W IL L A M ET T E
“Not unto ourselves alone are we born.�
The university’s motto guides the vision for the kind of person Willamette seeks to send forth into the world. Here, you’ll find who you are among others — faculty committed to teaching and mentoring, students who celebrate your successes. You’ll develop habits of mind that cause you to dig deeper, unpack problems, identify solutions.
Willamette is one of 40 institutions included in the popular “Colleges That Change Lives” guidebook for raising student trajectories and developing “thinkers, leaders and moral citizens.”
And when you graduate, you’ll join a community of alumni who have become people the world needs — citizens who serve their communities, professionals who expand their fields, people whose knowledge leads to action. People whose lives make a difference to more than themselves.
Collaborative Learner . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Academic Risk-Taker . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Active Citizen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Community Contributor . . . . . . . . . 26 Outdoor Adventurer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Servant Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Hands-On Explorer . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Accomplished Graduate . . . . . . . . . 56
BECOME IT . . .
The Collaborative Learner
Putting heads together consistently yields insights and solutions that solitary study cannot. Whether among students and faculty or among students themselves, collaboration at Willamette enhances learning at every turn. You’ll find it ideal preparation for the workplace, too — where collaboration is how the best ideas often emerge.
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Collaborative Learner
Preparing from day one. Before classes even begin, you’ll choose your courses — including the College Colloquium. This small, intellectually provocative, conversation-based seminar runs through your first semester, and it can have an impact on your entire college experience. Your colloquium professor will be your advisor and will help you with course selection until you declare a major. And your colloquium classmates — whom you’ll get to know well as you discuss questions that interest you — may become some of your closest friends. After the course ends, you may want to continue exploring your colloquium topic with a research grant. Whatever you choose to do, the colloquium helps you get started.
“By discussing, writing about and even playing games, we can learn a lot about our culture.” — Josh Laison
Associate professor of mathematics; College Colloquium instructor for Games: Design, Strategy, Philosophy and Society
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Collaborative spaces, called “ hearths,” provide comfortable gathering spots in many of Willamette’s academic buildings.
COLLEGE COLLOQUIUM A sampling from nearly 40 seminar-style College Colloquium options — an ever-changing list: • The Arts and Identity in South Africa • The Biopolitics of “Safe” • Comic Books and Graphic Novels • Cool as a Construct • Dogs: Understanding Our Best Friends • E xploring Mind, Brain and Behavior through Science Fiction • Fat!: The Science, Culture and Politics of Weight • Genres of the Self • Income Inequality, Poverty and a Little Economics • The Livable City • The Punishment System • Reading the Book of Nature • Rousseau’s Controversial Legacy • Salvador Dali’s Surrealism • Sexuality and Eroticism in Medieval Europe • Visual Stories of Who We Are: Salem as a Memory Box • Zen and the Arts in America
Collaborative Learner
Mentor. Mentee. Metamorphosis. “Looking into the origins of a ‘humble’ tortilla allowed Erendira to have a window into understanding her place in nature — to gain insight into her identity and to start a project that I expect will evolve for a few years as she develops as a scholar and citizen.” — David Craig
As the first in her family to attend college, Erendira Oropeza found much that was new at Willamette. She also found, in her College Colloquium professor David Craig — who had also been a first-generation college student — both the understanding and the guidance to connect her interests and personal experiences to an ambitious research project.
“I think my biggest contribution to Erendira’s project,” Craig says, “was helping her realize that anything that matters to her can be approached with critical thinking.”
Having read Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring” and discussed the impact of fertilizers and pesticides in Craig’s Naturalist 2.0 course, Erendira was struck by, in Carson’s words, Called “The Layers of a Corn Tortilla,” man’s “significant power to alter the nature Erendira’s project involved returning to of the world.” “I knew at that point I wanted her home state of Michoacán, Mexico, to document the process of corn farming to do something to combine my ideas and and tortilla production as it has been done present a project that emphasizes the for generations. “Professor Craig believed environment and the culture, and the best my project had high potential,” Erendira place to do it was my hometown,” she says. says, “and helped me design and organize how I was going to do the research.”
Erendira’s photographs, shown here, document the tortilla-making process from field to food product.
MOST DIVERSE The first person to graduate from Willamette was a woman — unusual for 1859 — and today the university ranks significantly higher in diversity than all other premier liberal arts colleges in the Northwest. Willamette’s faculty is diverse as well: fully one-quarter of our tenure-track faculty are professors of color and/or hail from abroad.
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Erendira Oropeza and David Craig Biology professor
Sophomore Latin American studies major with a Spanish minor; Cornelius, Oregon
Collaborative Learner
Better together. Senior English major with an emphasis in creative writing; minor in theatre; Boise, Idaho
Emily Palmgren and Linnea Huomo
“Writing Trains” That’s the name of the collaborative project that Emily Palmgren (left) and Linnea Huomo undertook over the course of eight weeks during the summer. Funded by a Mellon Learning by Creating Grant, they explored by train cities up and down the West Coast — from Berkeley, California, to Vancouver, British Columbia. “We attended local poetry readings and visited bookstores, publishing houses, libraries and museums to gain a fuller understanding of how literary culture impacts these communities,” Emily says. The culmination of their experiences — a chapbook titled “Pure Gold Thighs” — consists of poems, prose, lyric vignettes and even a short play. “We performed at poetry slams in some of the cities we visited,” Linnea says, “and plan to stage a reading at Willamette in the near future.”
