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Whitman is an independent, co-educational, non-sectarian, residential undergraduate college of liberal arts and sciences. Founded originally as a seminary in 1859, Whitman received its charter as a four-year, degree-granting college in 1882. Whitman has earned a reputation as one of the leading liberal arts colleges in the United States. The College boasts the highest graduation rate and the highest alumni participation in giving in the Pacific Northwest, and possesses one of the largest endowments of any private college in the West. Whitman is characterized by a strong sense of tradition and community that embraces students, faculty and staff alike. More than 85 percent of students who enter graduate within five years. With a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, Whitman's 1,450 students enjoy small classes and work closely with faculty as engaged partners and participants in a dynamic learning community.

About Whitman College
Whitman College was chartered in 1882 as the first four-year, liberal arts college in the State of Washington. In 1913, it became the first college or university in the nation to require undergraduate students to complete comprehensive examinations in their major field; and in, 1919, it was awarded the second Phi Beta Kappa chapter in Washington. Whitman's alumni include U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas; Nobel Prize-winning physicist Walter Brattain; and esteemed scholars such as Harvard's education scholar Richard Elmore, Stanford historian Gordon Wright, and Williams College economist Gordon Winston.

The mission of Whitman College is to provide an excellent, well-rounded liberal arts and sciences undergraduate education. Whitman offers an ideal setting for rigorous learning and scholarship and encourages creativity, character, and responsibility. Through the study of humanities, arts, social and natural sciences, and basic mathematics, Whitman students develop capacities to analyze, interpret, criticize, communicate, and engage. A concentration on basic disciplines, in combination with a supportive residential life program that encourages personal and social development, fosters intellectual vitality, confidence, leadership and the flexibility to succeed in a changing technological and multicultural world.

Whitman's 42 departments are organized into three separate divisions: Social Sciences and Education; Humanities and Arts; and Basic Sciences and Mathematics. In addition, in recent years, interdisciplinary programs in Gender Studies, Environmental Studies, Latin American Studies, Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Molecular Biology (BBMB), and Race and Ethnic Studies have been created

The College has evolved significantly during the past decade. Fifty percent of faculty members were hired during the past nine years; and ninety-eight percent of tenure-track faculty members hold a Ph.D. or other appropriate terminal degree. During recent years, faculty members have garnered honors and fellowships from such prestigious organizations as the National Science Foundation, the Battelle Research Institute, the National Institute of Health, the Institute of International Education (Fulbright Fellowships), the PEW Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The average compensation of faculty has increased by 50 percent.

In the past decade, Whitman has also doubled its endowment to more than $300 million. More than 53 percent of alumni regularly contribute money or volunteer for the College and more than half of Whitman students receive need-based and merit-based financial aid, totaling more than $14 million annually.

Whitman is accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges and the American Chemical Society, and anticipates re-accreditation by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in fall of 2007. The two most recent accreditation reviews resulted in high marks, without further recommendations for improvement.

Student and Campus Life
Located three blocks from downtown Walla Walla, Whitman's 100-acre campus comprises 42 academic, student service, and administration buildings.

Whitman is a major contributor to the local economy, and as a good neighbor shares its facilities generously with the community. Approximately 75 percent of Whitman students live on campus; the college's residential facilities include coeducational halls, special interest houses, an all-women's hall (home to three sororities), and four fraternity houses.
Whitman's campus also boasts a new dance studio, indoor tennis center, fitness center, a new Environmental Studies center, and a Center for Communication Arts and Technology. Its enlarged and handsomely renovated 400,000-title library is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as are its health center and computer labs.

The number of student applications for admission to Whitman College has increased by more than 100 percent over the course of the past decade.

Whitman students hail from 44 states and 30 countries. The average combined SAT scores of recently enrolled first year students exceed 1330; more than 60 percent of Whitman's first-year students rank in the top deciles of their high school class; and nearly 20 percent are high school valedictorians or 4.0 students. More than 60 percent of Whitman students enter graduate and professional schools within five years after leaving the college. Whitman students often compete successfully for prestigious national awards, including Fulbright, Watson, and Rhodes scholarships.

Nearly 45 percent of Whitman's students participate in study-abroad programs, venturing to more than 20 countries each year, including Argentina, Botswana, China, Hungary, Mexico, Sri Lanka, and Taiwan. Several dozen students also participate every other year in Semester in the West, an innovative field study program in environmental studies, as well as semester-long study programs in urban areas such as Chicago and Philadelphia. Whitman offers degree programs in partnership with other colleges and universities around the country, including Caltech, Columbia, the University of Washington, Duke, and the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

Whitman provides an exceptionally rich mix of campus activities. The College holds membership in the NCAA (Div. III) and the Northwest Conference and fields nine varsity teams. More than 70 percent of students participate in intramural sports and more than 30 percent participate in varsity or club athletic teams. In addition, students are engaged in numerous community service and service learning programs; the campus is home to more than 60 student-run organizations, and hosts many distinguished visitors throughout the year. In recent years, Whitman students have won major external championships in such diverse fields as debate, classical piano, skiing, snowboarding, tennis and cycling.

Diversity
At Whitman diversity is fundamentally important to the character and mission of the college. The college believes that diversity enriches the community and enhances the intellectual growth of its members, and therefore seeks to provide a challenging liberal arts experience for Whitman students that prepares them for citizenship in the global community. By sustaining a diverse community, Whitman strives to ensure that all individuals are valued and respected and that intellectual and personal growth are enriched because of differences.

Location
Historic Walla Walla (pop. 30,000) is located in the scenic southeastern corner of Washington, two-and-a-half hours from Spokane, four hours from Portland, and four-and-a-half hours from Seattle. Walla Walla has been featured recently for its beauty and quality of life in such media outlets as CNN, Sunset Magazine, Money Magazine and the New York Times.

Walla Walla is blessed with natural beauty and sweeping landscapes, a rich sense of history, and an abundance of small-town character. The city, which was originally an agricultural community famed for its wheat and sweet onions, has grown into a regional center for banking, engineering, health care and wine making. The city is located in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, a natural playground for outdoor enthusiasts who also enjoy skiing, snowboarding, rock climbing, hiking and mountain biking. Walla Walla has a lively cultural scene with the oldest continuously performing symphony west of the Mississippi. Its art galleries and bronze foundry are also of national stature.