Whitworth University

Supporting our military community with a beautiful display before this weekend's football game. Come join us. Admission is free for all members of the military/veterans, their families and Gold Star families. It will be a very special day! #GoBucs https://bit.ly/4ekO5GM

Whitworth University will be offering an Election Year Speaker Series designed to help students and the local community engage in critical thinking and civil discourse. The series will feature many different voices including former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, highly regarded authors like Anne Synder and Alexandra Hudson, theologians like Matthew Kaemingk and Whitworth faculty members. Registration is required for several events. https://bit.ly/3XjuoZ0

SUMMER SNAPSHOT   This summer, political science major Sophie St. Jacques '27 served as a voter education intern for the City of Portland (Ore.) in the auditor's office. Fun fact: One of her supervisors was political science alum James Eccles '17, City of Portland elections analyst! St. Jacques writes:   "I was tasked with presenting and engaging with local Portlanders about the city's new government system, specifically the shift to ranked-choice voting. I contributed to expanding the city's voter education campaign, with a focus on increasing engagement among young voters. I also had the chance to make history by participating in what’s believed to be the nation’s first-ever hand recount of a multi-winner ranked-choice voting contest!    "Perhaps the most unusual, yet fun, thing I did this summer was seeing the slogan I wrote, 'Next Stop: Ranked-Choice Voting,' alongside a photo of me featured on buses. Overall, this experience helped reinforce my commitment to democratic practices and government while highlighting the importance of citizen outreach and voter education."

This summer, 10 Whitworth faculty members embarked on a five-day backpacking retreat in the Wallowa Mountains in Oregon during which they explored wilderness spirituality. Assistant Professor of Theology Samantha Miller received a grant from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion to lead the retreat, “Wild Spirituality for Wild Teaching Lives." Miller also leads Whitworth's Jan Term Backpacking with the Saints course for students.   "Christianity has a long history of people going to the wilderness to encounter God," Miller says. "This retreat was an opportunity to step away from our usual responsibilities to listen for God and experience refreshment, renewal and spiritual development."   The grant is for a two-year pilot program within the Whitworth College of Arts & Sciences.

Did you know Whitworth is one of the only universities in the Pacific Northwest offering a Master of Science in Financial Planning? We are committed to providing our students with an incredible in-person experience that includes the networking needed to pursue a career in this field. Robin Henager, associate dean of Whitworth's School of Business, joined Steven Jarvis for his podcast "Retirement Tax Services" to talk about the unique opportunities that lie ahead for the Pirates enrolled in this program! https://bit.ly/4g9R9XV

Here's what Move-In Weekend 2024 looked like! We had so much fun welcoming the Class of '28 and transfer students onto campus. Let's have a great year, Pirates!

This summer, several deserving people in Spokane’s West Central neighborhood received big yard makeovers, courtesy of the Whitworth Grounds crew. Grounds Manager Brandon Pyle ‘05 came up with the idea and generous donations from many local business owners made it possible. Here’s a look at how this pilot program ended up being an invaluable lesson for our students and a blessing for those homeowners in our community.   Special thanks to: Northwest Landscape, Basin Sod & Gravel, Scotts Nursery in Deer Park, Horizon Distributors, Heindl Tree Care and American Onsite.   Proverbs 11:25: “Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.”  

PACCAR Executive Chairman Mark Pigott will receive an honorary doctorate and Jonathan Moo, professor of New Testament & environmental studies, will be installed as the university's third Bruner-Welch Endowed Chair in Theology as we gather for Fall Convocation on Sept. 5. https://bit.ly/3Mlkzoj

Erica Salkin, professor of communication studies and interim dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, and Emma Maple ’24 recently presented a study they co-authored at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) Conference in Philadelphia. Their study, about newspaper coverage of Supreme Court free speech cases, began as Maple’s honors project and grew into a comparative content analysis that the pair worked on together.    “The presentation went well, with lots of good feedback (and some surprise that Emma was an undergrad! That’s how we do things here at Whitworth),” Salkin says.   Salkin and Maple, a recent grad and former editor-in-chief of “The Whitworthian,” are now pursuing publication for their study, “Newspaper coverage of the Supreme Court’s decisions in ‘Masterpiece Cakeshop’ and ‘303 Creative.’”    “It will be exciting to see Emma add a journal publication to all of her great journalism work,” Salkin says.

This summer, we've been celebrating the good work of all our athletes, not only on the fields, but in the classroom! The Whitworth softball team ranked among the top schools in all of NCAA Division III for grade point average during the 2023-24 academic year, according to the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. The Bucs earned a 3.51 cumulative team GPA receiving the Easton/NFCA Team GPA award. 18 players earned NFCA academic recognition by keeping a GPA of 3.5 or higher! Congratulations to all of them! #GoBucs