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TAYLOR HECKMAN Junior biology major with chemistry minor; Kailua, Hawaii
KATIE HERR Senior biology major with emphasis in microbiology; Mercer Island, Washington
Understanding Bacteria Senior English major with an emphasis in creative writing, minor in history; Santa Rosa, California
Selected to be part of the Science Collaborative Research Program, Taylor Heckman (left) and Katie Herr chose to investigate how the bacteria Caulobacter crescentus resists infection by bacteria-specific viruses called bacteriophages. Over nine weeks during the summer, they successfully identified the mechanism by which a layer of extracellular polysaccharides on the surface of the bacteria provides resistance to such infection. “Katie and I were a great team,” Taylor says. Katie adds, “We have different ways of thinking and organizing our ideas, which is incredibly valuable.” The students are presenting their research at the Murdock College Science Research Conference.
JASON PEGIS Senior music major with emphasis in cello performance; Ferndale, Washington
SHERRY LIANG Senior music major with emphasis in piano performance; Happy Valley, Oregon
Making Music As sophomores, Sherry Liang and Jason Pegis collaborated with a senior violinist as the Waller Piano Trio, advancing to the final round at the nationals of the Music Teachers National Association chamber music competition. This year, as the Alchemy Trio with a Willamette alum on clarinet, they’ve already made it to the regionals and hope to compete again at the national level. “We have a good understanding of how we play and the nuances in our playing, so we make a solid group,” Jason says. “As a soloist, you have free rein over how you want to play,” Sherry says, “but in a trio setting you have to respect the thoughts and opinions of everyone. Our clarinetist comes from a jazz background, so our discussions this year are even more enriched and enhanced.”
BECOME IT . . .
The Academic Risk-Taker
You’ll learn to push yourself, take initiative and step out of your comfort zone with inspiration from our award-winning faculty — 11 of whom are among the 26 Oregon Professors of the Year. Their guidance plus your interest: that’s how the magic happens. Once you put together a program that fits who you really are, there won’t be any stopping you.
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Academic Risk-Taker
Free to explore. With Willamette’s liberal arts curriculum, you’re invited to change your mind. If your childhood dream was to some day hold public office, you might start out planning to major in politics, only to discover a passion for biology research. Next thing you know, you’re pursuing a special interdisciplinary major in neuroscience. Or you might think you’re a budding playwright and then find, through an internship at the Capitol, that public service is really where your heart is. Our 45 majors and programs provide the basis for wide-ranging and individualized pursuits. Start combining programs, add a research project, an adventure abroad, an internship in Salem or elsewhere, and your direction won’t be exactly like anyone else’s.
“Putting together an unusual combination of major(s) and/or minor(s) — that’s the way you do something unique and interesting. You don’t just do what everyone else does excellently. You combine different things that people haven’t thought of. And that’s what we really can offer students.” — Mary Bachvarova
Classical studies professor
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TOP SEVEN MAJORS AT WILLAMETTE, class of 2015: economics, politics, exercise science, psychology, history, biology and English.
DUAL-DEGREE PROGRAMS: In Willamette’s accelerated programs, you can earn a BA and an MBA in business management or public management in five years, or earn a BA and a JD in law in six years.
MAJORS AND PROGRAMS • American Ethnic Studies • Anthropology • Archaeology • Art History • Art, Studio • Asian Studies • BA/MBA — Business Management (3+2) • BA/MBA — Public Management (3+2) • BA/JD — Law (3+3) • Biology • Chemistry • Chinese Studies • Civic Communication and Media • Classical Studies • Comparative Literature and the History of Ideas • Computer Science • Economics • Engineering 3-2 Program • English • Environmental and Earth Science • Exercise Science • Film Studies • Forestry 3-2 Program • French • German • History • Humanities • International Studies • Japanese • Latin American Studies • Mathematics • Medieval and Renaissance Studies • Music • Philosophy • Physics • Politics • Pre-Health • Pre-Law • Psychology • Religious Studies • Russian • Sociology • Spanish • Theatre • Women’s and Gender Studies
Academic Risk-Taker
“I have found that art aids my studies in chemistry and vice versa. Willamette’s liberal arts education model made it possible to double major in four years.”
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Double discovery.
Alex Ramsey
When she came to Willamette, Alex Ramsey knew she would major in chemistry. But she also knew that she wanted to take as many electives as she could in studio art. “I have always loved art and the process of creation,” she says. In her first studio art class — Introduction to Sculpture, taught by Andries Fourie — she learned that her disparate interests weren’t so disparate after all. “Professor Fourie helped me to see how the creative, analytical process of art parallels that of science.” As she explored studio art, Alex developed a particular fondness for photography. “It allows me to release my creative desires without being confined to a studio,” she says, “and enables me to interact with and appreciate the world around me.” Her plans? “To pursue a PhD in chemistry and eventually become a university professor.” And whether or not it plays a role in her career, she is certain of this: “Art will always be an integral part of my life.”
Part of Alex’s senior art thesis, macro photographs of berries — one of which is shown here — take the familiar and make it abstract, forcing the viewer to see the world in a new light.
Senior chemistry and studio art double major; Windsor, Colorado
Academic Risk-Taker
A LIVING LABORATORY Courses that make use of Zena Forest have included: • Archaeology Field Experience • Behavioral Ecology • Biogeography • Forest Ecology and Policy • From Seed to Table • Geographic Information Systems • Introduction to Environmental Science • Politics of Environmental Ethics • Senior Seminar in Environmental Science • Senior Thesis Research
ZENAFEST Among the university activities each fall at ZenaFest: • Apple picking and cider pressing • Forest restoration and monitoring • Prairie restoration and monitoring • Sustainable forestry • Zena Forest Observatory research
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Your own forest. In 2008, Willamette purchased 305 ecologically diverse acres 10 miles from campus. Known as Zena Forest, the property includes a variety of habitats — from woodlands to grasslands, wetlands to freshwater aquatic areas. What does that mean for you? Opportunities to do research, help manage the ecosystem and explore our part of the largest remaining contiguous block of forestland in the Eola Hills.
