As the first university in the West, Willamette’s story is rich, complex, and deeply intertwined with the history of the Pacific Northwest. Established in 1842, Willamette University has been at the forefront of higher education, with the region's first law and medical schools and educating generations of leaders, artists, and changemakers. From its beginnings as a mission school to its current status as a renowned liberal arts institution, Willamette has continually evolved—honoring its past while forging new paths forward. Explore our history and read our Land Acknowledgement to learn more about the land and the Indigenous people who have long called it home.
In 1834 missionary Jason Lee came to the Oregon Territory to establish a Methodist mission for Native Americans living in the Willamette Valley. One of the mission’s primary operations was a school designed to “educate and civilize” the Native children.
When the missionaries arrived, they encountered communities ravaged by deadly diseases that had been introduced only a few generations earlier by the first white traders who had come to the region. These diseases shattered communities that had flourished for millennia in the fertile Willamette Valley. Deeply moved by the misery of the Indians they encountered, the missionaries offered health care, food and shelter to several Indian children who had been orphaned when their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles succumbed to these deadly diseases.
As was standard with most missionaries of the times, Lee and his followers failed to acknowledge that the Native American tribes of the Pacific Northwest had settled the area thousands of years prior and that these advanced societies had been successfully hunting, fishing and trading for generations. This lack of cultural understanding on the part of the missionaries contributed significantly to the failure of the mission school. While a few Indians took advantage of the education offered by the missionaries to learn English and hence become more effective treaty negotiators in the years that followed, most Indians found little of value in what the missionaries had to offer. In the early 1840s, the missionaries began to shift their focus from serving the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest to serving the rapidly increasing number of white settlers.
As the first Protestant mission in the Pacific Northwest, Lee’s work was followed closely by church members who remained in New England. After two “reinforcements” of missionaries and supplies were sent west, the mission expanded. Some early missionaries traveled west to teach. Others came for reasons of commerce. In 1841 construction of the Indian Manual Labor Training School began on what is now the Willamette University campus.
Because of its failure to thrive, in 1844 the Methodist Mission Board closed the mission, and the building that had previously housed the Manual Labor School was sold to the trustees of the Oregon Institute to be used as a school for the children of missionaries and settlers. The building that remained on the University campus was renamed the Oregon Institute. It housed the first session of the legislature to meet in Salem and sheltered the first court in the territory under the auspices of the United States. It is this institute that finally became Willamette University. At a mission meeting, Jason Lee and his followers determined to use Feb. 1, 1842, as the founding date for Willamette University.
Willamette University is closely associated with the beginning of law and government in the historical Oregon Territory, 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. Willamette 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.
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, aware of the influence of the first peoples of the Pacific Northwest. In its efforts to strengthen relationships with regional Native American tribes, the University has placed new energy in renewed partnerships.
Chemawa Indian School and Willamette University have begun a collaborative partnership with the support of the Lilly Project. In 2005 Chemawa administrators invited Willamette to assist in its long-term process of transitioning to a college preparatory curriculum. Willamette students now volunteer as tutors and mentors at Chemawa study hall. They in turn learn from the relationships they are building with Chemawa students and the teaching staff at Chemawa.
The Native American Enlightenment Association, a student organization, has worked with tribal elders to rekindle the annual campus Powwow. Funds have also been made available to bring Native American artists and speakers to campus. On Founders Day 2005, Willamette held a Ceremony of Renewal with regional tribes to acknowledge its Indian mission legacy and begin a new chapter in the mutual history of Oregon’s tribal communities and the University. At the ceremony, then President M. Lee Pelton announced the establishment of a lecture series to bring guests from Indian country to the campus and the broader Willamette Valley for dialogue, teaching and learning. The Indian Country Conversations Series is coordinated in consultation with the University’s community-based Native American Advisory Council.
Willamette University has a responsibility to speak honestly about its earliest beginnings. Today Willamette University is committed to building a more inclusive and tolerant community.
Willamette University and its failed rival, Portland University, reunited in the fall in Salem, under the “time-honored name” of Willamette University.
1896
The College of Pharmacy closed.
1895
A new gymnasium on campus and a paid coach were made possible by $250 in university funds and “Subscriptions from many individuals.”
Cardinal red and gold were chosen as the school colors.
1891
Willamette’s new chancellor, Charles Stratton ’69, left in January to become president of a new, rival Methodist university in Portland. Pres. Van Scoy stunned Willamette by leaving in June to become the rival school’s dean. Many students and faculty, including the entire College of Theology, joined them in Portland.
University Hall’s roof and tower were destroyed by fire a week after classes began in the fall.
1883
The College of Law was established.
1880
A Women’s College and Musical Institute were established and soon occupied the original Lausanne Hall, the former home of Mrs. Chloe Clarke Willson, and named after the ship that brought reinforcements to the Jason Lee Mission in 1840. The Women’s College was founded as “a modification, but in no sense a surrender of co-education.”
The Medical Department left University Hall and Salem for a new home in Portland.
1875
The Willamette Collegian began monthly publication.
1872
The old Oregon Institute building burned to the ground.
By this year, the University included an elementary school, a Commercial Department open to male and female students, the Medical Department, and a Music Department that in 1872 began to grant its own degrees. Annual enrollment in the 1870s averaged 280, of which only 81 were college students.
1870
The university catalog of 1870-71 first used the current spelling, Willamette, in the school’s name.
1867
The Medical College, the first professional school established in the Pacific Northwest, began offering classes in Salem. Waller Hall, then called University Hall, was opened; its five stories in the form of a Greek cross made it a commanding edifice in the sparsely settled Oregon country.
1865
The Rev. Joseph Wythe was elected president of the University. He was a physician and surgeon as well as an ordained minister who, besides his administrative duties, taught mental and moral science in the collegiate department, physiology, hygiene and microscopy in the medical department, and biblical languages and literature in the theological department. In the trustees’ eyes, however, his virtues did not outweigh his vice of smoking in public, and Wythe was forced out in 1867.
1864
Through the efforts of the Rev. Alvan Waller, a new college building (now known as Waller Hall) was begun. The bricks for its construction were fired on the grounds from clay excavated for the foundation.
1861
Trustees allowed a mill stream to be dug across campus for the use of the nearby woolen mill.
1859
Miss Emily J. York, the first graduate of Willamette, received the degree of Mistress of English Literature.
1853
The Oregon Territorial Legislature, which held its session at that time in the basement rooms of the university building, granted a charter to “Wallamet University.”
1850
The Rev. Francis S. Hoyt became president of the Oregon Institute and later the first president of the University.
Trustees enacted rules of conduct for Institute students: “Drinking wine or intoxicating liquors, smoking, card-playing, swearing, immorality of any kind, quarreling, rude and unkind treatment of fellow pupils, the throwing of stones, disobedience, indolence, and any other acts or behavior calculated to injure the reputation and peace of the University, or the moral habits of the students, are entirely prohibited.”
1849
The first meeting of the Oregon-California Conference, held at the Institute, officially recognized the Institute as a Methodist school.
