
    NWC Defensive Player of the Year: Casey Clifton
    CoSIDA Academic All-America: Steve Honeyman
    Preseason All-America: Michael Allan
    
    
    
• Men's Golf
  • 2008 Tied for first, NWC North Tournament
    
    
  • 2008 Second place, Northwest Conference
    
    
  • 2008 All NWC: Jordan Carter, Andrew Parrott,
    Conor McCracken
    
    
  • 2007 NWC champions, NCAA Division III tournament participants
    
    
  • 2007, 2006, 2005 Northwest Conference Coach of the Year: Warren Friedrichs
    
    
  • 2007 Third Team All-America: Andrew Parrott
    
    
  • 2007 NWC medalist: Steven Johnson
    
    
  • 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-District: Steven Johnson,
    Sean Thompson
    
    
  • 2006 NWC medalist: Andrew Parrott
    
    
  • 2006 NWC champions
    
    
    
• Women's Golf
  • 2008 First place, NWC Fall Classic
    
    
  • 2008 Second place, Northwest Conference
    
    
  • 2008 All-NWC: Kristal Pitkonen
    
    
  • 2007 All-NWC: Alicia Bratlien
    
    
• Men's Soccer
  • 2009, 2008, 2007 Northwest Conference champions; defeated Chapman University in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Div. III championship tournament; beat Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in Round Two; will play Hardin-Simmons in Round Three.
    
    
  • 2009 Northwest Conference Offensive Player of the Year: Elly Bulega, leading a group of eight Whitworth players named to the 2009 All-Northwest Conference team. Bulega, Bryan Olson and Justin Meyer were all named First-Team All-NWC.
    
    
  • 2008 Academic All-District: Caleb Barnhill, Bryan Olson. Whitworth hosted Augsberg in first round of the 2008 tournament and advanced to the second round of the 2007 tournament.
    
    
  • 2007 First Team All-NWC: Scott Barnum, Brett Kagawa, Matt Friesen, Skye Henderson, Keith Kirsch; 2007, 2004, 2001 NWC Coach of the Year: Sean Bushey
    
    
  • 2006 All-NWC: Ali Seyedali; NSCAA All-American: Ali Seyedal; Niko Varlamos becomes all-time Whitworth men's-soccer high scorer; CoSIDA Academic All-District: Kevin Bostock
    
    
    
• Women's Soccer
• 2009 17-2 record; 9-1 road record (best in Whitworth's history); second place in NWC behind UPS
  
  
• 2008 15-4-1 record; second place in NWC behind undefeated UPS
  
  
• 2008 Academic All-District: Miranda Cosand and Penelope Crowe
  
  
• 2007 17-2 record; played in first round of NCAA
  Div. III playoffs
  
  
• 2007 Katelyn Plumb, Kelly Baker, Jael Hagerott, Greta Thibodeau named First Team All-Northwest Conference
  
  
• 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-American: Jael Hagerott
  
  
• 2007 Academic All-District: Jael Hagerott, Greta Thibodeau
  
  
• 2007 NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year; NWC Coach of the Year: Sean Bushey
  
  
• 2006 All-NWC: Jael Hagerott, Greta Thibodeau
  
  
• 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-American: Jael Hagerott
  
  
• Softball
• 2008 First-Team All Northwest Conference: Halley Cey,
  Lacey Parry
  
  
• 2008 Academic All-District: Amber Fowler
  
  
• 2007: Set Whitworth record for victories in a season (30)
  
  
• 2007 NCAA Division III All-Americans: Heather Case, Lindsay Davis, Halley Cey, Lacey Parry
  
  
• 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-District: Lindsay Davis
  
  
• 2006 NCAA DIII Tournament participants
  
  
• 2006 NWC Pitcher of the Year: Jo Sonnett
  
  
• Men's Swimming
  • 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003 NWC champions (winners of 64 consecutive NWC dual meets)
    
    
  • 2009 Michael Woodward ties for Outstanding Men’s Swimmer of the Northwest Conference Championships
    
    
  • 2007 NWC Swimmer of the Year, NCAA DIII national qualifier and CoSIDA Academic All-District: David Dolphay
    
    
  • 2006 NWC Coach of the Year: Steve Schadt
    
    
  • 2006 NWC Swimmers of the Year: Loren Killgore, David Dolphay
    
    
• Women's Swimming
  • 2009 conference runners-up to University of Puget Sound
    
    
  • 2009 Natalie Turner of Whitworth is Outstanding Women’s Swimmer of the Northwest Conference championships
    for the third straight season, sweeping the 200, 500 and 1,650-yard freestyles in NWC record time.
    