The Zena Forest Observatory offers students and faculty members a close look at night skies free of light pollution.
BECOME IT . . .
The Active Citizen
When people talk about Willamette’s culture of service, they’re referring to how we put our motto — “Not unto ourselves alone are we born” — into action. Our Community Service Learning program includes service-learning designated courses, student organizations devoted to service, volunteer opportunities, a student-led alternative spring break program, and more. If you haven’t reached out to help others yet, you will at Willamette.
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Active Citizen
Giving of yourself. It’s a given. Not only is community service an effective way to develop skills and learn about social issues, but it also just plain feels good. So many Willamette students participate in service projects that in 2014 the university was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll as recognition for our university-wide commitment to the greater Salem community. When you become a Bearcat, you’ll step into a world much larger than yourself — and join a tradition of civic engagement and service that enriches your college experience and your life beyond Willamette.
Since 2001, Willamette students have joined with faculty members and staff in Take A Break, an alternative spring break program that serves communities across the nation, focusing on issues that include literacy, poverty, racism, hunger, homelessness, HIV/AIDS and the environment.
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SERVICE OPPORTUNITIES
67,000 SERVICE HOURS
Among the many projects in the Service Learning Database: • ARC of Marion County • American Cancer Society • Autism Society of Oregon • Boys and Girls Club • Causa • City of Salem Senior Center • First Congregational Church • GeerCrest Farm • Habitat for Humanity • Judson Middle School • Keizer Library • Language in Motion • Marion County District Attorney’s Office • Northwest Human Services • One Fair World • Oregon Garden • Salem Free Clinic • Sierra Club — Beyond Coal Campaign • Turtle Ridge Wildlife Center
Total time contributed by Willamette students, faculty and staff to the community last year.
SERVICE-LEARNING COURSES A sampling of courses in which students can earn credit while helping their community: • American Immigrant History • Chemawa Indian School Partnership Program • Creative Writing • Economics Major Program Internship • Intro to Environmental Science • Intro to Teaching • Latin American Cultures • Medical Anthropology • Psychology of Learning • Senior Internship in Psychology • Spanish Composition/ Discussion • Stress and Health • Topics in Political Theory—Death in America • Western Civilization and Sustainability • Willamette Academy Service Learning
Students work with Willamette’s Center for Sustainable Communities to selectively thin Zena Forest.
Active Citizen
Anelise Zimmer
Senior environmental and earth sciences major, politics minor; Kodiak, Alaska
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Facing outward. As a Webber Scholar, Anelise Zimmer helps foster scientific
curiosity and understanding by mentoring students at a local elementary school. She also coordinates Willamette’s Outdoor Program, planning and leading trips into the Pacific Northwest and — in the process — raising environmental consciousness. In 2014, she traveled to Guatemala, where she volunteered at a sea turtle and wildlife conservation center and taught English and environmental education. While there, she also volunteered with a coffee farmer’s cooperative, helping farmers work their fields and increase knowledge about sustainable coffee farming. As active as Anelise has been in environmental service as a student, her plans after graduation are even more far-reaching. They include working in Alaska with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, teaching environmental education in Southeast Asia or Latin America, serving in AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps, and working internationally to help maritime communities mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change.
“I create and teach science lessons to local fifth-grade students, as well as serve as a strong female role model to help crush the stereotype that women don’t belong in the sciences.” SUSTAINABLE WILLAMETTE • Th e Princeton Review ranks Willamette #13 among environmentally friendly and sustainable colleges. • L ast year, Willamette’s Green Fund awarded $63,580 in grants to students and staff to collaborate on projects that make the campus more sustainable. • Th e university’s Sustainability Institute coordinates a wide array of academic, co-curricular and operational sustainability initiatives, including oversight of Willamette’s 305-acre Zena Forest.
BECOME IT . . .
The Community Contributor
No matter your talent, interest, background or personality type, you’ll find ways to be an integral part of Willamette’s campus community. With fewer than 2,500 undergraduates, this is a place where what you have to offer makes a difference. And that makes a difference in your experience.
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Community Contributor
Peri Hildum and Mitch Diaz
Senior politics and philosophy double major; Gig Harbor, Washington
Sophomore undeclared major; Corbett, Oregon
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“The Willamette community gets its energy from the passion students bring to the many different organizations they are a part of.” — Mitch Diaz
Organize. “Largest in the world.”
That’s how the Residence Hall Association (RHA) stacks up among student-run organizations. As soon as Peri Hildum and Mitch Diaz learned about the group, they knew they wanted to bring a chapter to Willamette. “I immediately saw it as an avenue to contribute my leadership experience and my time to a valuable organization,” Mitch says. RHA provides programming, leadership opportunities and advocacy platforms to all residential students at Willamette. “Any resident who wants to run a program, make changes in the halls or get involved on a national level has an opportunity to do so,” Peri says.
CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS A small sampling of Willamette’s more than 100 student groups: ACADEMIC • Animal Care Club • Exercise Science Club • Pre-Law Society • Sustainable Forestry
ENTHUSIASM UNLIMITED Nearly 95 percent of Willamette students are involved in at least one co-curricular activity. Many are involved in three or more.
