Mind & Heart Newsletter: November 2025

An update from Whitworth University President Scott McQuilkin

I was a guest speaker years ago at Camp Spalding, delivering a dozen talks over the course of a week, ones I'm sure too dense for 10- and 11-year-olds. I was better the second summer, having taken the camp director's good counsel, which was, "Just talk about who Jesus is. Help prepare their little hearts. Someday, those seeds, planted and watered over the ensuing years by people you'll never know, might bring them to a point of realization, a moment of clarity, that this Jesus is the savior of the world, inviting them into relationship with him."

Keep it simple. Make it clear. Lay the groundwork. Till the soil. Full stop. There's something about Advent season in that guidance for me. Preparation, anticipation, promise, fulfillment. Every expectation found in the Old Testament, every prophecy by Isaiah and Jeremiah of the coming King, what God foretold through the prophets, the answer to every hope, would be found in a Bethlehem manger. No more complicated than that centering message. And so, as you read this, I trust yours is a mind and soul preparing for Jesus' arrival. Fortunate us, we have the vantage point of knowing who it is who comes – a savior about whom the Scriptures declared would be our redemption. 

12 Highlights on Campus This Fall

1. Whitworth announced cost clarity tuition, a simplified undergraduate tuition rate of $26,900 for the 2026-27 academic year, in response to the confusing industry standard of inflated sticker prices. By adopting a transparent tuition model, we're making it easier for students and families to see the actual cost, and real value, of a Whitworth education. Learn more and see our new academic scholarship criteria for first-year students at www.whitworth.edu/cost-clarity.
2. Whitworth has once again earned high placements on college ranking lists. In its 2026 Best Colleges Rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Whitworth No. 5 in Best Value Schools in the West, placing Whitworth above any other institution in the Northwest. U.S. News also recognized us as the No. 11 best college for veterans and No. 15 best regional university in the West. In further great news, The Princeton Review^® lauded Whitworth as one of the "Best Colleges in the West" for the second year in a row. Plus, College Raptor named Whitworth a 2026 Hidden Gem on its list of schools that combine excellence with attainability.
3. We were ecstatic to welcome 636 new first-year and transfer students to campus this fall, representing a climb in undergraduate enrollment. The guiding message for New Student Orientation was "Here For It," with "It" representing opportunities available on campus like friendships, adventure and spirituality. The Orientation team did an amazing job sharing with students how all these things feed into building a vibrant community.
4. Speaking of new students, Whitworth's new course for first-years, Introduction to a Flourishing Life, kicked off with hundreds of students enjoying activities like barre exercises, relay races and scavenger hunts out in the sunshine. This required shared curriculum course helps students explore what it means to flourish as a human – physically, socially, psychologically and spiritually – in the context of Whitworth's Christ-centered mission. We're looking forward to seeing how this course will help students develop both a sense of belonging and agency that will set the tone for their time at Whitworth.
5. Whitworth has expanded its undergraduate offerings in the health sciences with three new majors in response to student interest and evolving vocational pathways. In addition to the health science B.S. degree, students may now major in rehabilitation science, exercise science, or health & well-being. The health sciences department has also introduced pre-professional minors in pre-athletic training, pre-nursing, pre-occupational therapy, pre-physical therapy and pre-physician assistant/associate.
6. Ten student-scholars are exploring moral, intellectual and spiritual formation together over meals this year through the new Communio program. A facet of the Weyerhaeuser Center for Christian Faith & Learning's grant-funded Call & Character project, Communio enables students to reflect on their understandings of calling and character while developing their virtues and leadership skills through a capstone project. This first cohort represents a variety of majors, including English, philosophy, theology, health science and more.
7. Whitworth received a generous $1.5 million gift from the Roy and Bess Mullet Fund and Paul Mullet (father of Melinda '25) to establish the Honors Program Humanities Endowment. This endowment will broadly support the Whitworth Honors Program while expanding the program's innovative Democracy Lab. We are grateful for how this gift will provide transformative opportunities to future honors students.
8. On Community Building Day, 922 volunteers, including new students, nine athletics teams, ASWU members, faculty and staff, came together to serve our neighbors at 40 area sites. Our students enjoyed making personal connections with community members as they worked on projects like building handicap-accessible raised garden boxes for Rockwood at Whitworth's memory care unit and servicing sports wheelchairs for Parasport Spokane athletes. Way to go, everyone!
9. Whitworth had the honor of welcoming Dr. Francis S. Collins for the President's Leadership Forum and presenting him with an honorary doctorate. At a standing-room-only campus session, the former director of the National Institutes of Health inspired our students, faculty and staff, offering encouragement to the next generation of scientists. He later took the stage downtown at the Fox Theater, delivering a presentation that deeply reflected Whitworth's mission. He closed the night on guitar, leading a choir of over 1,000 voices in a hymn.
10. At One Big Whitworth Weekend, we celebrated our 2025 alumni award honorees: Joyce (Anderson) Miller '60 (Mind & Heart); Beth (Walker) Viren '78 and Paul Viren '78 (Service to Whitworth); Judge Ann Kough '73 (Distinguished Alumni Award); and Jared Lollar '11 (Emerging Leader Award). Additionally, we inducted these former standout Pirate athletes to the Heritage Gallery Hall of Fame: the late Jim Klein '59 (track & field), Dave Johnson '70 (baseball), Toni Swanson '83 (women's basketball), and Steve Mihas '91 (men's basketball and tennis). Congrats to all!
11. The Whitworth Library Archives is embarking on an initiative with the Welch Foundation that began with a screening of the Henrietta Mears documentary film Mears: How One Woman Changed American Christianity. The foundation recently gifted the archives with Bill Welch Sr.'s collection of papers from leading Christian authors and writers like Professor Emeritus Dale Bruner. The archives now has the opportunity to expand the collection and employ students in the catalog work, as well as present an annual lecture.
12. Whitworth Athletics welcomed 655 new and returning student-athletes this year, the largest roster in university history! Among those athletes are seven members of our new dance team, which performed at football games in the Pine Bowl this fall. We also plan to bring in more athletes with the addition of a new varsity sport, STUNT. Based on traditional cheerleading, STUNT is one of the fastest-growing women's sports in the country. Get ready to watch Pirate STUNT in spring 2027!

