Whitworth University is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

Christian university that is affiliated with the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...

and located in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

, United States. Founded in 1890, Whitworth enrolls nearly 2,600 students and offers more than 100 graduate and undergraduate programs. Whitworth competes athletically at the

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

level in the

Northwest Conference The Northwest Conference (NWC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington. It was known as the Pacific Northwest Conference from 1926 t ...

as the Pirates. Its colors are black and crimson.

History

In 1883, George F. Whitworth established the "Sumner Academy" in

Sumner Sumner may refer to: Places Antarctica * Mount Sumner, a mountain in the Rare Range, Antarctica * Sumner Glacier, southern Graham Land, Antarctica Australia * Sumner, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane New Zealand * Sumner, New Zealand, a seasi ...

, a small town in

Washington Territory The Washington Territory was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1853, until November 11, 1889, when the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Washington. It was created from the ...

, east of

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

. Incorporated as "Whitworth College" in 1890, it relocated to Tacoma in 1899. When a Spokane developer offered land just before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the college moved once more, and classes were held for the first time in Spokane in September 1914. The college relocated due to persistent financial difficulties, local competition from

College of Puget Sound The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1888. The institution offers a variety of undergraduate degrees as well as five graduate programs in counseling, education, oc ...

and the Pacific Lutheran Academy, and a lack of support from the Washington state Presbyterian Synod or the City of Tacoma. When Whitworth was approached by Spokane boosters, the Spokane Presbytery, and railroad magnate Jay P. Graves with some land on his new Country Homes development outside the city, the trustees agreed to the move provided that the Spokane community donate $70,000 and the Synod of Washington donate $30,000 for facilities. Whitworth merged with Spokane Junior College in 1942, when the latter shut down due to financial difficulties during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The board of trustees voted to change the institution's name to Whitworth University in 2006, which became effective July 1, 2007.

Campus

Whitworth's campus in northern Spokane has . In 2009, Whitworth opened a University District (U-District) location near downtown Spokane, expanding program offerings for nontraditional evening students and providing a location with shorter commutes for working professionals. Due to an expanding student body, the university has invested more than $200 million in campus improvements in recent years. Currently under construction is the new PACCAR Engineering Building, slated to open in January 2026. In 2022, Whitworth completed construction on the new Dana & David Dornsife Health Sciences Building. Additionally, Whitworth completed construction of the Pines Café & Bookstore along Hawthorne Road and the $13 million Whitworth Athletics Leadership Team Center, also known as the WALT. The university finished renovation on the Megan E. Thompson Aquatic Center in 2019 and completed a renovation of the Beeksma Family Theology Center in 2018, which expanded the Seeley G. Mudd Chapel and provided offices for more than 20 faculty, staff and student employees. In 2015, the university renovated the Cowles Music Center, which remodeled the existing space and added of new teaching studios, practice rooms, rehearsal rooms, and lobby space. In 2011, the Robinson Science Hall was dedicated. This building was built for biology and chemistry sciences, as well as math courses.

Academics

Whitworth offers over 100 undergraduate majors and programs, six graduate programs, two doctoral programs and seven adult bachelor's degree completion programs. Academics at Whitworth is organized into five branches: WhitworthUniversityRobinsonHall

* The College of Arts and Sciences supports a shared curriculum approach to general education and houses 18 undergraduate arts and science departments. The college offers 47 majors, the M.A in

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

and a number of interdisciplinary undergraduate programs, including

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

Communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

, and

Computer Science Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, ...

. * The School of Business includes undergraduate programs in accounting, business management, economics, finance, and marketing. It also oversees three graduate programs, a

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...

(MBA), Master of Business Leadership (MBL) and new

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

Financial Planning In general usage, a financial plan is a comprehensive evaluation of an individual's current pay and future financial state by using current known variables to predict future income, asset values and withdrawal plans. This often includes a budg ...

. The Whitworth School of Business became

AACSB The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) is an American professional and accreditation organization. It was founded as the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business in 1916 to provide accreditation to business ...

accredited in 2020. * The School of Education includes the Department of Undergraduate Teacher Education; the Department of Graduate Studies in Education; the

Master in Teaching A Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) or Master of Science in Teaching (MST) is a professional master's degree that prepares an individual for primary or secondary teaching in a specific field of studies. The degree is generally a pre-service degre ...

(MIT) Program; the Evening Teacher Certification Program; the Center for Gifted Education; and the Special Education Program. * The School of Continuing Studies provides bachelor's degree programs for non-traditional students through evening degree programs, accelerated-format classes and certificate programs. * The School of Health Sciences was formed in 2023 to encompass undergraduate degrees in Health Science (B.S. in

health science The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to health sciences: Health sciences – those sciences that focus on health, or health care, as core parts of their subject matter. Health sciences relate to multiple ...

, B.A. in

community health Community health refers to non-treatment based health services that are delivered outside Hospital, hospitals and Clinic, clinics. Community health is a subset of public health that is taught to and practiced by Clinician, clinicians as part of th ...