HONORARY • National Society of Collegiate Scholars • Phi Beta Kappa
PERFORMING ARTS • Improv Club • Taiko Club • Willamette choirs
SOCIAL AND SUPPORT • S tudents for Feminism • V egan Club • V ideo Game Club
MEDIA • B Movie Club • WU Zine Collective
RELIGIOUS • Campus Ambassadors • Jewish Student Union
MULTICULTURAL • A sian Coalition for Equality • Native and Indigenous Student Union
SERVICE • Best Buddies • Willamette Emergency Medical Services
SPORTS AND RECREATIONAL •B ackpacking Club • C heer Squad •K ayak Club • Men’s and Women’s Rugby • Y oga Club
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Community Contributor
Arts for everyone. Concerts, plays, art exhibits, readings, lectures, festivals — they’re all at Willamette, and most of them are free. You’ll have frequent opportunities to see and hear your talented peers, as well as professional artists from around the globe. And if you’re artistically inclined, you may well find your creations or performances showcased for the entire Willamette community.
FORMAT CONTENT
GLOBAL RECOGNITION Named Best Undergraduate Large Vocal Jazz Ensemble two years in a row by DownBeat magazine, the Willamette Singers display the strength of Willamette’s music program.
In the Spotlight Theatre blog OnStage ranked Willamette’s theatre department first in the nation among programs offering bachelor’s degrees. If you catch one of the theatrical, dance or student-created performances or projects staged each year, you’ll see why.
WORLD-RENOWNED MUSICIANS The Grace Goudy Distinguished Artists Series brings internationally acclaimed performers to Willamette several times each year.
A Community Cultural Treasure Just off campus, Willamette’s Hallie Ford Museum of Art contains a collection of art acquired by the university over many decades — from Corot to Whistler, from ancient Egyptian artifacts to Native American baskets. Special exhibitions of student and faculty artwork, world-renowned rotating exhibits, gallery talks and tours make the museum a dynamic educational resource.
MUSICAL VARIETY Among the music ensembles open by audition to all students: • Chamber Choir • Chamber Music Ensembles • Dramatic Vocal Arts Ensemble • F lute Ensemble • Jazz Combos • Male Ensemble Willamette
• University Chamber Orchestra • Voce Femminile • Waller String Quartet • Willamette Singers • Wind Ensemble
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Community Contributor
Team and scream. Whether you’re shoulder-to-shoulder with teammates or cheering from the bleachers with Blitz the Bearcat and fellow classmates, Willamette athletics will get your heart pumping. Highly competitive in NCAA Division III, our studentathletes seek a balanced educational experience, and our coaches appreciate the importance of academic pursuits. Sound minds in sound bodies — and plenty of sound on game day.
The Bearcats compete in the Northwest Conference, one of the oldest in the United States. INTERCOLLEGIATE COMPETITION MEN’S • Baseball • Basketball • Cross Country • Football • Golf • Soccer • Swimming • Tennis • Track and Field
WOMEN’S • Basketball • Cross Country • Golf • Rowing • Soccer • Softball • Swimming • Tennis • Track and Field • Volleyball
Intramural Zeal At Willamette, you don’t have to compete at the intercollegiate level to feel the competitive fire. With six leagues — outdoor soccer, indoor volleyball, flag football, 3v3 basketball, 5v5 basketball and grass volleyball — and two mini-leagues — indoor soccer and kickball — practicing twice each week, you can go head-to-head with classmates and professors in a program that equals those at much larger universities. Most Willamette students participate in at least one intramural sport.
TOURNAMENT PLAY Campus competition extends beyond intercollegiate and intramural teams and includes spirited tournament play in: • Badminton • Paper Football • Dodgeball • Ping Pong • Mushball • Racquetball • NCAA Football • Tennis College Pick ’Em • NCAA men’s/ women’s March Madness bracket challenge
Community Contributor
Make it happen.
You don’t have to be an MBA student to catch the entrepreneurial spirit at Willamette. All it takes is the knowledge that, as a student here, our campus and community are yours — yours to contribute to and yours to improve. When you invest your energy for the good of the Willamette community, you learn how to be effective in the wider world. You gain the satisfaction of recognizing and meeting a need. And you leave a legacy for future students.
Maya Kaup
“Everyone at Willamette has a willingness to get involved to make our community and world a better place.”
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The Mother of Invention When her bike was stolen, Lindsay Selser ’07 created a bike shop on campus where students could maintain their bicycles and rent community bikes for free. Current Willamette students now have more than 40 rent-free bicycles from which to choose, as well as five undergraduate bicycle technicians to help them keep their own bikes in top shape. Lindsay remains on the move as a transportation planner for the city of Eugene.
Hungry for a Coffee House Back in 1985, sophomores Eric Friedenwald-Fishman ’88 and John Donovan ’88 saw the need for a place on campus where students could hang out and buy food in the evenings. A year later, The Bistro — today a self-sustaining business employing Willamette students — opened its doors. Eric went on to become the founder and creative director of the Metropolitan Group and still works alongside John, the senior vice president.
Waste Not When Maya Kaup learned about the Food Recovery Network — a national nonprofit committed to reducing food waste on campuses by donating leftovers to the hungry — she knew that Willamette would be the perfect place to start a chapter. And sure enough, when she stepped up as founder and president, there were plenty of others willing to lend a hand. “We have a great group of dedicated volunteers who recover the leftover food every night, and the cafeteria staff and administration have helped us a lot,” says Maya. Maya helps with the recovery process; trains new volunteers; keeps communication channels open between the organization, the cafeteria and partner agencies; works on expanding the operation; and troubleshoots whenever problems arise. “This experience has opened a lot of doors for me and has given me leadership skills,” she says. One of those doors: a Greater Research Opportunities fellowship from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Junior biology major, Spanish minor; Eureka, California
BECOME IT . . .
The Outdoor Adventurer
If you grew up hiking and camping, it’s likely you already know how remarkable the Pacific Northwest is for sheer beauty and variety of outdoor activities. If you don’t consider yourself the outdoorsy type, but you’re considering Willamette, discovery awaits you. With the combination of our location and our Outdoor Program, the university has everything you need to find out — and fully enjoy — what you’ve been missing.
