How Three Students Saved a Beloved Professor
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One year after experiencing cardiac arrest on Whitman’s campus, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics and Statistics Pat Keef (center) has a renewed sense of routine and gratitude. More than anything, he’s happy to be alive.
“Life is fairly back to normal. I continue to work out, go skiing, travel and work on my scholarship,” he says. “But without those three students acting as quickly and thoughtfully as they did, I’d be dead.”
On March 2, 2025, Keef collapsed while using his favorite rower at the Baker Ferguson Fitness Center—exactly one week before his 70th birthday. Fortunately, three medically trained students were in the room and sprang into action. A year later, they are encouraging others to learn how to respond in an emergency situation.
Read more.
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History Professor Publishes Book
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Professor and Chair of History Bina Arch has co-authored and published a book titled “Early Modern Marine Environments: A Global History” (Routledge, 2026) with Jack Bouchard, Assistant Professor of History at Rutgers University. This book brings together the newest research to explore an era of newfound importance for the global ocean, focusing on the changing human relationships with maritime environments as cultures around the world found new ways to use and manipulate different aspects of this environment. It focuses on key themes in early modern maritime history: harvesting marine life, movement through and on water, changing coastal environments, sea–land connections and the metaphysics of the ocean in an age of change.
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Global Ecocinema Screening Today
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The final screening in the “Global Ecocinema: Environmental Storytelling and Social Justice Through Visual Media” series—the Chinese film “Under the Dome” (2015)—will be screened on Thursday, April 2, at 4 p.m. in Olin Auditorium. This series is made possible with the support of a Global Dialogues Faculty Development Grant and the Center for Global Studies at Whitman College, in collaboration with the Departments of Hispanic Studies and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. (Flyer attached.)
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Rempel Lecture in Biology Tonight
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Bestselling author, award-winning ecologist and University of Delaware professor Doug Tallamy will deliver the 2026 Rempel Lecture in Biology on Thursday, April 2, at 7:30 p.m. in Cordiner Hall. In a talk titled “Nature’s Best Hope,” Tallamy will discuss simple steps everyone can take to help reverse declining biodiversity. (Flyer attached.)
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African Music & Dance Events This Week
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Gansango, a Seattle-based company of African dancers and musicians, returns to campus this week to visit dance courses and to host a series of free, family-friendly public events.
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These events are hosted by the Whitman African Students Association and the Department of Theater and Dance, with support from the Ashton J. and Virginia Graham O’Donnell Endowment in Global Studies. (Flyer attached.)
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Whitman Swimming Teams Offer Lessons in April
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The Whitman swimming teams will host swim lessons for all age groups in two sessions, April 13–16 and April 20–23, at Harvey Pool. The cost is $80 per swimmer per week. Registration is due by the Friday before each week of lessons begins. (Flyer attached.)
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This week, Amy Brown started in her role as Sustainability Manager at Whitman. With a bachelor’s degree in International Studies and Environmental Studies and a master’s degree in Sustainability Studies, she brings years of combined expertise in sustainability initiatives, higher education and results-driven customer service. Brown’s early priorities include updating Whitman’s submission for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education’s Sustainability Tracking, Assessment and Rating System, implementing the Campus Sustainability Plan and facilitating the President’s Sustainability Advisory Committee.
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Memorial Building, Room 331 (RSVP)
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Walla Walla Public Library
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Sherwood Athletic Center, Room 114
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Cleveland Commons, Lizzie Murr Dining Room
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Hunter Conservatory, Kimball Theatre
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Reid Campus Center, Lower Level
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Would you like to share an event with campus? Submit the information to the Events Calendar.
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