1844
Lee’s “Indian Manual Labor School,” which in 1841 had been moved to the present Willamette campus, was discontinued. Its three-story frame building, the most imposing structure of its kind on the Pacific Coast, was purchased by the Institute. On August 13, the Oregon Institute was officially opened as a boarding school for settlers’ children. There were five students and one teacher, Mrs. Chloe Clarke Willson, that first year.
1842
On January 17, a meeting of the missionary community was held at the home of Jason Lee to consider the establishment of a school for children of settlers. On February 1, a board of trustees was appointed and a constitution and bylaws were adopted for the new school, which was named the Oregon Institute. This event marked the founding of Willamette University. Trustees were the Revs. Jason Lee, David Leslie, Gustavus Hines, Josiah Parrish and Lewis Judson; and Messrs. George Abernathy, Alanson Beers and Hamilton Campbell; and Dr. Ira Babcock.
1839
The “Great Reinforcement” of 53 people arrived from New York on the wooden ship Lausanne.
1834
On October 6, Jason Lee and his party of Methodist missionaries pitched camp in the homeland of the Kalapuyan Indians, known to the settlers as the Oregon country, a few miles north of the present site of Salem. Soon afterward Lee opened a mission school for Indian children.
1948
The Collegian received a coveted Pace Makers award after an unprecedented sixteenth consecutive All-American designation.
The new Bruce R. Baxter Residence Hall and four fraternity residences opened in February for Willamette men.
1947
Three local fraternities were initiated as chapters of national organizations: Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. The local Phi Alpha fraternity established a chapter with Sigma Alpha Epsilon later in the year.
1946
The College of Law was admitted as a member of the Association of American Law Schools. A 10-acre tract of land on Bush’s Pasture was acquired for a new athletic field.
1945
A Willamette chapter of national sorority Delta Gamma was established. Chi Omega colonized.
1944
Chapters were established at Willamette for national sororities Alpha Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi.
1943
A College Navy Training Program (V-12) was established on the campus. Lausanne Hall served as the “ship” for those being trained as medical personnel and deck officers from July 1943 through November 1945. A heavy program of physical conditioning included what was reputed to be one of the toughest obstacle courses in the West.
1942
The Willamette Centennial was observed, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the University. President Knopf planted five giant sequoia trees, the Star Trees, to the north of Collins Science Hall as a part of the centennial celebrations and to begin a “Temple of the Centuries.”
1941
The Everell Stanton Collins Science Hall was added to the campus. The former science building was extensively remodeled to house the College of Music.
Willamette’s football team was in Hawaii during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, having played the University of Hawaii the day before; they returned by helping on a ship bringing the wounded back to the mainland for hospitalization.
1939
The College of Law moved into its new home (the old Salem post office, now called Gatke Hall) opposite the Supreme Court building.
1938
A new library building was completed and University House was moved to campus where it served as the president’s home until 1955.
1936
The Class of 1936 completed a four-year sweep of top Glee honors, the first class to do so.
1935
George Cannady was the first Black graduate of Willamette University. He later became an attorney in Los Angeles and died in 1968.
Dancing was permitted on a limited basis. By 1938-39, all-student dances were allowed.
1930
A $1.2 million campaign, begun in 1922, was completed. The General Education Board (Rockefeller Foundation) contributed $350,000 to this fund. During the year Willamette received a gift of $100,000 from the Eric V. Hauser Estate.
The Kimball School of Theology closed.
1927
Willamette received accreditation from the Association of American Universities.
1923
A large gymnasium of brick was erected, replacing the older frame structure. Sorority Alpha Phi Alpha and fraternity Epsilon Delta Mu joined Willamette’s Greek system.
1921
The wooden gymnasium burned to the ground.
1920
Waller Hall was rebuilt and a new Lausanne Hall (a commodious, modern dormitory for women) was completed.
One sorority, Delta Phi, and three fraternities - Alpha Psi Delta, Kappa Gamma Rho, and Pi Kappa Phi - were added.
1919
Waller Hall’s interior was destroyed by fire in December. In spring, the old wooden Lausanne Hall was razed.
Willamette’s first sorority, Beta Chi, and fraternity, Sigma Tau, were organized.
1916
After 72 years the last class was graduated from the Oregon Institute (Willamette Academy), whose presence was no longer needed because of the development of public high schools.
1913
The College of Medicine closed at Willamette, merging with the University of Oregon College of Medicine.
1912
University Hall was renamed Waller Hall.
1909
Freshman Glee began when the freshman class challenged the other classes to a song competition. Eaton Hall, a gift from the Honorable A. E. Eaton, was completed.
The Kimball School of Theology was established.
1906
The Medical College moved into a newly constructed building on the northwest corner of campus. In succeeding years the building would be home to the Willamette Academy, the Science Department, the College of Music and the Art Department.
1903
The first Wallulah was published.
1999
President M. Lee Pelton was inaugurated Feb. 19, capping a week of academic and celebratory events. He became Willamette’s 22nd president in July 1998.
The Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center was dedicated in March with a week of concerts. The center features the 450-seat Jerry E. Hudson Concert Hall, the James W. Rogers Rehearsal Hall and the Roger W. Rogers Gallery.
For the first time in school history, national track and field championships were won by a Willamette woman (Beth Fitzgerald, 800 meters) and man (Jimmy Watts, decathlon), both class of ’99.
1998
History professor William Duvall was named Carnegie Foundation Oregon Professor of the Year, the sixth time in nine years a Willamette professor received the award.
Willamette joined the NCAA Division III athletic conference.
1997
Jerry E. Hudson became president emeritus, retiring in July after 17 years as Willamette University president. Bryan Johnston served as interim president for the 1997 98 academic year.
The 1997 Bearcat football team advanced to the NAIA national championship contest, losing 14-7 to Findlay (Ohio).
Elizabeth Heaston ’99 made history when she became the first female to play in a collegiate football game. She made two extra points in a 27-0 win over Linfield College.
In December, the first lighting of the star trees, planted in 1942 as part of Willamette’s centennial, became a new campus tradition, one that symbolizes the partnership of the University with the community of Salem.
1996
Students worked side-by-side with staff to minimize the damage when flood waters rose in February. Classes were canceled for two days.
The Atkinson School was accepted for a Beta Gamma Sigma honor society chapter. Membership is the highest academic recognition students of business management can achieve.
The $7.1 million F. W. Olin Science Center was dedicated Sept. 5.
1995
Students moved into the completed University Apartments in the fall.
On Founders’ Day, the successful completion of the Sesquicentennial Campaign for Future Generations was announced, raising $62 million. When the campaign began in 1989, the goal was $50 million.
A School of Education was established in the College of Liberal Arts.
College of Law dedications included the re-dedication of the library, in honor of J.W. Long, and the dedication of the John C. Paulus Great Hall.
The Atkinson Graduate School of Management earned accreditation from both the American Association of Schools of Business and the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration. Its integrated Master of Management is the first and only program with this dual accreditation.
1994
The Japanese Garden was renamed for the late Germaine Fuller. Fuller had been an art history professor at Willamette since 1986.
Willamette’s athletic program won the Northwest Conference All-Sports award for the 1993-94 school year. It marked the first time the Bearcats had won the trophy since it was started in 1985-86.
