Thursday, June 26, 2025

Whitman College is proud to announce the creation of a new annual fellowship that supports transformative international experiences by providing graduating seniors with $10,000 each, enabling them to pursue meaningful research projects abroad following graduation. Allegria Iteka ’25 (left) and Terence Mahlatini ’25 (right) are the first recipients of the new Bassett Traveling Fellowship. 

Funded by a generous bequest from Mary Grace Bassett ’47, the Bassett Traveling Fellowship is modeled on the national Thomas J. Watson Fellowship and honors the academic excellence, global curiosity and creative vision of Whitman students.

Provost and Dean of the Faculty Elisabeth Mermann-Jozwiak praises the fellowship’s impact. “We are so grateful to the Bassett family for setting up this fellowship to support these excellent graduating seniors,” she says. “I am thrilled that we are able to provide what I’m sure will be unforgettable experiences of traveling outside of the United States and of immersing themselves in other cultures. Through this fellowship, they will continue their learning after graduation.”

Read more.

Professor of French and Francophone Studies Sarah Hurlburt and College Archivist Alexis Hickey received a grant from the Roundhouse Foundation to collaborate with the Umatilla County Historical Society and Pendleton Public Library on a post-custodial digitization and exhibition project to preserve and share a unique, unpublished, uncatalogued collection of photographs. The glass plate photos document life in Pendleton and Umatilla County from the late 1800s to the early 1900s and are significant in the context of early 20th century representation of Indigenous populations. The grant will enable Whitman staff to properly store the negatives and digitize them to make them publicly available to community descendants and researchers working on the history of rural Oregon. 

The Welty Health and Counseling Center is offering a weekly “Exhale and Unwind” drop-in space for students who are on campus for the summer. The event begins on Thursday, June 26, from 1–2:30 p.m. at the WellNest and continues through the first week in August, holidays excluded. Questions? Email Mental Health Counselor Trishann Rice at ricet@whitman.edu. (Flyer attached.)

The annual Whitman College Surplus Sale hosted by Facilities Services is happening on Friday, June 27, in the North Hall parking lot (933 Bonsella St.). Whitman faculty, staff and students are invited to have first access from 8–10 a.m. The general public is invited to attend from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All proceeds go toward scholarships for nontraditional students.

The Outdoor Program is hosting several trips this summer, including a Day Hike and Swim on Saturday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Harris Park on the Walla Walla River. Unused 2024–2025 Bob Carson Outdoor Fund credits may be used to cover the $25 trip fee. Sign up on Compass.

The Conferences, Events and Scheduling Office recently completed a three-day training session with their student workers in preparation for the summer season, which includes providing support for both internal events, such as the Summer Fly-In, and external events like the annual Midsummer Musical Retreat. Pictured (from left): Patrick Mulikuza ’28, Rosaura “Ro” Albizo Barron ’27, Kena Debebe ’27, Yasmeen ’28 and Wol Bol Majok ’28.

12:10–12:50 p.m.

Movement That Matters: Yoga

Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114

1–2:30 p.m.

Exhale & Unwind

Health Center, WellNest

7 p.m.

Stanton Sports: Soccer & Volleyball

Stanton Hall, Lawn

8–10 a.m.

Whitman College Surplus Sale (Open to Whitman Community)

North Hall, Parking Lot (933 Bonsella St.)

11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Whitman College Surplus Sale (Open to General Public)

North Hall, Parking Lot (933 Bonsella St.)

3 p.m.

Whitman Youth Choir Concert

Hall of Music, Chism Recital Hall

10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Outdoor Program Trip: Day Hike & Swim

Harris Park

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