YOUR GENEROSITY AT WORK 2016-2017
WHITTIER
COLLEGE
FELLOW MEMBER OF THE WHITTIER COLLEGE COMMUNITY: On behalf of the Whittier Board of Trustees, faculty, staff, and students, thank you for giving generously in support of Whittier’s mission. This report offers just a glimpse of the many ways you have participated in creating a vibrant learning community at Whittier in the past fiscal year. Thanks to your involvement, we continued to engage our students in undergraduate research with our faculty, doubled the number of students who travel abroad on faculty-led trips, and granted degrees to more than 400 proud Poets, including yet another Fulbright Award recipient. Consider the ripple effect of your generosity – it goes far beyond our campus through the contributions of our students, faculty, and alumni in communities worldwide. Their success is your success. We gratefully acknowledge your diligence and unwavering commitment to ensure the College’s bright and enduring future. Thank you! Go Poets!
Sharon D. Herzberger President
Jim Brown ’71 Chairman Board of Trustees
Darrin Good Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty
Bryceton Scurr ’19 ASWC President
THE GIFTS YOU MADE COUNTED
YOUR IMPACT REACHES FAR
24% ALUMNI PARTICIPATION
This percentage impacts national college rankings and benefits the College when seeking grants from notable foundations. Every gift every year—no matter what amount—makes a difference.
4,900+ OVERALL DONORS As Whittier’s reputation grows, more and more alumni, parents, friends, foundations, and companies invest in our students’ bright future.
$2.4 MILLION
in gifts received from realized bequests by members of the Philadelphian Society.
19 NEW PHILADELPHIANS
pledged a gift to Whittier through their estate. The Philadelphian Society recognizes more than 230 caring and visionary individuals who included the College in their estate plans or entered into a life-income arrangement with the College.
3,086 FAITHFUL FRIENDS
Last year marked an all-time high for the number of loyal donors who give any amount in two or more consecutive fiscal years (July 1 - June 30).
60.3% OF METAPHONIAN SOCIETY ALUMNAE MADE A GIFT TO WHITTIER COLLEGE This highest-ever participation by any society marked the Mets’ third year in a row as Society Challenge Champions, a historical three-peat. Overall, 41% of society alumni supported Whittier students with a tax-deductible gift.
$1.77 MILLION
raised by 2,770 donors for the Whittier Fund. The fund is a critical source of unrestricted support for the College’s highest priorities: scholarships, library resources, faculty salaries and research, athletics, and campus improvements.
$2.56 MILLION
received in grants from 19 charitable foundations.
YOU IMPROVED ACCESS AND AFFORDABILITY
Because of your ongoing generosity, we’ve been able to keep undergraduate student tuition below peer colleges, providing excellent value to those who matter most, our students.
$9.6 million
received from 4,900+ donors
1,615
total undergraduate student enrollment in the fall of 2016
89%
graduates complete their degrees within 4 years
85%
students receive financial aid from the College
$8.5 million
in financial aid awarded
Business administration and environmental science double major Meghan Pistolesi ’19 is a 2017-18 DigLibArts Student Technology Liaison. She has also been involved with the Whittier College student senate, Sustainability Club, and Athenian Society. “Whittier has provided me with so many great experiences and leadership positions and that’s something a lot of my friends attending bigger schools would not be able to add to their resumes,” she said. A first generation college student, Meghan is the recipient of a Whittier work study award and the John Greenleaf Whittier Merit Scholarship, made possible by members of the John Greenleaf Whittier Society, a leadership group of donors who commit $3,000 or more to the College every year. Julissa Tobias ’18, a first-generation college student, has benefited from a generous financial aid package that includes a POET Award and Whittier College work study award. At Whittier, Julissa has been involved in the Poets Food Recovery Network, a Whittier chapter of the national student movement against food waste and hunger in America, and Jumpstart, an early education program in which she was promoted to team leader. She’s also been able to gain real-world experience at Broadoaks Children’s School. “Being a part of these activities, I’m able to focus on my future career in education,” she said, hoping one day to teach English abroad.
Meghan knows that she’s made her parents proud by attending College, and they are always happy to hear about her successes.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
Business administration and environmental studies double major Maddie McMurray ’18 spent Jan Term studying renewable energy and ecotourism in Costa Rica. With the support of the Barbara (Ondrasik) ’57 and Dr. David Groce SURF Fellowship she is conducting research on food waste, a project inspired by her travels. She also completed a USAID Internship at the U.S. Embassy in Cambodia. Next year, Maddie will be traveling to Tanzania as a recipient of the Brethren Community Foundation Fellowship to engage in authentic grassroots community development in East Africa.