1993
Willamette’s men’s basketball team won the NAIA Division 2 National Championship. Coach Gordie James was named the NAIA Division 2 Coach of the Year.
The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was displayed with over 4,500 people coming to see the exhibit which featured over 500 panels.
McCulloch Stadium was re-dedicated after renovation made possible by a gift from Bill Long ’59. At the ceremony, the new field was dedicated as Ted Ogdahl Field, honoring the former Willamette coach.
1992
The Sesquicentennial Founders’ Day Weekend was packed with special events including: - A commemorative U.S. postal card was issued as part of the Historic Preservation Series. Over 10 million cards featuring Waller Hall were printed and distributed across the United States. - The refurbished Victory Bell was rung 150 times to commemorate the anniversary. - Town and Gown, a bronze sculpture by Mark Sponenburgh, was dedicated.
The academic year ended in May with two dedications — the Gliding Dragon Tree and the Sesquicentennial Rose Garden. A time capsule was later buried in the Rose Garden by the Senior Class to be retrieved during the class’s 50th reunion.
On September 10, The Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center was re-dedicated. United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Conner was the keynote speaker.
Goudy Commons was dedicated on October 16. It is named in honor of Elmer and Grace Goudy, benefactors and trustees of the University.
1990
For the fourth consecutive year, Willamette enrolled more National Merit Scholars in its entering undergraduate class than any other private school in the Northwest.
1989
Tokyo International University of America was completed.
Waller Hall was renovated; the “old historic temple” was re-dedicated in a ceremony held in the new Cone Chapel, named in honor of Edwin and June Cone.
An Undergraduate Research Grant program was initiated. The program was endowed and named in honor of former CLA Dean Julie Ann Carson in 1994.
1988
The William B. Smullin Hall was dedicated.
A Master of Arts in Teaching pilot program began with three students.
1987
Coach Charles Bowles’ men’s track team won its seventh straight — and ninth out of ten — Northwest Conference championship.
The Martha Springer Botanical Garden was dedicated.
A new sister university agreement was signed with Simferopol State University in the then-U. S. S. R. (now Ukraine). The resulting exchange program began in 1989.
1986
The Bistro opened on campus.
1985
Sister-university relationships were entered into with Xiamen University in Fujian Province of the People’s Republic of China and with Kookmin University in Seoul, Korea.
1983
Willamette was selected by a U.S. News & World Report poll of college and university presidents as the best small comprehensive university in the West.
The Center for Dispute Resolution was founded as a part of the College of Law.
1980
An $18 million fund-raising campaign was launched. Part of the proceeds from that campaign were used to renovate key academic buildings, beautify the campus, and construct the Mark O. Hatfield Library (which was completed in 1986).
1975
A $12.5 million fund-raising campaign, called the Fund for Educational Excellence, culminated in the addition of the George H. Atkinson Graduate School of Administration [changed to Management in 1980], housed in the new Seeley G. Mudd Building.
1974
The Lestle J. Sparks Athletic Center was completed, containing the Edwin E. and June Woldt Cone Field House and Chester Henkle Gymnasium.
1970
The George Putnam University Center was dedicated.
1968
The football team, coached by Ted Ogdahl and led by All-America Calvin Lee, was ranked third in the nation by NAIA after an undefeated regular season.
1967
The Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center was added to the campus, as was William S. Walton Hall.
1965
Willamette entered into a sister-college relationship with the International College of Commerce and Economics (now known as Tokyo International University).
1964
Trustees voted to establish a sabbatical leave program for faculty.
1961
A Willamette chapter of national fraternity Kappa Sigma was established.
The new James T. Matthews and Lewis F. Belknap Residence Halls for men opened.
1960
A Willamette chapter of national fraternity Delta Tau Delta was established.
The new Lucy Anna Lee and Emily J. York Residence Halls for women opened.
1959
The College of Law’s Moot Court team won the national championship.
1958
The United States Steel Corporation, in cooperation with the American Alumni Council, selected Willamette as national award winner for the best record of improvement in alumni support among coeducational colleges.
1957
Mortar Board, then a senior women’s honorary, installed a chapter at Willamette.
1956
Thanks to the establishment of the Atkinson Fund by Mr. and Mrs. George H. Atkinson, the Atkinson Lecture Series was begun and a university chaplain was appointed.
1955
The Charles P. and Fannie Kay Bishop Memorial Health Center was constructed, and the G. Herbert Smith Auditorium was added to the campus.
Willamette installed a chapter of the national senior men’s honorary, Omicron Delta Kappa.
The new Doney Residence Hall for women opened.
For the fourth time in five years, the Willamette forensic squad was selected to participate in the National Invitation Debate Tournament.
1950
McCulloch Stadium was built.
The Mutual Broadcasting System featured the Willamette A Capella Choir on a coast-to-coast broadcast.
The “Semester in Washington” program began in the College of Liberal Arts.
2009
Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman delivered the spring Atkinson Lecture in January, during the height of the economic crisis. CNN journalist and Newsweek International editor Fareed Zakaria spoke about globalism at the fall Atkinson Lecture.
The Princeton Review named the Atkinson Graduate School of Management one of the top 15 programs for preparing students in marketing. AGSM also was recognized by Forbes magazine as one of the top 75 business schools in the country.
Attorney and environmental advocate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. brought his activist spirit to Willamette when he delivered the Dempsey Lecture on Environmental Issues.
The seven-year Campaign for Willamette, the most ambitious development campaign in the university’s history, raised $131 million, exceeding its goal of $125 million
The College of Liberal Arts celebrated commencement for 434 members of the class of 2009. The College of Law awarded 132 JD and 2 LLM degrees, Atkinson Graduate School of Management awarded 76 MBA degrees and the School of Education awarded 81 MAT degrees.
The Sierra Club’s magazine, Sierra, named Willamette one of its top 20 “Cool Schools” for a commitment to the environment.
The College of Liberal Arts welcomed 541 members of the class of 2013, along with 47 transfer students and 23 international exchange students. The College of Law had 149 new students, Atkinson Graduate School of Management welcomed 102 students and the School of Education had 99 new students.
Ford Hall, a new academic building that integrates academics and technology and includes a mix of departments to foster interdisciplinary learning, opened in the fall.
Tokyo International University and Willamette celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Tokyo International University of America campus in Salem.
The School of Education added a new M.Ed. degree designed for practitioners or those who have earned initial licensure.
2008
Marketing Professor Debra Ringold was named dean of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. She was later named first holder of the JELD-WEN Endowed Chair in Free Enterprise.
Willamette was one of 1,200 colleges and universities in the country to participate in Focus the Nation, a nationwide conversation focused on global climate change.
Japanese-American students at Willamette during World War II who were forced to move to internment camps were invited to campus for events designed around the 66th anniversary of President Franklin Roosevelt’s signing of Executive Order 9066.
New York Times op-ed columnist Frank Rich presented the spring 2008 Atkinson Lecture. He discussed the intersection of culture and politics.
