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Catalyzing Immersive Opportunities

Priority: Academic Excellence & Distinction

Priority: Strong Graduate Launches for All Students

At Whitman, students are ushered into a living and learning laboratory to explore, expand their world view and discover how to make a meaningful impact with their lives. 

It happens in the classroom—where faculty challenge students to ask new questions and dig for answers through discussion, research and innovation.

It happens in Walla Walla—where students partner with community leaders to address real-world needs. It happens in Seattle and across our region, a place uniquely positioned to take on today’s complex challenges—in climate, energy, immigration, technology, health and business.

It is our mission to ensure that every student has every opportunity to be confidently prepared for life after Whitman.

The Opportunity Moving Forward

Through the Upward Together campaign, we’re deepening our commitment to immersive and transformative experiences for every student. We can help our students identify strengths and explore new directions while creating the valuable opportunities that can get them there. It's a bold vision that requires commitment and innovation:

Experience: Hands-on learning in and beyond the classroom. From campus to communities to global opportunities, Whitman students put ideas into action and tackle real-world challenges in every major and program.

Connection: Mentorship, networks and doors opened. Faculty, staff, alumni and industry partners guide students—with empowering paid internships, meaningful research and unique experiences that expand what’s possible in the real world, including in emerging fields and careers.

Impact: Preparation for what’s next. With transformative experiences at the core of their education, graduates leave confident, connected and ready to thrive.

Investing in Teaching & New Programs

Priority: Academic Excellence & Distinction

Whitman’s liberal arts education is time-tested. Yet, to attract new students and prepare graduates for an evolving world, we must continue to invest in academic excellence and innovation.

The Opportunity Moving Forward

Together, we can uplift Whitman as an academic leader in new and critical fields, collaborating across disciplines—bridging science, technology, policy and ethics. 

Gifts to Upward Together can boost and build promising academic programs, including funding for:  

An endowed professorship in Brain, Behavior and Cognition. Now in its third year, the Brain, Behavior and Cognition (BB&C) program has more than 50 declared majors, including May 2025 graduates. Further investing in this program—bridging expertise in psychology and biology—can help distinguish Whitman as a leader in a liberal arts approach to neuroscience.

Whitman’s brain trust. Read more about BB&C at whitman.edu/brain-trust.

A new program in Public Health with an endowed professorship. Public health challenges—from pandemics to climate-driven health crises—demand leaders who can think critically, collaborate across disciplines and create solutions. Whitman’s rigorous liberal arts foundation, strengths in the sciences and commitment to community engagement position us to prepare the next generation of public health experts and leaders.

An endowed chair in Climate Science to build on our strengths in Environmental Studies. As the connections between climate, energy, sustainability, and society become increasingly critical, Whitman can create unique opportunities in our region to prepare great thinkers to innovate and lead for the future.

Meeting Full Need

Priority: Access & Affordability

At the launch of Upward Together, we had a bold goal to meet the demonstrated financial need of all Whitman students. That means opening doors wider to the most talented and deserving students. Thanks to your generosity, Whitman can now join a select group of the most highly regarded U.S. colleges making the promise to meet students’ full financial need.

The Opportunity Moving Forward

Since the fall of 2023, Whitman has met the full financial need of all students from Washington state, thanks to a historic gift creating the J. Walter and Katherine Weingart Opportunity Scholarship. Your gifts have made the reality of meeting all students’ demonstrated need possible. But not all gifts to the college are readily available for scholarships and aid, such as bequests and other planned gifts.

With additional funding, we can make good on our promise and also increase our commitment to merit-based scholarships for talented students with a record of exceptional academic achievement, community involvement and leadership.

Cultivating Community & Belonging

Priority: Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Whitman remains committed to creating and supporting diversity, inclusion and belonging so that all members of our community thrive. 

Attracting students to Whitman from a broad range of backgrounds is critical to how we prepare thoughtful leaders and leading thinkers—people who can make a difference in their communities, society and the world.

The Opportunity Moving Forward

Whitman’s efforts on this priority are multifaceted and include reducing barriers to a Whitman education and recruiting students and scholars from diverse backgrounds. Here’s more about two programs that are already making a difference—and need continued support. 

For a better world: Posse Scholars, campus leaders. In August 2024, Whitman welcomed 10 talented students from Chicago as its first Posse Foundation cohort. Another group arrived for Fall 2025. As high schoolers, these students move through a highly selective process and are chosen for their extraordinary leadership and academic promise. Besides recruiting outstanding young leaders, the foundation’s goals include helping institutions, like Whitman, build inclusive and dynamic campus environments—where students of all backgrounds connect, build consensus and address complex social issues.

Faculty Fellows bring diverse perspectives. Whitman’s new Faculty Fellows program brings emerging scholars to campus for  one-year teaching roles. Meet Whitman’s 2025–2026 Faculty Fellows—and learn about the unique academic opportunities they’re bringing to campus at whitman.edu/fellows.