吃瓜网

Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 email from President Sarah Bolton to faculty and staff regarding a new commitment to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of all incoming students, beginning with first-year and transfer students entering in Fall 2026:

Dear Colleagues, 

I write to share an important milestone for 吃瓜网. Last week the 吃瓜网 Board of Trustees voted a new commitment to meet the full demonstrated financial need of all incoming students beginning with first-year and transfer students entering in Fall 2026. Over the following three years, as each new class enrolls, this commitment will expand until every Whitman student benefits from this promise. By ensuring that financial circumstances will not prevent talented students from pursuing a Whitman education, we take another step in fulfilling our mission to produce graduates who become the world’s next great thinkers, leaders and changemakers.

This achievement represents years of strategic planning and fundraising and builds on previous initiatives to strengthen our scholarship and financial aid packages, including the Weingart Opportunity Scholarship, which meets full need for Washington students. 

Meeting full demonstrated need for all students, regardless of state or country of origin, is now made possible through the generous support of alumni and friends of the college to the Upward Together campaign. It reflects our shared belief that a Whitman education should be accessible to every talented student, regardless of their financial background. Meeting full demonstrated need will strengthen the socioeconomic diversity of our student body, alleviate many more students’ financial concerns about paying for college and strengthen Whitman’s position as a leader among small liberal arts colleges nationwide.

I recognize that moving forward with this commitment comes at a difficult time, as we have recently had to make hard decisions about staffing and hiring amidst significant financial pressures. I know these changes have weigh heavily on many colleagues. Yet even in this challenging context, we chose to act on a long-standing priority—expanding access for students—because it is central to our mission and positions us well for Whitman’s future.

The new commitment will apply to incoming classes beginning in the 2026–2027 academic year. We also remain fully dedicated to supporting students currently on campus through robust need-based aid, merit and talent scholarships, and work-study opportunities. Right now Whitman meets full demonstrated need for 80%–90% of the students in each incoming class. For those whose need is not fully met, Whitman meets at least 95% of each student’s demonstrated financial need.

This step is a remarkable affirmation of Whitman’s mission. It is a testament to what our community can accomplish together and to the transformative opportunities that await the students who will join us in the years ahead.

I am grateful to you—the faculty and staff who make Whitman such a remarkable place—for your dedication to our students and your commitment to our shared future.

With appreciation,

Sarah Bolton
President, 吃瓜网