Whitworth University will dedicate the new Whitworth Athletics Leadership Team Center (the WALT) on Thursday, Oct. 15, at 3:15 p.m. 

The $13 million, state-of-the-art facility will house all of the coaches and staff of the university’s 22 athletic programs, who used to be spread out among six buildings. 

The 28,000-square-foot facility includes coaches’ offices, a football locker room, conference rooms, public lounges and a 162-seat team room.

Construction of the WALT was made possible by generous donors of the Whitworth community. It is named in honor of Whitworth trustee Walt Oliver ’67. 

Through their investment, donors have helped Whitworth’s coaches and athletes to continuously excel in their sports. The Pirates have dominated the Northwest Conference by winning the McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophy for the past 12 years. In the past decade, Whitworth has produced:

• 52 Northwest Conference team championships

• 28 Academic All-Americans

• 23 All-Americans in all sports outside of swimming and track & field

• 10 Swimming All-Americans

• 55 Track & Field All-Americans

“We are so grateful for this new facility and the opportunities it provides our coaches and staff to pursue excellence by encouraging and challenging each other as we seek to impact our student-athletes in competition, in the classroom and in their character,” says Tim Demant, director of athletics. “The WALT Center finally gives Pirate athletics a home on campus.”

Whitworth would like to thank ALSC Architects, MW Consulting Engineers, Walker Construction and Coffman Engineers for their incredible work on this facility. 

Although the virtual gathering for this dedication will be limited to a smaller group, local media are invited to tour the facility this week. Please call Trisha Coder to arrange a walkthrough. 

About Whitworth University:

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu

Whitworth Office of Church Engagement Receives Nearly $1 Million Grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. for “Resilient Church” Program
Whitworth University has received a $999,873 grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to help establish the “Resilient Church: Discovering the Past, Discerning the Present, Designing for the Future” program. 

It’s raw. It’s real. It’s 2020. Whitworth Theatre’s original fall production, Hindsight, gives the audience a look at the people, places, challenges and circumstances that have shaped our world in 2020, all through the eyes of student artists. And for the first time, remote locations will be their stage. 

Twenty-five theatre students were asked during their first online class with Andy Christensen, assistant professor of theatre, what is it to be who we are in 2020 and how this year impacted people’s perceptions of life, race and community? Armed with these questions, the students set out to interview more than 50 people on the Whitworth campus and throughout the Spokane community. 

They sought people facing those challenges head on: the peaceful protester at the front of the crowd in downtown Spokane, the homeless person dealing with new challenges on the streets, and the essential workers who reported to work day after day amid the pandemic.  

Now, their stories will be told through the spoken word, poetry and song – all during a virtual show. 

Christensen devised the idea from a quote by Nina Simone, an American musician and civil rights activist: “You can’t help it. An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.” He took it literally and launched something Spokane theatregoers have not yet seen. 

“I thought to myself, in the midst of so much that is going wrong, maybe the gift of this is getting a chance to teach students what it is to be artists for right now and not artists doing plays that were written 10, 20, 400 years ago,” Christensen says. “It’s real-time artistry making something that responds immediately to the moment that they find themselves in.”

Not only will the actors play a part in one of the most technically challenging shows Whitworth Theatre has ever produced, but all of the student technicians will become the lead designers for the show. They will light the actors from their homes, create the perfect hair and makeup for unique scenes, and master the art of sound, which will be crucial for this performance.

The first performance will be livestreamed on OnTheStage.com on Oct. 16 at 7:30 p.m. Viewers can enjoy prerecorded performances on Oct. 17, 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. and on Oct. 18 and 25 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available on the same website and are $15 for a single viewer and $25 for multiple viewers. 

For those unsure about watching a play virtually, “Do not worry,” Christensen says. “What I see people trying to do is resist the form. What we’ve done is just lean in.” 

“We’ve expanded our definitions of what theatre is; what this moment is,” Christensen says. “We’re not on intermission. Life doesn’t take an intermission. It’s easy to think that COVID and all of this is a pause and that we’ve maybe stopped living. Life is still going on, and if our job as artists is to respond to life and engage with it and reflect that, then we have to reflect what it is right now – not reflect what we used to be or live in between.”

About Whitworth University:

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Kim Dawson, theatre department program assistant, Whitworth University, (509) 777-3707 or kdawson@whitworth.edu.

Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu. 

 WELLS FARGO IS THE TITLE SPONSOR FOR THE EVENT

Whitworth University is pleased to announce Madeleine Albright, who served as the nation’s 64th secretary of state, will be the featured speaker at Whitworth’s spring President’s Leadership Forum, to be held May 6, 2021, from 7:30-9:00 a.m. at the Spokane Convention Center. Registration will open in Jan 2021.

The event was originally scheduled to be held this October, but due to health and safety restrictions related to COVID-19 imposed by local and state authorities, the event has been postponed until May.

Albright is a professor, author, diplomat and businesswoman.

She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, from President Barack Obama in 2012. 

In 1997, Albright was named the first female secretary of state and became, at that time, the highest-ranking woman in the history of the U.S. government.

As secretary of state, Albright reinforced America’s alliances, advocated for democracy and human rights, and promoted American trade, business, labor and environmental standards abroad. 

“I am excited to bring a statesperson of Secretary Albright’s stature to Spokane,” says Whitworth President Beck A. Taylor. “No matter which administration is leading us next May, America’s place on the world stage, and the challenges and opportunities related to global relations, will be relevant and important for all of us to consider, and there’s no one more qualified to help us have that conversation than Madeleine Albright.”

From 1993 to 1997, Albright served as the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations and was a member of the President’s Cabinet. From 1989 to 1992, she served as president of the Center for National Policy. Previously, she was a member of President Jimmy Carter’s National Security Council and White House staff and served as chief legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Edmund S. Muskie. 

Albright is a professor in the practice of diplomacy at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm. She is the chair of Albright Capital Management LLC, an investment advisory firm focused on emerging markets. She also chairs the National Democratic Institute and serves as the president of the Truman Scholarship Foundation. 

Albright is a member of the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Policy Board, a group tasked with providing the secretary of defense with independent, informed advice and opinion concerning matters of defense policy. 

In 2009, Albright was asked by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen to chair a group of experts focused on developing NATO’s new Strategic Concept. 

In her most recent book, Hell and Other Destinations (2020) the seven-time New York Times bestselling author reflects on the challenge of continuing one’s career far beyond the normal age of retirement. Her book written two years prior, Fascism: A Warning (2018), debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. She is the author of five other New York Times bestselling books: her autobiography, Madam Secretary: A Memoir (2003); The Mighty and the Almighty: Reflections on America, God, and World Affairs (2006); Memo to the President: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership (2008); Read My Pins: Stories from a Diplomat’s Jewel Box (2009); and Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948 (2012). 

Albright received a B.A. with honors from Wellesley College, and master’s and doctorate degrees from Columbia University’s department of public law and government, as well as a certificate from its Russian Institute. She is based in Washington, D.C.

The Whitworth President’s Leadership Forum draws key national leaders to the Inland Northwest to provide wisdom and insight on a variety of contemporary issues. For more information please click here.

About Whitworth University: 

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian church. The university, which has an enrollment of more than 3,000 students, offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts:

Michelle Drennen, director of university events, Whitworth University, (509) 777-3449 or iaevents@whitworth.edu.

Trisha Coder, media relations manager, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or tcoder@whitworth.edu.

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