Stephen H. Schneider, professor of environmental biology and global change at Stanford University delivered the 2008 Dempsey Lecture. He discussed “Global Warming: Is the Science Settled Enough for Policy?”
To date, the Campaign for Willamette, with a goal of $125 million, has raised $118 million.
Bryan Johnston, former interim president and dean of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, passed away in June 2008.
Nick Symmonds ’06 ran on the men’s 800 meter team in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The only American to advance, he won his first heat but lost the semi-final.
Willamette was named the top university in the nation in sustainability in higher education by the National Wildlife Federation. Willamette outscored more than 1,000 institutions in a report called Campus Environment 2008: Report Card on Higher Education Sustainability.
Willamette welcomed the CLA Class of 2012 with 542 undergraduates from 27 states and 12 countries.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg delivered the fall 2008 Atkinson Lecture and participated in the dedication of the University’s Oregon Civic Justice Center.
2007
Willamette moved up 15 spots to No. 9 in the Peace Corps’ Top 25 rankings for colleges and universities (of fewer than 5,000 undergraduates) with the most alumni volunteers. WU tied with Lewis & Clark and the University of Denver.
The JELD-WEN Foundation pledged $2.5 million to the Atkinson Graduate School of Management to fund a Chair in Free Enterprise.
Kaneko Commons was dedicated Feb. 15 with attendees including the president of Tokyo International University and other Japanese dignitaries.
The Oregon Academy of Science honored Politics Professor Richard Ellis as its 2007 Outstanding Oregon Researcher, an award typically given to a researcher in the hard sciences.
Author Joan Didion read from her work The Year of Magical Thinking, and former Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky and Pulitzer Prize–winner Tony Kushner discussed the nexus of art and politics in America as part of the Atkinson Lecture Series.
The Dempsey Foundation gave $1.5 million to endow the Dempsey Chair in Environmental Policy and Politics. The first holder will be Politics Professor Joe Bowersox, who has taught at Willamette since 1993 and has served as chair of the University’s Sustainability Council since 2004.
May 2007 commencement awarded 489 degrees in the College of Liberal Arts, 149 degrees in the College of Law degrees, 57 degrees in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management and 91 degrees in the School of Education.
Having completed its fifth year of operation, Willamette Academy graduated its first class with a ceremony in June. More than 90 percent of the academy’s seniors head to college in the fall.
Gifts toward the new academic building included $2 million from the board of trustees and an anonymous gift of $8 million, later revealed to be from Hallie Ford, a Life Trustee and beloved benefactor who died in June at 102. Since 1974 she has given Willamette more than $14 million. The building will be named Ford Hall in her honor.
The Oregon Arts Commission selected “The Art of Ceremony,” planned by the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, as Oregon’s 2008 American Masterpieces project. The commission awarded the project a $50,000 grant using funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. Organized by Anthropology Professor Rebecca Dobkins in collaboration with Native community curators, “The Art of Ceremony” will be a groundbreaking exhibition of and book about historic and contemporary ceremonial regalia from Oregon tribes.
The Campaign for Willamette raised a record-breaking $22.9 million in fiscal year 2006–07, the largest amount raised in a single year in the history of the University. The campaign total ends the year at almost $96 million.
2006
“Toi Maori: The Eternal Thread,” a major exhibition of traditional and contemporary Maori weaving, was presented at the Hallie Ford Museum at Willamette—one of only three venues in the world to welcome the exhibit.
Atkinson Lecture Series featured author Dr. Azar Nafisi and National Public Radio host Ira Glass.
The Lilly Endowment awarded Willamette $500,000 to extend the Lilly Project. The project offers opportunities for students interested in pursuing a theological/pastoral vocation.
The annual Martin Luther King celebration welcomed Sweet Honey in the Rock. Black History Month also brought the school’s first Africa Day Celebration.
The 2006 Dempsey Environmental Lecture welcomed Dr. Robert Costanza to campus.
Campaign Forum 2006 brought six gubernatorial candidates to campus.
Former U.S. Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, invited by Willamette students, discussed issues related to the war in Iraq.
May 2006 commencement awarded 334 degrees in the College of Liberal Arts, 146 in the College of Law, 60 in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, and 94 in the School of Education.
Willamette students earned 16 national merit scholarships.
Senior Nick Symmonds broke the NCAA Div. III record for the 800 meters. The winning time was 1:47.34. One month later, he broke his own record with a run of 1:45.83.
Willamette Academy received $260,000 from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The Campaign for Willamette has raised $74 million toward a goal of $125 million.
2005
Willamette broke ground for Kaneko Commons, an innovative, $13 million project that will feature apartments, a dining facility and meeting rooms.
Students make Willamette the only university on the West Coast to land a Fulbright Grant, a Truman Grant, a Udall Scholarship, a Watson Fellowship and a Kemper Scholarship.
Syndicated columnist George Will and senior NPR news analyst Cokie Roberts delivered Atkinson Lectures.
Nationally known writer and environmental activist Terry Tempest Williams delivered the Dempsey Environmental Lecture.
Maribeth Collins donated $1 million for a second Collins-endowed position at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.
Peter and Bonnie Kremer of Sun Valley, Idaho, created a $1.5 million Endowed Chair in Economics.
President M. Lee Pelton was elected chair of the board for the American Council on Education (ACE).
Dr. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, delivered CLA’s commencement speech. She founded the Green Belt Movement in Africa, which inspired the planting of more than 10 million trees.
Willamette acknowledged its Indian mission school origins and its interconnected relationship with contemporary Oregon tribes at a Ceremony of Renewal with the Willamette Valley tribal descendants of the Native Americans schooled by Jason Lee on Founders Day.
2004
Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan, delivers the spring Atkinson Lecture.
Professor Carol Long is named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Dean Long has been a member of the English Department since 1972.
Willamette Chamber Choir travels 10,000 miles to sing in South Africa following invitation from Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
University receives $800,000 Mellon Foundation grant to address national trend of senior faculty retirement and junior faculty retention.
On May 16, 2004, Willamette’s College of Liberal Arts graduates the largest class in the school’s history.
2003
Willamette, Occidental College and Fisk University share a three-year $479,000 Mellon Foundation grant to establish a study-abroad program in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Willamette Academy, a supplemental academic summer and weekend program for Salem-Keizer middle-school children is launched.
It’s official! The five Sequoiadendron Gigantums, commonly known as The Star Trees, are the tallest on any college or university campus in the United States. The trees were a gift from the Class of 1942.
Bruce Babbitt, former Secretary of the Interior, delivered the 2002 Dempsey Lecture sponsored by the Dempsey Foundation.
The Peterson Family Foundation donates a $2 million endowed gift to the College of Law to establish The Willamette Center for Law and Government.
Syndicated columnist Molly Ivins delivers the fall Atkinson Lecture.
James Goodrich is named Dean of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management.
Noble Prize Winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu delivers the spring Atkinson Lecture.
Willamette alumnus Dustin Buehler breaks Guinness World Record for longest lecture at 51 hours and 30 minutes.
Willamette holds 145th commencement and bids adieu to 652 students.
Tokyo International University of America gives Willamette $11 million to assist with residential commons program.
Willamette purchases the YWCA at State and Winter.