    
  • 2008 Whitworth women finish 10th at NCAA DIII championships; Natalie Turner, Samantha Kephart are named DIII All-America.
    
    
  • 2008 Whitworth wins conference title, breaking UPS' 11-year stranglehold on NWC championship
    
    
  • 2008 NWC Swimmer of the Year: Natalie Turner
    
    
  • 2008 Third Team ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-American: Samantha Kephart
    
    
  • 2008 NWC Coach of the Year: Steve Schadt
    
    
  • 2007 NWC Swimmer of the Year: Natalie Turner
    
    
  • 2007 NCAA Division III All-Americans: Natalie Turner, Samantha Kephart
    
    
  • 2007 NWC Coach of the Year: Steve Schadt
    
    
  • 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-District: Katelyn Erickson
    
    
  • 2006 NCAA DIII 100 and 200 Butterfly national champion: Samantha Kephart
    
    
  • New NCAA DIII 200 Butterfly record: Samantha Kephart
  • 2006, 2005 NWC Swimmer of the Year: Samantha Kephart
    
    
• Men's Tennis
  • 2009 All-Northwest Conference First Team: Michael Shelton; All-NWC Second Team: Joe Wales
  • 2008 Second Team Academic All-America; Academic All-District: Scott Donnell
  • 2008 Second Team All-NWC: Josh Steele
    
    
    
• Women's Tennis
  • 2009 Northwest Conference champions
    
    
  • 2009: NCAA Div. III Regional Coach of the Year; NWC Coach of the Year: Jo Wagstaff
    
    
  • 2009: NWC All-Conference First Team: Rachel Burns, Alli Marshall
    
    
  • 2008 Second place in Northwest Conference
    
    
  • 2008 All-NWC: Rachel Burns, Lexy Harrington and
    Katie Staudinge
    r
  • 2007 Second-Team All-NWC: Linh Aven, Rachael McCoola
    
    
  • 2006 All-NWC: Jamie Kneese
    
    
• Men's Indoor Track & Field
  • The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association names Whitworth the 2009 Indoor Track and Field Scholar Team of the Year for the second year in a row.
    
    
  • 2009 USTFCCCAAA names Toby Schwarz Coach of the Year and Emmanuel Bofa (800 meters) and Cody Stelzer Track & Field Athletes of the Year
    
    
  • 2008 Division III Indoor Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year; second place, Div. III indoor nationals; 2007 DIII All-America: Cody Stelzer (high jump)
    
  
  
• Women's Indoor Track & Field
  • 2007 DIII Regional Coach of the Year: Toby Schwarz
    
    
• Men's Outdoor Track & Field

  • The U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association names Whitworth the 2009 Outdoor Track and Field Scholar Team of the Year for the second year in a row.

  • 2009 DIII national champion: Emmanuel Bofa (800-meter dash) repeats as champion, breaking Whitworth's record as well as the record for Drumm Stadium, at Marietta College, in Ohio. Whitworth's men finish sixth in the nation.
    

  • 2009 Emmanuel Bofa is West Region Men's Track Athlete of the Year, and Throws Coach Gary Baskett is the West Region Assistant Coach of the Year.
    
    

  • 2009 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Men's Track & Field/Cross Country college division second-team honoree: Cody Stelzer (high jump; second consecutive year)

  • 2009 Emmanuel Bofa, Jeff Kintner (shot put), Cody Stelzer, (high jump), Alex Hymel (javelin) and Joey VanHoomissen (javelin) earn All-America honors with strong performances at nationals.