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Outdoor Adventurer
Getting your bearings.
Caroline Brinster
Wouldn’t it be nice
to arrive at college as a first-year, before classes begin, and take trips into the wilderness that help you bond with your fellow students? That’s what Caroline Brinster thought when she signed up for Steppin’ Out, one of three optional Jump Start pre-orientation programs at Willamette. “I love the outdoors, and I didn’t know anyone here,” says Caroline. “Steppin’ Out was a great way to meet people.” The first day, Caroline and her group piled into a 15-person van and made a trip to Pacific City. The next two days, starting from base camp — cabins in the woods at a 4-H Center near Salem — they took hikes, one in the mountains and the other along the coast, and the following day went whitewater rafting on the White Salmon River in Washington. “Over the course of the week,” she says, “I opened up and became more myself. It was such an accepting, inclusive environment.” Caroline enjoyed Steppin’ Out so much that she has been a trip leader every year since. “I wanted to give back — to provide the same environment to new students that I had and to be there as a resource,” she says. The confidence and sense of adventure Caroline gained during Steppin’ Out helped spur her to apply for a College Colloquium grant as a first-year. The grant enabled an independent research project, in partnership with the Friends of the Columbia River Gorge, in which she surveyed hikers to help determine potential use of a system of trails in the Gorge. Senior economics major; Warren, Oregon
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“Steppin’ Out helped me get involved and try new things — such as applying for a grant to do research in the Columbia River Gorge.”
Outdoor Adventurer
Greater outdoors,
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less travel.
The Outdoor Program — a natural outgrowth of Willamette’s prime location for outdoor recreation — offers outings for everyone, from hardcore climbers to casual sightseers. Program staff — all students, with an administrative advisor — plan trips, rent gear and will help you get familiar with the region’s outdoor opportunities. By signing up for Outdoor Program trips, you can experience Oregon in all its grandeur within justa few hours’ drive.
EXPLORE YOUR WORLD • Backpacking at Triangulation Peak • Backpacking at Tunnel Falls • Backpacking at Zena Forest • C limbing at Smith Rock •D eep-sea fishing the Pacific •H iking at Shellburg Falls • Hiking Cascade Head •H orseback riding on the Central Oregon Coast
• Kayaking the Oregon Coast • Kayaking the Willamette River • Skiing and snowboarding on Mt. Hood • Snowshoeing at Crater Lake • Swimming at Tamolitch Pool • Whitewater rafting on the Salmon River
FARTHER AFIELD Trips well beyond Oregon’s borders have included: • Arches National Park •G rand Canyon National Park • Redwood National Park
GEARING UP Among gear available for rent at the Outdoor Program office: • Backpacks • Baseball gloves • Bike helmets • Camping stoves • Climbing helmets • Coolers • First-aid kits • Fishing rods • Racquetball racquets
• Ski goggles • Sleeping bags • Snowshoes • Tents • Volleyballs • Winter gloves • Yoga mats
BECOME IT . . .
The Servant Leader
Willamette students practice servant leadership — leading not with the aim of exercising power but with the object of achieving goals alongside others. You’ll find opportunities to gain leadership experience everywhere on campus: from community service to multicultural affairs, from student government offices to student activities and organizations. In our collaborative culture, everyone can take a leadership role.
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Servant Leader
Learning while leading.
Each spring, the university community comes together for Wulapalooza — an earth-conscious, performance-rich day of on-campus festivities.
As a first-year
experiencing Wulapalooza for the first time, little did Will Nickerson know that the following year he would be among the leaders of the earth, art and music festival — one of the biggest annual events on campus. “During my first year of involvement,” he says, “I led the sustainability committee, bringing wide-scale composting and recycling to Wula.” That same year, he served as treasurer of WU Wire, Willamette’s former campus radio station, where he “learned the importance of facing tasks that seem impossible and not taking failures along the way to mean an absolute end for your endeavor.” Now a senior, Will recruits artists to play at Wulapalooza. He also works for the Office of Admission as the training coordinator for the university’s 45 tour guides. “Through this position,” he says, “I have learned ways to make work something that employees look forward to, booking speakers that I think will be both fun and informative for the guides.” As a math tutor, Will has developed an approach that will prove invaluable as he starts his own business. “People gain a deeper sense of understanding and confidence when they feel they have arrived at a solution on their own,” he says. “Applying this to leadership positions, even if I have ideas that I think will resolve a problem, I always let others arrive at their own solutions before introducing mine.”
Senior mathematics and Spanish double major; Albany, California
Will Nickerson
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“If you are willing to work, you can have as big an impact as you want — no matter how new to an organization you are.”
LEADERS FOR LEADERS Willamette’s Leadership Consultants are specially trained students who provide leadership guidance to their peers. They support the leaders of student organizations by holding leadership development workshops, helping with event planning, implementing Student Organization Orientations and developing strategies to resolve communication and leadership issues.
At the Spring Activities Fair, students explore their extracurricular options, and club and organization leaders recruit new members.
BECOME IT . . .
The Hands-On Explorer
The ideal complement to a liberal arts curriculum is real-world experience. With extensive research opportunities in Zena Forest and elsewhere, internships tied to our location across the street from the Oregon Capitol, and a strong study abroad program, Willamette provides the balance you need for an education that doesn’t stop here.
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Hands-On Explorer
Minding the brain.
Ian Galligar
Senior neurobiology major (self-designed); Wilmette, Illinois
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“You have to take a nuanced approach to a project of this scale. You can’t want it too badly, or it will burn you out. Finding a balance is key to long-term success.”