Peter V. Letsou is named the Roderick and Carol Wendt Chair in Business Law. The chair was established with a $2.5 million gift to the College from the Wendts.
Humorist and best-selling author David Sedaris is the fall 2003 Atkinson Lecturer.
An alumni couple makes an anonymous gift of $1 million to Willamette Academy.
Suresht Bald, Willamette professor of politics, is the Oregon Professor of the Year. The award was presented by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
Willamette University students featured in CBS television Christmas Eve music special.
2002
Willamette celebrates 160 years since its founding in 1842.
Garrett Tenold ’02 becomes the first-ever Willamette graduate, and one of 60 students in the nation, to receive a Watson Fellowship.
Willamette University College of Law Dean Symeon C. Symeonides was invited to lecture on Private International Law at The Hague. This is the highest international recognition bestowed on a scholar in this field.
Lisa Murkowski JD’85, R–Alaska, became the first female U.S. senator representing Alaska.
2001
Willamette appointed Dr. Tori Haring-Smith as the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
Atkinson Graduate School of Management created the Executive Development Center (EDC) designed to provide custom management development and executive education programs for government, not-for-profit and business organizations.
Willamette receives a $2 million grant from the Lilly Foundation to establish a series of programs, projects and opportunities for students interested in pursuing a theological/pastoral vocation.
2000
Willamette is named a 2000 Truman Foundation Honor Institution for its exemplary participation in the Truman Scholarship program.
Willamette dedicated the Public Policy Research Center, which works to support the policy making process in the Northwest with timely research and analysis on topics related to public policy.
Willamette alumnus Andrew Hermann ’93 set an American racewalking record on his way to a berth in the 2000 Olympic Games.
2010
The Willamette community heard from two notable people through the Atkinson Lecture Series: novelist John Irving, author of “The World According to Garp” and “The Cider House Rules”; and New York Times journalist David Rohde, who was kidnapped and held captive by the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Willamette was one of only six colleges and universities nationwide to receive the Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll Presidential Award, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to service-learning and civic engagement.
In May, Willamette awarded 410 bachelor’s degrees in the College of Liberal Arts, 69 MBA degrees in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, 138 JD and LLM degrees in the College of Law, and 96 MAT and MEd degrees in the Graduate School of Education.
Marlene Moore was appointed as the new dean of the College of Liberal Arts.
In late August, 432 new first-year and 47 transfer students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts. Willamette also welcomed 161 first-year law students, 97 new MBA students, 84 new MAT students and 12 new MEd students.
The renovated playhouse debuted in the fall after undergoing a $5.6-million overhaul of the building’s infrastructure, creating a black box theatre and labs for theatre combat training, dance, costumes, acting, prosthetics, digital media and set design.
Willamette had its 10th professor since 1990 win Oregon Professor of the Year: Karen McFarlane Holman, associate professor of chemistry.
The Graduate School of Education became a stand-alone school and earned accreditation from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
2011
Former President M. Lee Pelton left Willamette after 13 years of distinguished leadership that helped the university attract some of the best faculty and brightest students while increasing its profile nationwide.
Stephen E. Thorsett became the 25th president of Willamette on July 1. He served previously as the dean of the Division of Physical and Biological Sciences at University of California, Santa Cruz. A noted physicist and astronomy scholar and son of a Willamette professor emeritus, Thorsett returned to Salem and the campus where he spent much of his childhood.
Two highly acclaimed writers visited Willamette as part of the Atkinson Lecture Series: New York Times political columnist David Brooks and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Suzan-Lori Parks.
College of Law Dean Symeon C. Symeonides stepped down from his position as dean to focus on teaching and writing full-time. Associate Dean Peter Letsou was named dean.
In May, Willamette awarded 420 bachelor’s degrees to graduates from the College of Liberal Arts; 157 MBA degrees in Atkinson Graduate School of Management; 131 JD and LLM degrees in the College of Law; and 89 MAT and MEd degrees in the Graduate School of Education.
Julie Gess-Newsome became the new dean of the Graduate School of Education.
In August, 623 new members of the class of 2015 enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts. Willamette also welcomed 150 first-year law students; 99 new MBA students; 66 new MAT students and 10 new MEd students.
World-renowned primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall visited in October to discuss the power of youth in the global environmental movement.
2012
The Board of Trustees installed Stephen E. Thorsett as the university’s 25th president on Feb. 10. The ceremony in Smith Auditorium was marked by music and speeches of welcome from representatives of Oregon’s Native American tribes, state and local government and numerous higher education institutions.
More than 200 Willamette University students, faculty and staff joined flood-abatement efforts throughout Salem in January when rainstorms caused the Willamette River to crest at 30 feet — two feet below a major flood stage.
Sixteen years after joining Willamette University’s football coaching staff, Glen Fowles ’96 was named the team’s new head coach Jan. 17. He replaced Mark Speckman, who resigned to become head football coach at Menlo College in California.
In May, Willamette awarded 427 bachelor's degrees to graduates from the College of Liberal Arts; 120 MBA degrees in Atkinson Graduate School of Management; 133 JD and LLM degrees in the College of Law; and 86 MAT and MEd degrees in the Graduate School of Education.
Former Bearcat runner Nick Symmonds ’06 set a personal record time at the London Olympics in August while taking fifth place in the final of the 800-meter run.
In August, Willamette welcomed one of its most diverse College of Liberal Arts classes in university history. The 530 students in the class of 2016 came from 23 states and four countries, and one third came from traditionally under-represented groups. Willamette University’s three graduate schools of education, law and management also welcomed more than 300 new students for the 2012-13 academic year.
A new Multicultural Resource Center — aimed at creating dialogue and engagement on such topics as gender, ability, sexual identity and religion — opened in the fall after being championed by several students. The center is located in Ford Hall.
In December, Curtis Bridgeman was named the new dean of the university’s College of Law.
2013
Politics’ Sammy Basu was named the 2013 Oregon Professor of the Year. Eleven Willamette faculty members have earned the honor since CASE and Carnegie Foundation began granting the award in 1989.
Political commentator Andrew Sullivan and physicist Brian Greene spoke as part of Willamette’s Atkinson Lecture Series, while noted sustainable farmer Joel Salatin visited Willamette as part of the Dempsey Lecture Series.
In May, Willamette awarded nearly 480 bachelor’s degrees from the College of Liberal Arts; 123 JD and LLM degrees from the College of Law; and 91 MBA degrees from the Atkinson Graduate School of Management. In June, the Graduate School of Education awarded 87 MAT and MEd degrees.
Former Willamette University runner Nick Symmonds ’06 earned the silver medal in the 800-meter run at the World Championships in Moscow. and he made international headlines by speaking out for human rights in Russia.
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art unveiled its landmark, “Breath of Heaven, Breath of Earth Exhibit,” showcasing 64 objects that represented some of the world’s oldest civilizations.
In August, 552 new students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts. Willamette also welcomed 124 new first-year law students and 88 new MBA students.
Biology professor Chris Smith was awarded an $850,000 National Science Foundation CAREER grant to support his research studying Joshua trees and yucca moths. The grant — the most prestigious awarded by the NSF — recognizes junior faculty members for their excellence in teaching and research.
