Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Vol. CLIV, Issue 6
Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Whitman news since 1896

Whitman Wire

Amb. Crocker to bid farewell

Chelsea Bissell May 18, 2009

Whitman and Foreign Service Alumnus, Ryan Crocker, has promised to make his upcoming Commencement speech brief to ensure that the awaiting graduates won't fall asleep under the rays of the hot Walla Walla...

Top row, left to right: Marty Skeels, Thomas Bugert; Bottom Row, left to right: Aisha Fukushima, Musa Kpaka, Katrina Barlow, Jason Shon, Kaston Griffin. Credit: Zipparo

Seniors to embark on post-grad study with awards

Cindy Chen May 18, 2009
Every year, Whitman students continue to earn awards for post-graduate study, and this year is no exception. Years of hard work and drive propel Whitman students to pursue top awards around the country, like the Watson Fellowship (senior Aisha Fukushima) and Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The Watson is one of the most innovative and independent fellowships and winner Aisha Fukushima, will be traveling around the world after graduation to study raptivism (the marriage of hip hop and social activism) with the stipend of $25,000 that the award provides. She was the only recipient from a Northwest school. In one of the most competitive years on record, Whitman was the only school to have three Udall Scholars. Juniors Lisa Curtis, Elena Gustafson and Camila Thorndike received this award which honors Congressman Morris King Udall's 30-year legacy of public service.

Whitman’s reputation grows and changes with class of 2009

Josh Goodman May 18, 2009

As graduating seniors leave Whitman behind, they leave a place with a bit of a different reputation than when they first arrived. More selective, less hippie and more diverse are just a few of these changes,...

Q&A: Bridges reflects on the past four years

Alex Jeffers May 18, 2009
The Pioneer: When did you arrive at Whitman? George Bridges: I arrived here in 2005. My first day on the job was July 1. P: So that was right before the class of 2009 came to campus? GB: Yes, they came in August and it all started. P: What do you think about the class of 2009, generally speaking? GB: I think the class of 2009 is phenomenal. It's filled with really interesting, engaging and inspiring young men and women, and I'm really proud of their accomplishments. It's been a great four years, and I feel very fortunate to have been here and gone through this great cycle of education with them. It's fun.

Astronomy to alternative core: seniors look back on best Whitman classes

Lauren McCullough May 18, 2009

The graduating class of 2009 has a wealth of information to share about the classes they've taken over the past four years. Though a senior's favorite classes often depend on his or her major, most seem...

Credit: Wheeler

Beloved faculty bid Whitman farewell – David H. Carey

Shannon Buckham May 18, 2009
Professor David Carey began teaching at Whitman in 1989 and has been an active member of the Philosophy Department for the past 20 years, serving as department chair twice. He received his B.A. from St. John's College, two masters' degrees in theology and philosophy and a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. Carey has taught courses in Ethics, Social and Political Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Plato's Republic and Values, while dedicating himself to the Antiquity and Modernity curriculum. He received the Thomas D. Howells Award for Distinguished Humanities Teaching in 1996. His published works include Chaucer's Church (2002), with co-author Edward Forster, and “The Social Mortgage of Intellectual Property (2007).
Members of the Class of ‘09 mingle at a wine tasting event at Merchants. Organized by the Senior Class Committee, the event celebrated the last 25 days until graduation. Credit: Kim.

Class of ’09 prepared to tackle challenges ahead

Elana Congress May 18, 2009
Since their arrival in August 2005, the students of the class of 2009 have greatly impacted the Whitman community. Although it's difficult to define a class made up of 340 individuals, Dean of Students Chuck Cleveland says the class of 2009 consists of leaders and doers. “This class has brought activism back to campus," he said. “They leave a legacy of change, activism and concern for others—both globally and locally." He mentioned the work of Whitman Direct Action (WDA) and Campus Greens specifically, and noted that many of the seniors' efforts have had an environmental focus. He also emphasized the class's generosity. “They show a real caring for others," he said. “The Emergency Fund for students—that's the work of the seniors. The seniors led that charge, along with junior David Changa-Moon." The seniors will certainly have to use their creativity, enthusiasm and intelligence once they hit “the real world": they're graduating in the crux of an economic downturn.
Courtesy of the Whitman Communications Dept.

Beloved faculty bid Whitman farewell – Mary Anne O’Neil

Shannon Buckham May 18, 2009
Professor Mary Anne O'Neil first came to Whitman as a sabbatical replacement in the spring of 1977. For the past 32 years, she has taught in the Foreign Language Department, and this past semester volunteered to act as chair while taking on a special topics class on conversational Italian in addition to her regular course load. She has taught courses in French and Spanish as well as a range of courses in world and western literature. A member of many college committees, O'Neil served as Associate Dean of the Faculty, Chair of the Faculty and Chair of the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department, and was Core Coordinator for 2008-2009. “Of the many highlights, I would mention the establishment of our Language Learning Center in Olin and our years as part of the Northwest Language Consortium," she said, adding that these contributed to more collaboration between faculty and students and developed better means of incorporating technology into language instruction.
Courtesy of Whitman Communications

Beloved faculty bid Whitman farewell – Robert A. Fontenot

Shannon Buckham May 18, 2009
In the 34 years since joining the Mathematics Department at Whitman, Professor Robert Fontenot has savored his role as advisor to students completing the 3-2 Engineering and Computer Science Program and his work with independent study students. Fontenot, who is ending his career at Whitman this year, said he will miss the day to day interaction with students and colleagues, but he has big plans for the future. After earning his B.S. and Ph.D. in Mathematics from Louisiana State University, Fontenot worked at Oakland University for 3 years before joining the faculty at Whitman in 1975. His courses over the years have ranged from calculus to linear algebra to numerical analysis to operations research and differential equations.

Remembering celebrated past graduation speakers

Chelsea Bissell May 18, 2009

Technically, the exact moment of graduation occurs when students receive their diplomas and shake hands with the paper's bestower.   This single moment, however, is rarely the most memorable in the reminiscing...

Courtesy of Whitman Communications

Beloved faculty bid Whitman farewell – Jean Carwile Masteller & Richard N. Masteller

Gillian Frew May 18, 2009
When Professor Jean Carwile Masteller and her husband, Professor Rick Masteller, joined the English department at Whitman in 1978, they filled the first-ever shared position on faculty. At the time, Carwile Masteller recalled, the appointment was so unusual that newspapers in Walla Walla, Spokane and Seattle all covered it. “Hard to believe we caused such a buzz then," she said. Upon arriving at Whitman, Carwile Masteller also found herself in the unique position of being one of only five tenure-track female faculty members. No courses on women's studies were offered through any department. During her first year teaching, however, students started a petition requesting that the English department offer a course on women. Carwile Masteller, whose dissertation was focused on American women writers, also proposed a course.

Out with the old, in with the new: a look at the Class of 2013

Maggie Allen May 18, 2009

Each year brings a unique and diverse group of incoming students to campus, and the class of 2013 is no exception.   In another record year, with applications up 5 percent, the Office of Admission...

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