), an M.S. in

Athletic Training Athletic training is an Allied health professions, allied health care profession recognized by the American Medical Association (AMA)"What is an Athletic Trainer?". The Board of Certification Website. 2003. Athletic training is also recogniz ...

and two

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

degree programs: Doctor of

Occupational Therapy Occupational therapy (OT), also known as ergotherapy, is a healthcare profession. Ergotherapy is derived from the Greek wiktionary:ergon, ergon which is allied to work, to act and to be active. Occupational therapy is based on the assumption t ...

(OTD) and

Doctor of Physical Therapy A Doctor of Physical Therapy or Doctor of Physiotherapy (DPT) degree is a qualifying degree in physical therapy. In the United States, it is considered a graduate-level first professional degree or doctorate degree for professional practice. In the ...

(DPT). The university also offers 30-plus study abroad programs available to students over Jan Term, May Term, or during a full semester. 45 percent of Whitworth's 2021 graduates participated in one or more off-campus programs.

Rankings and reputation

In 2023, '' U.S. News & World Report'' ranked Whitworth 7th of 105 Regional Universities (West). ''

The Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981, and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4, ...

'' also named Whitworth one of 79 institutions as "Best in the West" in 2023. ''INSIGHT into Diversity Magazine'' awarded Whitworth the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award. The Arbor Day Foundation has recognized Whitworth as a Tree Campus USA since 2018.

Admissions

Students on campus represent 29 states and 45 countries. As of 2023, international students make up 4.9 percent of undergraduate enrollment.

Athletics

150px, Whitworth athletics logo Whitworth's athletics teams are the Pirates. The university offers 21 varsity sports and competes in the

of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA)

Division III In sport, the Third Division, also called Division 3, Division Three, or Division III, is often the third-highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Association football *Belgian Third ...

. Men's sports include cross country, football, basketball, swimming, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, tennis, soccer and baseball; women compete in soccer, volleyball, basketball, swimming, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, tennis, lacrosse and softball. Whitworth has played their home football games at the Pine Bowl (an on-campus football stadium) since the 1930s. The field within the Pine Bowl was changed to artificial turf from grass in 2017 and subsequently was dedicated to the parents of the main donors by being named Puryear Field in 2018. Whitworth began playing football in 1904, and has only missed 7 seasons since then, due to

(1917–1919) and

(1942–1945). Whitworth has won a total of 13 Northwest Conference McIlroy-Lewis All-Sports Trophies, including the last 12 in a row (2008–2019). Whitworth men's swimming won the Northwest Conference Swimming Championship in 2022.

Student life

The Associated Students of Whitworth University ("ASWU") is in charge of clubs and activities on campus. The ASWU is composed of four executive officers (President, Vice President, Finance Director and Communications Director) who coordinate the student government and lead the student body, several residence hall senators and representatives who represent specific living areas and hold voting power, and coordinators who are responsible for programming in specialized areas.

Campus media

''The Whitworthian'' is the weekly student newspaper. The paper received the "Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper" award from the

Society of Professional Journalists The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), formerly known as Sigma Delta Chi, is the oldest organization representing journalists in the United States. It was established on April 17, 1909, at DePauw University,2009 SPJ Annual Report, lette ...

in 2009. ''Natsihi'' (pronounced "Not-See-Hee) is the Whitworth University yearbook taking its name from the Spokane Native American word meaning "among the pines." Over the years ''Natsihi'' has won national awards such as "Best in Show" and "Most Outstanding University Yearbook for 2017" from the

Associated Collegiate Press The Associated Collegiate Press (ACP) is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. The ACP is a division of the National Scholastic Press Association. It awards the newspaper, maga ...

Notable People

Alumni

Sam Adams Samuel Adams (, 1722 – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in colonial Massachusetts, a leader of the movement that became the American Revolu ...

, former

CFL The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division and five in the West Division. The CFL is the highest pr ...

player for the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

* Michael Allan (2007), professional football player * Blaine Bennett, college football head coach at

Western Oregon University Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oreg ...

and

Central Washington University Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington, United States. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academi ...

* Richard Carr, Chief of Chaplains of the

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its origins to 1 ...

* Richard Cizik (1973), vice president for governmental affairs for the

National Association of Evangelicals The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is an American association of Evangelical Christian denominations, organizations, schools, churches, and individuals, member of the World Evangelical Alliance. The association represents more than ...

, was named one of ''Time'' magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2008 *

Paul Dorpat Paul Dorpat (born 1938) is an American historian, author, and photographer, specializing in the history of Seattle and Washington state. He had a weekly column in the ''Seattle Times'' and is the principal historian of HistoryLink.org, a site de ...

(1963),

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

historian * Zilfa Estcourt (1904), features writer and women's editor at the '' Tacoma Ledger'', the '' Tacoma Tribune'', and the ''

San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...

'' * Leo Ezerins, former

player for the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play thei ...

and

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division (CFL), East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home game ...

* Brian Fennell, musician who co-founded indie band

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

and performs under the name "SYML" *

Sia Figiel Papalii Sia Figiel (born 1966) is a Samoan novelist, poet, and painter. Early life Sia Figiel was born in Matautu Tai, Samoa to a Samoan mother and a Polish-American father. She grew up amidst traditional Samoan singing and poetry, which hea ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

n novelist * Dave Holmes, college football head coach at

Eastern Washington University Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington, United States. It shares its satellite campus in Spokane, Washington with Washington State University. Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided in ...

and

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa The University of Hawaii at Mānoa is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Hawaiʻi system and houses the main offic ...