Construction commenced on a $6.5 million enhancement of the Sparks Athletic Center. The first of the two-phase project included renovating the fitness center, sports medicine center, multipurpose spaces and the classroom.
With 1,060 game players, the Willamette community helped shatter the world record in the game of Red Light/Green Light.
2014
Conner Mertens '17 came out as bisexual in an article in Outsports magazine — the first college football player in the United States to do so publicly while still playing.
Best-selling author and filmmaker Sherman Alexie and actor and social justice advocate George Takei spoke as part of Willamette’s Atkinson Lecture series, while writer and director Annie Leonard came to Willamette as part of the Dempsey Lecture Series.
For the first time at Willamette University, two students and a choral group were recognized for their musical prowess by DownBeat magazine. Harris Long ’14 was named Best Jazz Soloist and Matt Sazima ’14 won for Best Jazz Arrangement. The Willamette Singers, a 17-member vocal jazz group, was named Best Large Jazz Ensemble. The awards are given to students and student groups from middle schools, high schools and universities from around the world.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation gave Willamette a $700,000 grant to fund “LARC 2.0: Integration of Research Across the Curriculum.” Through the program, more than 70 courses were developed, redesigned and enriched to include interdisciplinary research and exploration.
With the help of a $400,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation, Willamette University implemented a new program to develop intercultural understanding and communication through the study of Asia and environmental sustainability. The grant funded curriculum and faculty development, place-based learning in Japan, symposia and workshops on Asia and environmental sustainability, and the Zena Sustainability Institute — a summer program for Willamette students and students in the American Studies Program.
At Commencement ceremonies, the university awarded degrees to 507 students from the College of Liberal Arts, 119 from the College of Law, and 114 from Atkinson Graduate School of Management.
The Graduate School of Education closed its doors after 26 years, awarding 46 MAT and six Med degrees in June.
In August, 560 new students enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts. An additional 119 and 108 new students enrolled at the College of Law and Atkinson Graduate School of Management, respectively.
The Carson Undergraduate Research Grant program, which funds undergraduates’ scholarly, creative and professional projects, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a reception attended by more than a dozen current and former scholars. Founder Bill Long ’59 and former College of Liberal Arts Dean Julie Carson — for whom the program was named — were also in attendance.
The College of Law ranked first in the Pacific Northwest for placing graduates in full-time, long-term, JD-preferred/JD-required jobs for the Class of 2014.
Associate professor of art history Ricardo De Mambro Santos helped discover a previously unknown 17th century portrait painted by Peter Paul Rubens.
In fall, the university debuted its new flagship publication, Willamette magazine.
Businessweek ranked the Atkinson Graduate School of Management among the nation’s best business schools. AGSM was the only Oregon school on the list and one of two in the Northwest.
2015
The OnStage blog named Willamette’s theatre program as the nation’s best.
Jerry Greenfield, co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade, dished out business advice at the March Atkinson Lecture. Robert Edsel, best-selling author and founder of the Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art, took listeners on a World War II treasure hunt in the October Atkinson Lecture. Internationally renowned Chinese activist Ma Jun spoke about environmental reform in the Dempsey Lecture.
For the second time in three years, visiting English professor Andrea Stolowitz won an Oregon Book Award.
For the second straight year, DownBeat magazine named the Willamette Singers as Best Undergraduate Large Vocal Jazz Ensemble.
Christian Oldham ’14, MBA’15 became the first Willamette student to win the prestigious national Luce Scholar fellowship.
Atkinson Graduate School of Management celebrated its 40th anniversary.
Willamette was named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Each year, Willamette students, faculty and staff volunteer about 67,000 hours.
In May, Willamette celebrated Commencement with the Class of 2015, awarding degrees to 507 students from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, 119 from the College of Law, and 81 early career and career-change MBA students from the AGSM.
Willamette reclaimed its Red Light/Green Light world record when 1,203 people played the game on the Quad.
Princeton Review’s popular guidebook, “The Best 380 Colleges,” named Willamette University as one of the nation’s top green colleges. Ranked 13th among environmentally friendly and sustainable colleges, Willamette scored all possible 99 points.
The men’s cross country athletes won the team title for the fourth year in a row at the Northwest Conference Championships. The women’s team scored a second straight NCAA West Regional title.
Assistant Professor of Psychology Courtney Stevens was featured in NerdScholar’s “40 Under 40: Professors Who Inspire.”
Symeon Symeonides, law professor and dean emeritus, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Comparative Law.
Valery Cleary became the first Black woman to serve as Willamette’s director of athletics, overseeing all varsity sports.
Professor of Exercise and Health Science Peter Harmer received the 2015 Mentor Award from the Medical Research Foundation, administered by the Oregon Health and Science University.
2016
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Leonard Pitts Jr. spoke during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration. The Atkinson Lecture Series featured two best-selling authors: Reza Aslan presented “Holy Wars: Religion and Violence at Home and Abroad,” and Roxane Gay read from her collection of essays, “Bad Feminist.”
History professor Bianca Murillo became the 15th Willamette professor to receive the Graves Award in the Humanities.
Willamette’s CLA Academic Council endorsed a recommendation by the Faculty Admission Committee to adopt a standardized test-optional admission process beginning in fall 2017.
Ruth Feingold started her tenure as dean of the College of Liberal Arts. Former CLA Dean and longtime Professor of English Carol Long returned to serve as interim senior vice president and eventually was named provost and senior vice president.
On May 15, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown gave the commencement address for the College of Liberal Arts ceremony. Willamette awarded degrees to 366 students from the College of Liberal Arts, 141 from the College of Law and 92 students from AGSM’s Early Career and Career Change MBA.
Psychology professor Courtney Stevens received a national award for teaching excellence from the American Psychological Association’s Society for the Teaching of Psychology.
Law student Melissa Cohen JD ’18 became the fourth consecutive Willamette student elected as Pacific Northwest regional director for the National Asian Pacific American Law Students Association.
The university was named one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright Scholars for the 2015-16 academic year — one of only two undergraduate colleges in Oregon to make the list.
In August, Emilio Solano ’09 was named executive director of Willamette Academy.
Students and community members packed Cat Cavern to watch and discuss the Clinton-Trump debates in three DebateWatch events hosted by civic communication and media students.
In October, students competed in the first WU EcoChallenge to see which residence hall could most reduce their energy consumption.
Director of Native American Programs Liz Bahe, Sadarah Witherspoon ’17, Montreal Gray ’19 and Alexus Uentillie ’19 spent winter break at the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation supporting the protesters of the Dakota Access Pipeline by feeding the fires, restocking supplies and serving food.
The Willamette Science Outreach Program, also known as the Webber Scholars, celebrated its 20th anniversary of scholarships for women in STEM and programming that mixes teaching, peer mentorship and work within the community.
Assistant Professor of Chemistry David Griffith received a three-year, $325,157 National Science Foundation grant to investigate the chemical factors that control halogenated estrogen and the results of releasing the hormone into aquatic environments.