  • 2008 Third place, NCAA Division III national

  • 2008 Scholar Team of the Year, awarded by U.S. Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association
    

  • 2008 Northwest Conference champions
    
    
  • 2008 DIII national champion: Emmanuel Bofa
    (800-meter dash)
    
    
  • 2008 DIII national champion: Cody Stelzer (high jump)
    
    
  • 2008 DIII Regional Coach of the Year, NWC Coach of the Year: Toby Schwarz
    
    
  • 2008 NCAA All-Americans: Kory Kemp, Jeff Kintner,
    Alex Hymel
    
    
  • 2008 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-Americans: Ben Spaun (110/400 hurdles), Cody Stelzer (high jump)
    
    
  • 2008 NWC Men's Athlete of the Year: Ben Spaun
    
    
  • 2007 NCAA Division III All-Americans: Cody Stelzer (HJ), Emmanuel Bofa (800), Kory Kemp (javelin)
    
    
  • 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-District: Ben Spaun
    
    
• Women's Outdoor Track & Field
• 2009 Elizabeth Mattila finishes fifth in the nation in 400-meter high hurdles and earns All-America status.
  
  

• 2009 ESPN The Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District VIII Women's Track & Field/Cross Country college division honors: Joanne Mayer (distance), Tonya Turner (pole vault, distance), Kathryn Williams (distance)
  

• 2008 Women lead the nation in cumulative team GPA, per U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches
  Association. Kristen Dormaier and Elizabeth Mattila make the USTFCCCA Division III All-Academic Team as individuals.
  
  
• 2008 Third place, Northwest Conference
  
  
• 2006 NCAA All-American: Kristi Dickey
  
  
  
• Volleyball
  • 2009 Honorable mention All-Northwest Conference: Tracy Schwada
    
    
  • 2009 ESPN the Magazine CoSIDA Academic All-District Third Team honoree: Randy Stephens
  • 2008 First Team All-NWC: Kaimi Rocha
    
    
  • 2008 Honorable mention All-NWC: Nikki Bardwell and
    Ka'ipo Rocha
    
    
  • 2007 Second-Team All-NWC: Sarah Rusch
    
    
  • 2006 2nd Team All-NWC: Cassie Moore
    
    
  • 2006 CoSIDA Academic All-District: Angie Florence, Nicole Vander Meulen
    
    
  • 2005 AVCA West Region Coach of the Year: Steve Rupe
    
    
  • 2005 NWC champions and West Region finalists
    
    
  • 2005 NWC Player of the Year: Natalie Danielson

Finances

• Tuition and fees: $25,382 (2007-08)
• Room and board: $7,294 (2007-08)
• Annual budget: $48.1 million (2007)
• Total gifts received: $10, 622, 254 (2007)
• Endowment: $ 85,801,034 (2007)
• Percent of students who receive aid: 95-plus percent (2007)
• 2007 Audited Financial Statements (PDF)

Campus

Whitworth has invested more than $62 million in campus improvements in recent years, including:

• Hixson Union Building: $8 million
• Weyerhaeuser Hall Academic Building: $7.1 million
• Boppell Residence Hall: $4 million
• Residence Hall renovations: $4.5 million
• Technology/infrastructure upgrades: $3.7 million
• Dixon Hall Classroom Building renovation: $3 million
• Johnston Science Center renovation: $2.8 million
• Cowles Memorial Auditorium renovation: $2.2 million
• Softball/soccer/field-event complex: $1.5 million
• Pine Bowl/Boppell Track upgrades: $1.3 million
• Property acquisition: $3 million
• Scotford Tennis Center/pedestrian corridor: $1 million
• Duvall Residence Hall: $7.8 million
• Hawthorne Hall renovation: $1 million
• Lied Art Center: $7.1 million
• Omache Field: $700,000

Campus Size: 200 acres

Harriet Cheney Cowles Memorial Library

• Print Volumes: 184,315
• Electronic Books: 3,343
• Print Periodical Subscriptions: 630
• Online Periodicals: 34,186 (plus 109 licensed electronic databases)
• Microfilm Units: 67,431 (volume-equivalents: 20,444)
• Audio-Visual Units: 6,970

Computer Facilities

• Network connections are available to every student in every residence-hall room
• Computers (including those in departmental labs) available to all Whitworth students: 292
• Individual classroom computers: 51
• Computers are accessible to students in the general labs in the library and in 23 satellite labs located in departments throughout the campus.
• Whitworth provides Internet access and e-mail accounts to all students.