Dan Inosanto Dan Inosanto (born July 24, 1936) is an American martial arts instructor and actor. Inosanto holds instructor or black belt level ranks in several martial arts. He has studied traditional Karate, Judo, Jujutsu, Kung Fu, Shooto, Muay Thai, Tai ...

(1958), Filipino-American martial arts instructor best known as a training partner of Bruce Lee *

Sara Jackson-Holman Sara Jackson-Holman is an American singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles, CA. Born in 1988 or 1989, she is a classically trained pianist; her style has been compared to that of Feist, Adele, and Lana Del Rey. Her songs have been used in episodes o ...

, singer-songwriter *

Edward Kienholz Edward Ralph Kienholz (October 23, 1927 – June 10, 1994) was an American Installation art, installation artist and assemblage (art), assemblage sculptor whose work was highly critical of aspects of modern life. From 1972 onwards, he assembled ...

, American Pop Art

installation art Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific art, site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior intervent ...

ist * Michael K. Le Roy (1989), Former President of

Calvin University Calvin University, formerly Calvin College, is a private Christian university in Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1876, Calvin University is an educational institution of the Christian Reformed Church and stands in the Reforme ...

* Doug Long, former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player for the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...

* David G. Maloney (1977), physician, scientist and cancer researcher *

Stephen C. Meyer Stephen Charles Meyer (; born 1958) is an American historian, author, and former educator. He is an advocate of intelligent design, a pseudoscience, pseudoscientific creationism, creationist argument for the existence of God. Article available ...

(1981), executive officer and co-founder of the

Discovery Institute The Discovery Institute (DI) is a conservatism in the United States, politically conservative think tank that advocates the pseudoscience, pseudoscientific concept Article available froUniversiteit Gent of intelligent design (ID). It was fou ...

and former philosophy professor at Whitworth *

Alfred Mutua Alfred Nganga Mutua (born 22 August 1970) is a Kenyan journalist and politician who is serving as the Kenyan Minister (Cabinet Secretary) for Labour and Social Protection. He previously served as the Minister for Tourism and Wildlife. Before t ...

(1996), cabinet secretary of foreign and diaspora affairs, Kenya; former governor of

Machakos County Machakos County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, which came into being as part of the devolved system of governance occasioned by the 2010 constitution of Kenya. The county's administrative headquarters are in Machakos Town, which is the l ...

* David Myers (1964), social psychologist and author * Jenna Lee Nardella (2004), author and co-founder of Blood: Water Mission * Kevin C. Parker (1996) owner of Dutch Bros Spokane, adjunct professor at Whitworth University and

Gonzaga University Gonzaga University (GU) ( ) is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington, United States. It is Higher education accreditation in the United States, accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges ...

. Member of the

Washington House of Representatives The Washington House of Representatives is the lower house of the Washington State Legislature, and along with the Washington State Senate makes up the legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is composed of 98 Representatives from 49 ...

from 2008 to 2016. * Ralph Polson (1952), professional basketball player * Mike Riley (1977, Master's Degree), former University of Nebraska football coach *

B. J. Rosco B. Jeanie Groh Stoner Bumpus (born 27 November 1932) is an American composer, pianist, and teacher who publishes under the name B. J. Rosco. Rosco was born in Wilbur, Washington. She studied piano and composition at the Juilliard School, the Univ ...

, composer * Trevor St. John, American actor on ''

One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as ...

'' * Ray Stone (1951), former mayor of

Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Coeur d'Alene ( ; ) is a city and the county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the most populous city in North Idaho and the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 54,628 at th ...

, bachelor's completed in 1951; master's degree from Whitworth in 1952. * Ken Sugarman, former

player for the

* Bob Ward (1955), strength and conditioning coach in the

for the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

Fullerton College Fullerton College (FC) is a public community college in Fullerton, California. The college is part of the California Community Colleges System and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest communi ...

head track coach * Paul Ward, former

player for the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a Public University, public Land-grant University, land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical ...

head track coach *

Austin Washington Austin Washington (born September 26, 1985) is an American academic and former professional soccer player who played as a defender in Major League Soccer. Soccer career College and amateur Washington attended Joel E Ferris High School. Profe ...

, professional soccer player. He transferred to

in 2005 *

Ray Washburn Ray Clark Washburn (born May 31, 1938) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1961 to 1969 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1970. Baseball career Washburn was b ...

(1961), professional baseball player *

Patrice Wilson Patrice Iteke Wilson, also known by his stage name Pato, is a Nigerian-American record producer, songwriter, and singer. He co-founded the ARK Music Factory (with Clarence Jey) in 2010, a record label which specialized in young-teen pop artists ...

, record producer

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{Portal bar, United States, Reformed Christianity Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Universities and colleges established in 1890 1890 establishments in Washington (state) Private universities and colleges in Washington (state)