SCIENCE RESEARCH
Willamette students are investigating how different hormones and drugs change the voltage and firing pattern of a cell in the brain. Or, as Ian Galligar puts it: “I applied whole-cell electrophysiology techniques to study the role of TRPV1 receptors in the CORT-mediated stress response in the Taricha granulosa reticular formation.”
Even though the project is an extension of work already begun in associate professor Emma Coddington’s biology lab, with her assistance, Ian has become fully committed to it. “Working with Emma has been a wonderful experience because she pushes students to really own their projects and grow through the process, but is also willing to help students out when they’re struggling.” Funded through Coddington’s National Science Foundation grant, the technique that Ian uses involves “taking a slice of live newt brain, mounting it on a microscope and then forming a seal between a healthy cell in the slice and a micropipette” to study the cell’s responses as hormones and drugs are introduced to the system. “My current plan is to put as much of myself into my thesis as I can before I graduate,” Ian says. After that? “A few gap years — starting with teaching English in Spain — before grad school.”
The Science Collaborative Research Program provides students the opportunity to work directly with faculty in the natural sciences. Past projects have included: • C hanges in ancient ocean chemistry and response of marine animal ecosystems • C haracteristics of aquatic bacteria C. crescentus • C hemical processes that control the fate of estrogens in aquatic environments • How a sunscreen ingredient produces free radicals •H ow gravity influences perception of shoulder position • P roperties of liquid-liquid mixtures • S tars that pulsate in three independent frequencies • V olatile compound emission by plants
HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES RESEARCH The Liberal Arts Research Collaborative provides students research opportunities with faculty members during the summer. Past projects have included: • Th e development of children’s abolitionist literature •D igital media’s effect on literary legacy • Th e significance of the Parthenon in the ancient world
CARSON UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH GRANTS Carson Grants offer students opportunities to pursue scholarly, creative or professional research during the summer. Past projects have included: • I nvestigating Catholic female religious communities in the United States • T raveling to Cuba to study revolutionary theatre •W riting, directing and producing short films
Hands-On Explorer
Cross the
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street. SOME OF THE MANY INTERNSHIP OPTIONS IN SALEM INCLUDE:
The first thing you’ll run into is the Oregon State Capitol. Here, and in the many state government buildings nearby, Willamette students hold internships of substance, developing their skills as policy makers, legislative aides and public servants. They also intern at other Salem locations, from the Marion County Health Department to Statesman Journal newspaper. The fact that 55 percent of our students complete one or more internships testifies not only to their educational importance but also to their prevalence in and around Oregon’s capital city.
• Catholic Community Services • Chemawa Indian School • Community Action Agency • Governor’s Office of Legal Counsel • Head Start • Hillcrest Juvenile Correction Facility • Human Rights and Relations Advisory Commission • Medallions Cabinetry • Mid-Valley Women’s Crisis Service • North Salem High School • Office of Economic Analysis • Oregon Department of Agriculture • Oregon Department of Human Services • Oregon Department of Justice • Oregon State Hospital • Oregon Youth Authority • Salem Alliance Church • Salem Hospital • Salem Housing Authority • Salem YWCA: Homeless Advocate • Senate Majority Whip • Signature Hospice
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Hands-On Explorer
Experience plus connections. Willamette students who pursue internships generally come away with both. Often, internships have a direct relation to future education or employment.
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Ziv Feinberg ’14
Psychology major; Mercer Island, Washington
In his position at BAY Positives in San Francisco, Ziv Feinberg conducted research on factors influencing how well HIVpositive youths adhered to treatment. Now at The Ohio State University, Ziv is pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology.
BEYOND SALEM
Nick Brickous ’17
Emily Miller ’15
An internship at a Salem gym gave Nick Brickous this insight: he was interested in both athletic training and in all it takes to run a gym. Now in Willamette’s 3+2 business program, he plans to pursue a business-oriented internship this summer.
In a research internship at Oregon Health & Science University, Emily Miller studied chemotherapy and a drug that protects against chemo’s toxic side effects. She currently attends medical school at UCLA, specializing in pediatric oncology.
Exercise science major; Chandler, Arizona
Chemistry major; Portland, Oregon
Summer internships outside of Salem have included the following: •B onneville Power Administration, Portland, Oregon • C alifornia Shakespeare Theatre, Berkeley, California • C ascade AIDS Project, Portland, Oregon • C row’s Shadow Institute of the Arts, Pendleton, Oregon • Th e FUNDA Organization, Portland, Oregon • Genentech, Hillsboro, Oregon •H arvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts • I BM Almaden Research Center, San Jose, California • I ntel, Santa Clara, California •K UBE 93 FM, Seattle, Washington •M t. Hood Meadows Marketing and Sales Office, Mt. Hood, Oregon •O regon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon • P ari Project, Cambodia • P ollack Media Group, Los Angeles, California • Providence-Benedictine Nursing Center, Mt. Angel, Oregon • S an Francisco LGBT Community Center •U .S. Embassy, Zimbabwe •U .S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer’s office, Portland, Oregon •U .S. Senator Jeff Merkley’s office, Washington, D.C.
Hands-On Explorer
Intercultural interaction.
While studying abroad in Jordan, Karina Hoogstede ’12 lived with a host family, learned Arabic and interned at the International Organization for Migration’s Iraq Mission, where she helped Iraqi refugees plan migration to Jordan and European host countries.
More than half of all Willamette students choose to take their education to the next level through study abroad. It’s an ideal opportunity to shake up your preconceptions, immerse yourself in a new culture and language, and challenge yourself to adapt to a different way of life. Even graduate students in our MBA and law programs find
good reasons for international study. With 40 Willamette-sponsored programs to choose from — from Australia and Brazil to Denmark and Russia — you can earn Willamette credits, apply your financial aid toward program costs and have the experience of a lifetime.