2017
On Feb. 1, Willamette celebrated its 175th anniversary and kicked off a year of special events themed “Future First.”
Three Department of English faculty members, Danielle Cadena Deulen, Scott Nadelson and Andrea Stolowitz, were named finalists for the 2017 Oregon Book Awards.
In February, author, journalist and National Book Award winner Ta-Nehisi Coates gave a combined Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration speech and Atkinson Lecture, “A Deeper Black: Race in America.” Journalist, activist and author Masha Gessen delivered the fall Atkinson Lecture, “What Russia Can Teach Us About the United States.” Indian Country Conversations featured Burns Paiute Tribal Councilman Jarvis Kennedy and Oregon’s Poet Laureate Elizabeth Woody.
Willamette MBA Professor of Management Practice Larry Ettner guided his 100th team through the Practical Application for Careers and Enterprises program, which he’d led for nearly a decade.
Professor of Sociology Jade Aguilar became the university’s first Vice President of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.
The College of Liberal Arts conferred 374 degrees, Atkinson Graduate School of Management graduated a combined 113 MBA and MBA-P students, and the College of Law graduated 109 students. Speakers included Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper columnist Leonard Pitts Jr. (CLA), President of the Oregon State Bar Michael D. Levelle JD'90 (Law), and President and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance Sandra McDonough (MBA).
Sparks Athletic Center’s renovation earned a U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification.
The Office of Foundation Relations and Office for Faculty Research and Resources were combined into the Office of Grants and Strategic Initiatives in order to generate, refine and connect creative ideas that advance the university’s strategic priorities.
Groundskeeper Jim Andersen and the grounds crew won Large Sustainable Business of the Year at the 2017 Mid-Willamette Valley Green Awards.
Atkinson Graduate School of Management was named a CEO Magazine Tier 1 MBA program for the second year in a row. In its “Best Business Schools” list, Forbes ranked Willamette MBA the top program in Oregon. For the fourth consecutive year, Bloomberg Businessweek named Willamette MBA one of the 85 Best Business Schools in the United States and as the top-listed Oregon program.
The Sexual Assault Response Allies (SARAs), who provide victims of sexual assault the option of speaking confidentially and anonymously to a fellow student, celebrated 10 years of service.
On Aug. 21, hundreds of scientists from around the world and about 2,000 visitors packed the North Lawn to view a total solar eclipse. PBS NOVA, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, CNN, The Weather Channel, NPR and OPB covered the viewing party — “The Phenomenon on the Lawn.” For its coverage of the event, University Communications won the Public Relations Society of America’s Silver Anvil Award.
Assistant Professor of Music Héctor Agüero was one of 22 Oregon artists awarded a Career Opportunity Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission.
Assistant Professor of Civic Communication and Media Vincent Pham received the Outstanding New Investigator Award from the Critical/Cultural Division of the National Communication Association (NCA).
In July, Willamette University President Steve Thorsett and Claremont School of Theology President Jeffrey Kuan announced the schools would begin due diligence to explore embedding Claremont within Willamette University.
Waller Hall, the oldest university building west of the Mississippi River still in use, turned 150 years old Oct. 23.
Men’s Cross Country won its sixth consecutive Northwest Conference Championship. Men’s Soccer won its first Northwest Conference Championship and secured its first NCAA tournament berth in team history.
Melissa Cohen JD’18 and Megan Oshiro JD’18 were named Students of the Year at the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Convention.
The Association of American Colleges and Universities chose to feature Willamette’s Department of Civic Communication and Media as one of 22 models of civic learning for universities nationwide.
The National Science Foundation awarded Willamette $646,986 as part of the NSF’s national S-STEM Program, which offers scholarships for underrepresented students with financial need to pursue bachelor’s degrees in biology, chemistry, computer science, pre-engineering, mathematics or physics.
After a three-year hiatus, the annual Star Trees Lighting resumed at the Holiday Celebration to close the celebration of Willamette's 175th anniversary.
2018
Assistant Professor of English Danielle Cadena Deulen won a 2018 Oregon Literary Fellowship from Literary Arts.
During January’s Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Andre E. Johnson (University of Memphis) gave the lecture, “Why America May Go to Hell: The Prophetic Pessimism of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Trump Era.”
Peg Swadener was named Northwest Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year after leading the Bearcats to second place in the conference tournament. Kylie Towry ’18 became the Bearcats' all-time scoring leader in women's basketball with 1,433 points.
Professor Maegan Parker Brooks (civic communication and media, American ethnic studies), in partnership with critically acclaimed filmmakers, civil rights scholars and Tougaloo College, received a $272,106 W.K. Kellogg Foundation grant to produce a documentary and curriculum about civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer.
The Renjen Center, the new home of the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Student Center for Equity & Empowerment, was dedicated in March.
Sabrina Hockett won Top Paper at the 2018 WSCA Undergraduate Scholars Research Conference with her essay, “Public Criticism, Gender, and President Trump’s Twitter.”
Shelby Smith JD’18 and Erin Roycroft JD’18 were named Next Generation Leaders for the American Constitution Society, a rare feat for two students from the same school to accomplish in the same year.
The College of Liberal Arts conferred 395 degrees, Atkinson Graduate School of Management awarded 118 degrees and the College of Law conferred 91 degrees. Commencement speakers included pianist and Pink Martini founder Thomas Lauderdale (CLA), 36th Governor of Oregon Theodore R. Kulongoski (AGSM) and Oregon Supreme Court Justice Lynn Nakamoto (Law).
Dean of the Atkinson School of Management Debra Ringold returned to the faculty at the conclusion of the 2017–18 academic year. Professor Mike Hand served as interim dean before eventually assuming the role permanently in May 2019.
Men’s Baseball won the 2018 Northwest Conference Baseball Tournament and secured a bid in the NCAA Tournament. As the lowest seed in the West Regional, the Bearcats advanced to the finals before falling to Texas Lutheran.
Golfer Sam Hinton ’19 sank a 25-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to take first place at the 2018 Northwest Conference Tournament.
Jack Glenn ’20 and Christopher Gatling ’21 took first and second places at the Toyama Cup Japanese Speech Contest.
The Organization of American Historians named Professor of History Seth Cotlar one of 26 2018 OAH Distinguished Lecturers.
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University named Assistant Professor of English Stephanie DeGooyer the 2018–19 Frieda L. Miller Fellow.
Professor of Marketing Elliot Maltz was awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, his second Fulbright in five years.
National Communication Association named Cindy Koenig Richards ’01, associate professor of civic communication and media, the recipient of the Donald H. Ecroyd Award for Outstanding Teaching in Higher Education, the highest honor for college professors in this field.
Professor of Psychology Courtney Stevens and her colleague, Professor Amanda Hampton Wray at Michigan State University, received a $469,903 Exploratory/Developmental Research Grant Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for their project, “Attentional Control in Children Who Stutter.”
The Gender Resource and Advocacy Center opened in the Montag Loft.
Women’s Cross Country won the Northwest Conference Championship.
2019
In February, the College of Liberal Arts faculty approved new majors in data science and public health. The programs commenced in August.