WHITTIER STUDENTS TODAY ARE ABLE TO ACQUIRE MARKETABLE WORK SKILLS AND ADD PRACTICAL KNOWLEDGE TO THEIR CLASSROOM EXPERIENCE THROUGH FELLOWSHIPS AND STUDY ABROAD. MANY OF THESE COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITIES ARE CREATED BY GENEROUS DONORS. Through a fellowship (funded either by an individual donor or an outside agency), students conduct substantial research projects or are able to take on otherwise unpaid internships under the mentorship of a faculty member. Winning a fellowship adds prestige to students’ resumes, provides financial support for attaining their academic and professional goals, and enhances their career readiness. Study abroad continues its long-standing tradition at Whittier. The Office of International Programs places qualified students in locations all over the globe. More than 80 recommended programs are available on six continents for either a semester-long stay or shorter travels in January and May. Many trips are led by Whittier faculty, and as space permits, are open to alumni and parents. The number of students who travel abroad with faculty doubled in recent years.
YOUR GIFTS EXPANDED OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS
Thanks to the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Whittier has established a prestigious fellowship that aims to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who pursue a Ph.D. and enter the professoriate in core arts-and-sciences fields. Political science major Roberto Bonilla ’18 is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and participated in the 2017 UCLA Summer Writing and Research Program. With the encouragement and support of political science professor Deborah Norden, Roberto was awarded the fellowship to research the politics of El Salvador, where he grew up. On top of providing Roberto with the opportunity to pursue his passion for political theory, the fellowship has steered him toward a career as a professor. “This career path seems very attractive because of my experiences, and because of what I’ve gone through, and how my professors have helped me,” Roberto said. “ You want to make a difference in someone else’s life. You want to be able to help other people in the same way that people have helped you.”
YOUR GIFTS HELPED RENOVATE OUR HISTORIC CAMPUS Thanks to your generous support and the commitment of the entire Poet family, Whittier College continues to grow and innovate in many areas, including the state of its picturesque campus. From academics to athletics to student life, several areas of campus were renovated to accommodate the modern needs of the student body. SCIENCE & LEARNING CENTER Whittier College completely renovated the primary academic building with focus on interdisciplinary teaching and research. Alumni, parents, friends, and foundations contributed more than $25 million, including eight gifts of $1 million or more. During an 18-month construction project, the College was able to • Double the number of faculty offices. • Double the number of research labs. • Triple the number of interaction spaces.
Science and Learning Center
• Upgrade science equipment. In its first year, the largest capital campaign project in Whittier’s history has already proven to be a success. Whittier recorded a 10% increase in high school student applications and strengthened the curriculum through expanded science and allied health course offerings.
ATHLETIC FIELD AND TRACK RENEWAL With more than $1.5 million in gifts to athletics, substantial renovations to Wallace “Chief” Newman Field and Aubrey Bonham Track directly benefit nine Poet athletic teams, hundreds of student-athletes, many more intramural participants, and the broader community. Main features of the renovation include
Memorial Stadium
• Widening of the field to accommodate soccer matches and create an attractive rental venue or host site for NCAA regional events. • Resurfaced track with state-of-the-art synthetic running surface. • A new stadium public announcement audio system.
ETTINGER STUDENT LOUNGE Thanks to a generous leadership gift, an interior redesign addressed the need for more collaborative spaces on campus where students can hold study groups, plug in their laptops, play games, or watch the news. It is now an open and inviting space, especially welcoming for non-residential students.
Ettinger Student Lounge
YOUR GIFTS SUPPORTED THE WORK OF OUR FACULTY donors aided the work of our dedicated faculty by supporting: • The Whittier Fund, a source that benefits every faculty member. • The academic departments from which alumni graduated. • The establishment of Faculty Development Funds to enhance faculty’s professional growth in areas of mentorship, advising, and pedagogy.
Many notable foundations agreed that Whittier College is a good investment and awarded us with 19 grants totaling $2.56 million, including the following multi-year grants in support of our faculty: Professor Devin Iimoto and Ryan Nakamura ’17
- Two grants from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation • A $700,000 grant to continue faculty development in the area of digital pedagogy and scholarly innovation through the Digital Liberal Arts Center (DigLibArts)
“The Newsom Chair has provided me resources to continue my cancer preventive research, in which planar aryl triazenes were synthesized and tested for their ability to inhibit cytochrome P450 1A1 and 1B1. I was able to purchase needed chemicals and supplies and, most importantly, provide valuable paid research experience to four talented chemistry students. Our preliminary work was presented at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco this past spring and two of my undergraduate researchers, Ryan Nakamura ’17 and Rachel Moran ’18, received publishing credit for their research work.” Devin Iimoto Professor of Chemistry W. Roy and Alice Newsom Endowed Chair in Chemistry
• A $250,000 grant to expand the Liberal Arts of Organizational Leadership Program which integrates the humanities into the curriculum of our two largest pre-professional majors: business administration and kinesiology - A $400,000 grant from the Henry Luce Foundation for an exploration of sustainable development in Asia • Program highlight: an alternative spring break trip to China focused on literature and the environment led by an interdisciplinary team of Whittier professors
Resources for faculty salary and research continue to be critically important The College’s endowment contains 13 endowed chairs across multiple disciplines, generating more than $920,000 in annual support for distinguished faculty.
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OFFICE OF ADVANCEMENT • P.O. BOX 634 •WHITTIER, CA 90608