Thursday, May 15, 2025

Graduates in the Class of 2025 will soon cross the stage in front of Memorial Building and mark a significant milestone in their lives—at the 139th Whitman College Commencement Ceremony.

In just 10 days, professors, classmates, friends and family will gather to celebrate one of the largest graduating classes in recent Whitman College history, with more than 400 scholars receiving their diplomas.

Leading up to commencement, graduates will participate in a variety of celebrations commemorating this capstone to their undergraduate education. 

A Baccalaureate ceremony hosted by the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life will take place on Saturday, May 24, at 2:30 p.m. in Cordiner Hall. The keynote address will be delivered by Elizabeth Knapp, Professor of Earth and Environmental Geoscience at Washington and Lee University, where she also serves as Director of the Johnson Program in Leadership and Integrity. She is the mother of Jenner Smith ’22 and graduating senior Charlie Smith ’25, both Geology-Environmental Studies majors at Whitman.

Commencement will take place on Sunday, May 25, at 11 a.m. (the processional will begin at 10:50 a.m.). The senior speaker for Commencement is José Silva ’25, graduating with a major in Sociology and minors in Psychology and Politics. 

The Commencement keynote address will be delivered by Chuck Sams, an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and a distinguished conservationist and public leader. Sams served as Director of the National Park Service from December 2021 to January 2025. He was the first Native American appointed to this national leadership role.

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Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Religion Xiaobo Yuan has received the Arnold L. and Lois S. Graves Award in the Humanities to work on a new project that investigates how Chinese missionaries are building “spiritual infrastructure” overseas, alongside China’s expanding economic influence. The award will support her study of the Bahasa Indonesian language and multiple trips to Indonesia to observe Chinese Christian missionary organizations in action. This research will inform and expand her courses on the anthropology of diaspora, Asian religions and transnational China studies.

The Glover Alston Intercultural Center will host an Intercultural Excellence Stole Ceremony on Thursday, May 15, at 5 p.m. in the Reid Campus Center Young Ballroom. (Flyer attached.) Graduates who take part in this optional ceremony will be bestowed with a stole symbolizing their cultural heritage. All are welcome at this event that celebrates the unique cultural wealth and intersectional identities of Whitman students.

The Climbing Center is operating on an adjusted schedule through the end of the semester.

Book buybacks and rental book returns will take place at the Whitman College Bookstore through Tuesday, May 20. The bookstore is operating on an adjusted schedule through the end of the semester.

All seniors are encouraged to take the Senior Survey before leaving Whitman College. Enter your Whitman ID number to access the survey. Responses are due by Monday, May 26. Participants are not required to answer every question. This survey is an important way the Whitman administration assesses the overall educational program of the college, and results of this survey will help develop more effective programs and policies to meet the ever-changing needs of Whitman students.

Students from Museums and the Politics of Display (ARTH 210), taught by Krista Gulbransen, Associate Professor of Art History, recently took field trips to the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute and the Maryhill Museum of Art. In addition to viewing the museum exhibits, students met with curators and conservators and toured museum storage in order to gain insights into different types of museum curation and the history of each institution. This photo was taken in front of a World War I memorial that takes the form of a replica of Stonehenge and is part of the Maryhill Museum collection.

9–11 a.m.

Final Exams

Various Locations

12:10–12:50 p.m.

Movement That Matters: Step Aerobics

Sherwood Athletic Center

2–4 p.m.

Final Exams

Various Locations

3–5 p.m.

Open Office Hours: Off-Campus Studies

Reid Campus Center, Coffeehouse

4–5 p.m.

Ice Cream Study Break With the Chaplain

Reid Campus Center, All Faiths Room

4 p.m.

Post-Board Meeting Forum

Olin Auditorium

4:30–6:30 p.m.

TransVerse

Reid Campus Center, Queer Resource Center

5–6:30 p.m.

Intercultural Excellence Stole Ceremony

Reid Campus Center, Young Ballroom

8–10 p.m.

Students for Justice in Palestine: Film Screening

Reid Campus Center, Lawn

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