Upcoming

Back-to-Back Concerts | Nov. 23-24 | Fox Theater, Spokane
Join us for a band-tastic couple of performances! Enjoy the music of the Whitworth Community Chorale and Whitworth Community Concert Band in a festive concert titled Grooves & Glorias on Nov. 23 at 3 p.m., followed by the Whitworth Wind Symphony on Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. for its fall concert, Unleashed. Tickets: foxtheaterspokane.org.

Christmas Festival Concert | Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. | St. John's Cathedral, Spokane
Welcome the Christmas season with the music department as it presents the annual Christmas Festival Concert, titled Jubilate Deo. Tickets: www.whitworth.edu/christmas-festival.

Black Delta Art Exhibit | Now through Jan. 23, 2026 | Bryan Oliver Gallery
The Bryan Oliver Gallery presents an installation of works from photographer Joshua Hobson. Hours: Monday-Friday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; closed on university holidays. For more information, contact 509.777.3258 or WUArt@whitworth.edu.

Cheer on the Pirates | Winter Sports Start Now
Come root for our student-athletes! Our basketball teams have non-conference matchups in the fieldhouse in December, and the next local track & field and home swimming meets are set for January. For a full schedule, visit whitworthpirates.com.

One Big Whitworth Weekend | Oct. 16-18, 2026
Mark your calendar for next year's combined Homecoming and Family Weekend. Details will be available in the spring.

Join in Prayer for Whitworth from Home | Ongoing
We invite Whitworth's partners in prayer to join us in lifting up our community. Please visit and subscribe to the On Bended Knee prayer blog to receive prayer requests each Monday during the school year: whitworthprayerguide.wordpress.com.

Three Steps for Enrolling in Fall 2026 | Apply, Visit, Submit the FAFSA
Do you know a high school senior or transfer student who would thrive at Whitworth? Encourage them to start by applying for free – first-years go to www.whitworth.edu/apply-now and transfers go to www.whitworth.edu/apply-now-transfer. They'll receive an admission decision within three weeks. The next step is scheduling a visit to campus at www.whitworth.edu/visit to experience our community firsthand. We have one- and two-day visit events throughout the year. And lastly, students should submit the FAFSA to be considered for all financial aid. We can't wait to welcome them to Whitworth.

MFA in Creative Writing | Applications Open
Whitworth now offers a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing – the Whitworth Writers Workshop! We are proud to welcome acclaimed poet and essayist Mischa Willett as the director of this faith-based, low-residency program. For more information and to apply for the cohort that starts in summer 2026, visit www.whitworth.edu/mfa. 

Closing Thoughts

It's my privilege every Friday morning for Why Whitworth visit days to share with prospective students what lies ahead for them, including testimonies from our alumni like, "I caught a disease for learning for which I hope no cure is ever found." Or, "My professors talked to me as if there is some sort of 'infinite' to who I could become." For those reasons, we are ever mindful of helping students say "yes" to attending Whitworth and persisting to graduation. Key to their success is what we provide through our academic, co-curricular and residential experiences. And it's also in how our faculty and staff guide students with care and wisdom. I just love how our people do that. As you discern the places for your year-end giving, please consider supporting Whitworth students, helping fuel the fulfillment of their purposes through a mind-and-heart transformational experience. You may do so via the enclosed envelope or at www.whitworth.edu/heart.

Scott McQuilkin

With you, Whitworth's mission remains strong. View the 2025 Annual Report at www.whitworth.edu/annual-report.

Note to our alumni: Good news, alumni! Your Whitworth Today fall supplement awaits at www.whitworth.edu/wt-fall-supplement. The annual full issue will come your way in spring 2026!