Missionary Jason Lee came to Oregon to begin a school for Native American children in the Willamette Valley in 1834. Within a few years the slowly growing group of missionaries felt the need for a school to serve their own children. Jason Lee organized a series of meetings in his home and, on Feb. 1, 1842 -- now celebrated as the founding date for Willamette University -- bylaws were adopted and a board of trustees was appointed.

As the first university in the West, Willamette takes pride in its pioneer heritage, not just because it was founded in the early days of the Oregon Territory, but because, like those early pioneers, it has had an important place in the development of the West.

When Willamette was founded the cities of Portland, Seattle and Tacoma did not exist. Thus the University is closely associated with the beginning of law and government in this vast region, which now comprises Oregon, Washington, Idaho and parts of Montana and Wyoming. It educated many of the Northwest's first leaders, artists and business people. Not only was Willamette the first University in the West, but it established the first law school (1883) and the first school of medicine (1866) in the Pacific Northwest, which later merged with the medical school of the University of Oregon.

Originally called the Oregon Institute, the name was changed to "Wallamet" University in 1853. The original building (first occupied in 1844) was a three-story frame structure which served the community as well as the school since it was considered the most imposing edifice in the Northwest. It housed the first session of the legislature to meet in Salem and sheltered the first court in the territory under United States auspices.

During the University's first half-century, its land holdings were gradually sold to meet other needs, with the result that much of the present Salem downtown is built on former University land.

Willamette was one of the earliest coeducational institutions in the United States, and its first graduate was a woman. Women were attending the School of Medicine as early as 1877.

Today, Willamette University continues to push the frontier of higher education, always aware of the courageous leadership of its pioneer founders. Willamette now enrolls approximately 2,500 students in the College of Liberal Arts, School of Education, College of Law and Atkinson Graduate School of Management. The University's faculty has grown from one teacher in 1842 to 136 full-time professors. Ninety-two percent of the faculty have their doctorates, and all take pride in the learning environment fostered by a 10.5-1 student-to-teacher ratio.

Located on the edge of downtown Salem and across the street from the Oregon State Capitol, Willamette's campus now encompasses 61 acres and has 37 buildings. Recent additions to the ever-growing campus include the F.W. Olin Science Center, the Hallie Ford Museum of Art and the Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center.