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With a grant from Conergy, Jake Kornack ’17, pictured here with Secretary of State John Kerry, attended the United Nations Climate Negotiations at the 21st Conference of Parties in Paris and posted articles about his experience on the company’s blog.
TOKYO HERE, TOKYO THERE Through an agreement with Tokyo International University (TIU), Willamette students share classes and co-curricular activities with students from Tokyo International University of America, located next door to campus. And Willamette students can choose to study at TIU in Japan for one semester or one year, taking courses in Japanese language, culture and society.
BECOME IT . . .
The Accomplished Graduate
Our graduates not only take what they learn at Willamette with them, but they also take their commitment to improving the lives of others. Wherever your career carries you, whatever you become, you can realize your goals while leading a life of civic engagement and purpose — whether or not you pursue a career associated with public service. Time and again, the accomplishments of our 24,000 alumni reveal a positive influence on lives and communities across the region, nation and world.
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Accomplished Graduate
Open futures. There’s a reason that the popular guidebook “Colleges That Change Lives” includes Willamette among the 40 schools it features. A Willamette education will change your life, which means you’ll leave here with more than a degree. You’ll graduate with the confidence and capabilities that come from having gained broad knowledge, marketable skills and relevant experience — a combination that commands the attention of graduate schools and employers alike.
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High Earnings
GRADUATE SCHOOLS ATTENDED
Willamette alumni rank first in Oregon and among the top 7 percent of colleges and universities nationally in a comparison of median earnings to expected earnings 10 years after completing their degree.
Willamette graduates attend some of the top schools in the nation and around the world, including: • Columbia University • Harvard University • London School of Economics • Princeton University • Stanford University • University of California, Berkeley • Willamette University • Yale University
True Value Because Willamette students tend to take fewer years to graduate than those in public universities — and because Willamette has more generous financial aid, smaller classes and higher-quality teaching and mentoring — a Willamette education provides a better value than most public alternatives.
NATIONAL FELLOWSHIPS In the past 10 years, Willamette students have won a variety of prestigious awards for postgraduate study, including: • Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships • Fulbright Grants • Harry S. Truman Scholarships • Luce Scholarships • Morris K. Udall Scholarships • National Science Foundation Fellowships • NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships
EMPLOYERS
FIVE IN FIVE Willamette University Career Services has won five awards in the past five years — including “Top Program” in the nation, given by The National Association of Colleges and Employers in 2015.
Graduates work in top companies, from Fortune 500 to nonprofits, including: • Berkeley Repertory Theatre • Boeing • City of Portland • Environmental Protection Agency • Federal Bureau of Investigation • Federal Reserve Bank • Intel • Make-A-Wish® Foundation of Oregon • MercyCorps • Microsoft • National Public Radio • Nike • Oakley • Oracle Corporation • Philadelphia Museum of Art • Raytheon • United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
MORE THAN A PLAN Through two multipleaward-winning programs, Willamette’s Career Center prepares students for success in graduate schools and the job market. The Roadmap is a four-year program that breaks down the career preparation process into a few manageable steps. Students complete assignments — such as creating a résumé, writing a cover letter and practicing job interviews — then receive feedback to hone their skills. As students approach graduation and start internships, The Passport program teaches basic professional workplace skills — ones employers require but frequently lack the time to provide training for — through a series of modules. Employers then provide feedback and guidance.
Accomplished Graduate
Growing outward. Each year after graduation, our alumni continue to draw on the core of their time at Willamette.
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“Living for others has always been central to who I am. But it was at Willamette that I began to learn how to do this.” — Jaime Arredondo ’05
Secretary-treasurer, PCUN, Oregon’s largest labor union and Latino organization
“Willamette served as a catalyst in my intellectual development. The faculty genuinely pushed me to explore my academic curiosities and evolve as an individual. I would not have started a software company with a classmate if not for my time there.” — Bryce Clemmer ’10
CEO, Vadio, video software company
“Much of my current success can be attributed not to the time I spent in classes, but the time spent with individual professors. It was their advice, and their willingness to work with me on my numerous independent study projects, that allowed me to create my own business and be who I am today.” — Jaered Koichi Croes ’08 Founder, Tofugu.com, Japanese language and culture resource
“My experiences at Willamette — internships with the Governor of Oregon and a member of the State House, a year spent as an exchange student in Madrid, a semester teaching English to immigrant farm workers in Salem, a summer at Princeton’s Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute — continue to inform my work in public sector consulting to this day.” — Collin Siu ’08
Public Policy and International Affairs Hunger Fellowship Program, Deloitte Consulting, Washington, D.C.
“‘Lean into discomfort’ are powerful words of advice I received during my years at Willamette and continue to follow in my personal and professional pursuits. By facing challenges head-on and embracing moments of vulnerability, I have grown to be more competent, confident and self-reflective.” — Hayley Freedman ’09
Co-founder, Africa Day and Africa Week; former AmeriCorps leader; former Peace Corps volunteer in Mozambique
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Visit Salem. If you’ve never been to Oregon’s Willamette Valley, now is an ideal time to visit. This is the fertile “land of milk and honey” at the end of the Oregon Trail — today one of the world’s premier wine-growing regions — with Salem, the state capital, at its heart. While you’re here, soak up some of the city’s history, tour the Capitol, explore Riverfront Park and check out the restaurants and shops downtown. It’s easy to get your bearings in this city of about 160,000 people on the Willamette River — and our campus is pretty close to its center.
Visit Willamette. When you visit campus, you’ll want to make the most of your time here. It’s important not only to get a sense of the physical campus, but also of the people and culture. Depending on your age and applicant status, you can take a tour, meet one-on-one with an admission counselor, sit in on a class, talk with a professor or coach — even spend the night in a residence hall. To arrange your visit, use our online form, call 503-370-6680 or email campusvisit@willamette.edu.
