Wednesday, February 4, 2026
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Swimming Coach Wins by Putting People First
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Head Swimming Coach Jenn Blomme is diving into her 26th season at Whitman College. And after all these years, her favorite part of being a coach is still seeing how her Blues Swimming student-athletes transform throughout their college years.
“So much growing is happening. So much change is happening,” she says. “At the very least, to be witness to that is amazing, and at best, to help support and foster some of that growth along the way is incredibly meaningful.”
Born in Walla Walla, Blomme swam as a student-athlete at Grinnell College in Iowa. The experience inspired her to become a coach, and a small liberal arts college in the Northwest seemed like the perfect place to grow her career.
“So many of the lessons I learned in those four years of college came through that athletic experience,” she says. “I was hopeful to carry that forward and be part of that for other people—and to stay involved in this sport that I love.”
Blomme’s swimming teams have been incredibly successful, placing in the top of the Northwest Conference (NWC) Championships year after year. And she has coached two NCAA National Champions: Karl Mering ’15 and Tanner Filion ’23.
In 2025, she was recognized as NWC Coach of the Year for the 15th time.
Read the full story in the Winter 2026 issue of Whitman Magazine.
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Staff Member To Join Community Engagement Cohort
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Director for Community Engagement Abby Juhasz was recently selected to participate in Campus Compact’s Mid-Career Learning Community cohort alongside 14 peers from colleges and universities across the country. Over the course of a year, the 2026–2027 cohort will participate in a variety of activities and programming to enhance their effectiveness as community engagement practitioners and community-engaged faculty. Campus Compact is a national coalition of colleges and universities committed to the public purposes of higher education, building democracy through civic engagement and community development.
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Student Engagement Survey Reminder
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The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is now open for first-year students and seniors. Whitman participates in this nationwide survey of college students every three years, and the results are an important way the college assesses the student experience. Please take a few minutes to fill out the NSSE when you see it in your inbox.
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QPR Suicide Prevention Training This Month
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The Welty Health and Counseling Center will provide suicide prevention training for our campus community in February. The QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) model has been proven to decrease suicide risk in communities like ours.
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- Faculty and staff session: Friday, Feb. 6, from 1–3 p.m. in Maxey 104 (RSVP)
- Student session: Tuesday, Feb. 10, from 6–8 p.m. in Maxey 104 (RSVP)
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Participants will be certified as a QPR Gatekeeper, valid for one year.
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Stationery Portal Opens Soon
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The twice-yearly opportunity to get bulk pricing on Whitman-branded stationery is nearly here! Place your orders while the online portal is open from Tuesday, Feb. 17, through Monday, March 9. Estimated delivery is April 22. As a reminder, your portal login information is not the same as your Whitman login. Questions? Contact Executive Assistant to the Vice President for Communications Andrea Volz at 509-527-5160 or volza@whitman.edu.
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On Friday, the Outdoor Program led an Ice Climbing Trip to the “Weeping Wall” near Ski Bluewood. Most participants have never been ice climbing previously but were excited to learn and finished with a sense of accomplishment. (See more photos on Instagram.) The Outdoor Program coordinates day and overnight trips throughout the academic year. Sign up for a future adventure on Compass.
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114
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Information Session: Junior-Senior Housing Options
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Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.
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Whitman Today is emailed to Whitman College staff, faculty and students each weekday during the academic year and twice a week during breaks. An archive of previous issues is available online.
All submissions are welcome! If you have accomplishments to celebrate, an event to publicize or other Whitman content to share, email whitmantoday@whitman.edu. Submissions of 125 words or less are due by noon on the business day prior to publication. Submissions may be edited and/or held for a later date according to space and editorial needs. Your submission also authorizes use on Whitman's social media unless otherwise specified.
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Find us on social media: @whitmancollege
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