The women’s lacrosse team defeated Johnson & Wales University (Denver) 16–5 in their first match at Sparks Field in February.
In May 2019, the boards of trustees from Willamette University and Claremont School of Theology approved an affiliation agreement, bringing together the two institutions in a common mission to educate students and prepare them for lives that contribute to and transform their communities.
The university conferred 374 CLA degrees, 106 Willamette MBA degrees and 91 Willamette Law degrees. Commencement speakers included astrophysicist Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell (CLA), Albertsons Vice President of External Affairs and Chief Diversity Officer Jonathan O. Mayes, Esq. JD’87 (Law), and CEO of Deloitte Global Punit Renjen MM’86 (MBA).
The College of Law posted top employment numbers in the state of Oregon for the class of 2018 and had the top numbers in six of the previous seven years.
Willamette ranked No. 9 in the nation for small college Peace Corps volunteers. The university ranked among the top small colleges 15 of the past 17 years.
On June 1, 2019, Lynne Saxton ’76 became the first woman to lead Willamette University’s Board of Trustees.
College of Law Professor and internationally recognized children’s rights advocate Warren Binford and a team of lawyers discovered hundreds of refugee and immigrant children whose basic standards of living were being violated at Border Patrol facilities in Clint, Texas. Binford was featured across dozens of news media outlets advocating for the protection and care of these children. A number of law students joined Binford at the border to fight for these children’s rights and protections.
The MBA for Professionals program began offering a Certificate in Data Science.
On March 1, Willamette Law alumnus and Governor Jay Inslee JD’76, D–Wash., announced his candidacy for president of the United States with a platform centered on combating climate change. Jamal Raad ’08 served as Inslee’s campaign director. Islee suspended his campaign in August.
Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education College Rankings named Willamette eighth in the nation for best student and faculty interaction out of nearly 1,000 colleges and universities. U.S. News and World Report ranked Willamette the highest of Oregon's liberal arts schools.
National Jurist magazine recognized the College of Law as one of the best law schools in the country at placing students in jobs at firms with fewer than 100 attorneys.
Atkinson Graduate School of Management expanded its offerings to include a new undergraduate minor in business, government and not-for-profit management.
Forbes magazine featured Willamette MBA as the sole Oregon entry on its biannual “Best Business Schools” list.
The National Science Foundation granted $999,899 to Advancing STEM Careers by Empowering Network Development, a collaboration led by Willamette Professor of Chemistry Sarah Kirk that involved six partner institutions and participants from schools nationwide.
Emma Giron ’18 became Willamette’s first graduate to receive the Charles B. Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship for foreign service through the U.S. Department of State.
Stephen Patterson, George H. Atkinson professor of religious and ethical studies, received the 2020 Grawemeyer Award, an honor recognizing the most outstanding ideas in religion, music composition, world order, psychology and education.
In October, the board of trustees voted to rename the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). The official effective date for the change was the start of the 2020–21 academic year, but CAS was in common usage by Commencement in May.
In December, Brian R. Gallini was named dean of the College of Law. Galini came to Willamette from University of Arkansas School of Law, where he served as professor of criminal law, director of distance learning initiatives and head coach of men’s ice hockey. Galini started his tenure at Willamette Law in July 2020.
2020
In January, Willamette Men’s Basketball Head Coach Kip Ioane gained national recognition in an NCAA magazine cover story for his Teams of Men program, which nurtures a culture of healthy masculinity amid a national college culture of prevalent sexual violence toward women.
FamilyCare Health President and CEO Jeff Heatherington LHD ’65 and the Heatherington Foundation made a $6 million endowed gift to take Willamette’s public health program to the next level.
Best-selling author and Founding President of Interfaith Youth Core Eboo Patel delivered the Atkinson Lecture, “Diversity is not just the differences you like.”
In March, the novel coronavirus and COVID-19 pandemic took the United States by storm. Willamette closed its campus to everyone except staff essential to maintaining operations and services for the couple hundred students who remained on campus. All classes and meetings were restructured to be held remotely via the Zoom app. Tokyo International University recalled the American Studies Program to Japan, and Tokyo International University of America shut down completely. All athletics and arts performances were canceled. Faculty, staff and students volunteered for the pandemic mitigation efforts by sewing masks, making large vats of hand sanitizer and repurposing unused computers for the worldwide network calculating COVID-19 treatments and vaccinations. The newly formed Reopening Operations Committee created a plan to allow classes to resume on campus in August. Students and professors had the option of holding and attending fall classes in person or remotely. All community members on campus signed the WU Well U Agreement to follow the university’s COVID-19 protocols.
In May, George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, died after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. The Black Lives Matter movement led nationwide protests that continued throughout the summer and fall. When classes resumed in the fall, Willamette launched a number of initiatives on antiracism, inclusion and diversity, such as the “Reckoning with Oregon’s History Discussion Series,” the College of Arts & Sciences Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and new curriculum, such as the Willamette Law course “Police Discretion.”
Amid unprecedented stay-at-home orders during the pandemic, the community gathered online for virtual Commencement ceremonies and smaller group celebrations and gatherings on Zoom. The College of Arts & Sciences celebrated 349 undergraduates and featured speaker Alexandra Binder ’20. Atkinson Graduate School of Management recognized 119 graduates, including those in the new Data Science for Professionals program, and featured speaker Melissa Joe ’20, president of the Atkinson Student Association. The College of Law honored 108 graduates and featured speaker Meagan A. Flynn ’89, associate justice of the Oregon Supreme Court.
For fiscal year 2020, advancement raised $19.1 million in new gifts and commitments, the third highest FY total in the university’s history and the highest total since President Thorsett's inauguration.
In September, unprecedented wildfires throughout the western U.S. burned more than 1 million acres in Oregon and killed at least 11 Oregonians. Willamette’s beloved Thetford Lodge burned along with thousands of homes and businesses. For 11 consecutive days, the skies of Salem were black, red, orange and grey. Smoke and air quality was in the hazardous range, forcing classes to be held remotely.
In September, Willamette University and the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) announced an agreement for the Northwest’s oldest professional school of art and design to become an independent college within Willamette.
U.S. News and World Report named Willamette University the best in the Pacific Northwest for economic diversity.
2021
On July 1, Willamette merged with the Pacific Northwest College Art (PNCA), making PNCA an independent college within Willamette while retaining its name, faculty, and Portland campus. This merger enhances academic offerings for both institutions, promoting collaboration and innovation in art, design, and the liberal arts, supported by a $2 million gift from the Arlene Schnitzer Estate.
2023
Willamette established a new School of Computing and Information Sciences, its fifth school, to support the growth of its computing and data science programs. The new school offered undergraduate and graduate degrees, including a new master's in computer science, with classes held on the Salem and Portland campuses, enhancing interdisciplinary opportunities across the university.
2024
Willamette’s graduate programs in business management, data science, and computer science relocated to Portland’s Pearl District in Fall 2024, joining the Ecotrust building near the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). The new space supports interdisciplinary collaboration between the university’s programs, while providing expanded resources for approximately 60 graduate students, PNCA’s growing undergraduate population, and Willamette’s immigration clinic.