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Willamette firsts: • First university in the West • First law school in the Pacific Northwest • First-ranked MBA program in Oregon CHARACTER Private liberal arts university in Salem, the capital of Oregon, with a College of Liberal Arts and graduate schools of law and management. Willamette was founded in 1842 as the first university in the western United States and is one of the 40 colleges featured in the guidebook “Colleges That Change Lives.”
CAMPUS Consists of 60 acres across the street from the State Capitol. Additional resources include the 305-acre Zena Forest, 10 miles from campus.
STUDENTS • 2,375 students • 45 percent men, 55 percent women • From 44 states and 15 countries • 41 percent graduated in top 10 percent of their high school class
FACULTY • 300 faculty members • 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio • 62 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students • No class has more than 50 students • Average class size: 17
Eleven of the 26 Oregon Professors of the Year are from Willamette.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
• American Ethnic Studies • Anthropology • Archaeology • Art History • Art, Studio • Asian Studies • BA/JD — Law (3+3) • BA/MBA — Business Management (3+2) • BA/MBA — Public Management (3+2) • Biology • Chemistry • Chinese Studies • Civic Communication and Media • Classical Studies • Comparative Literature and the History of Ideas • Computer Science • Economics • Engineering 3-2 Program • English
Named to the 2014 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll for commitment to community service and community-based learning. Willamette students live the university’s motto, “Not unto ourselves alone are we born,” contributing 58,000 volunteer hours to the community each year.
• Environmental and Earth Science • E xercise Science • Film Studies • F orestry 3-2 Program • French • German • History • Humanities • International Studies • Japanese • L atin American Studies • Mathematics •M edieval and Renaissance Studies • Music • Philosophy • Physics • Politics • Pre-Health • Pre-Law • Psychology • Religious Studies • Russian • Sociology • Spanish • Theatre •W omen’s and Gender Studies
INTERNSHIPS Fifty-five percent of students complete one or more internships. Extensive internship opportunities are available in Salem, particularly at the Capitol and in other state government offices.
RESEARCH Forty percent of students engage in research projects with faculty mentors.
More than 75 Willamette grants are available each year for undergraduate research. OFF-CAMPUS STUDY Fifty percent of students earn study abroad credit from programs in more than 40 countries around the world. Between 100 and 150 students from Tokyo International University study at Willamette each year. Domestic semester-long programs are also available in Washington, D.C., and Chicago.
Princeton Review ranks Willamette #4 in the nation among “Best Schools for Making an Impact” — a measure of community service opportunities, student government, sustainability efforts and student engagement. ATHLETICS Twenty-five percent of students participate in intercollegiate athletics in the Northwest Conference of NCAA Division III. Thirty-one teams have won championships in the past 10 years. Varsity teams include: Men’s Women’s • Baseball • Basketball • Basketball • Cross country • Cross country • Golf • Football • Rowing • Golf • Soccer • Soccer • Softball • Swimming • Swimming • Tennis • Tennis • Track and field • Track and field • Volleyball Sixty-five percent of students participate in 41 intramural and club sports.
OUTDOOR PROGRAM Hosts as many as 50 trips each year, including camping, climbing, fishing, hiking, ice skating, skiing and whitewater rafting.
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS More than 100 student clubs and organizations — from academic and media to performing arts and service groups.
HOUSING Options include single-gender and coed residence halls; a commons with singles, doubles, suites and apartments; a theme house; a substance-free international studies house; and Greek housing.
Common Application and your credentials (official high school transcript, school report, SAT I or ACT scores and teacher evaluation, along with your application fee) by either our Early Action, Early Decision or Regular Decision deadline, and we send you an admission decision in about a month and a half.
APPLICATION DEADLINES Early Action: November 15 Early Decision*: November 15 Regular Decision: January 15 *If you choose to apply Early Decision, you are committing to attend Willamette if admitted.
2016-2017 ESTIMATED COSTS Tuition $46,730 Fees $470 Room and board* $11,500 Total estimated costs $58,700 *Based on standard multiple occupancy in a residence hall and Meal Plan B
FINANCIAL AID Willamette’s Office of Financial Aid is committed to doing all that we can to help make your college education affordable. We offer both need-based aid and merit scholarships, and 98 percent of our students receive financial aid. In 2015, the average financial aid package was $34,279 and 36 percent of Willamette students graduated with no debt.
CONTACT Office of Admission Willamette University 900 State Street Salem, Oregon 97301 503-370-6303 voice 1-844-BEARCAT toll free 503-375-5363 fax 503-375-5383 TDD bearcat@willamette.edu willamette.edu Willamette University is a diverse community that provides equal opportunity in employment, activities, and its academic programs. The University shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, marital status, veteran status, actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or status with regard to pregnancy, disability or age. Willamette is firmly committed to adhere to the letter and spirit of all federal and state equal opportunity and civil rights laws.
APPLYING Our admission officers and student ambassadors are here to answer your questions. Once you determine that Willamette is the right fit for you, the rest is easy: you submit the
The paper on which this book was printed is FSC® certified, made with 100% renewable green electricity and contains a minimum of 30% postconsumer waste.
NCSDO W27003 1/16
Fast facts.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
Known as the Star Trees, these five giant sequoias were planted on Willamette’s campus in 1942 to commemorate the university’s centennial.
At Willamette, you will see yourself from all angles. But the most revealing perspective is the one you’ll get in relation to others. In our collaborative community, who you are — your ideas, your interests, your purpose — will be shaped by those around you. It’s central to your education.
And your future.
900 State Street, Salem, Oregon 97301 1-844-BEARCAT willamette.edu