Willamette University
Encyclopedia
Willamette University is an American
private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon
. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university
in the Western United States
. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group
of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and post-graduate schools of business, law, and education. The university is a member of the NCAA
's Division III Northwest Conference
. Willamette's mascot is the bearcat
and old gold and cardinal are the school colors. Approximately 2,500 students are enrolled at Willamette between the graduate and undergraduate programs. The school employs over 200 full-time professors on the 69 acres (279,233.3 m²) campus located across the street from the Oregon State Capitol
.
Originally named the Oregon Institute
, the school was an unaffiliated outgrowth of the Methodist Mission
. The name was changed to Wallamet University in 1852, followed by the current spelling in 1870. Willamette founded the first medical school and law school in the Pacific Northwest
in the second half of the 19th century. In the 20th century, the school started a sister school
relationship with Tokyo International University of America and began competing in intercollegiate athletics.
Willamette's undergraduate programs exist within the school's College of Liberal Arts. The school was rated 57th among American liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report
for 2012. The oldest of the graduate programs is the College of Law
, founded in 1883 and currently located in the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center. Established in 1974, Atkinson Graduate School of Management
is housed in the Seeley G. Mudd Building. The School of Education
, established in 1996, has an enrollment of 250 students.
by the missionary Jason Lee
, who had arrived in what was then known as the Oregon Country
in 1834 and had founded the Indian Manual Labor Institute for the education of the local Native Americans. Lee requested additional support for his mission, and received 53 additional volunteers in 1839, who arrived on the ship Lausanne. After a series of meetings in Lee's home, the by-laws were adopted and board of trustees elected and the institute was officially established on February 1, 1842. Lee served as the first President of the Board of Trustees, followed by David Leslie
after Lee’s death in 1845. Leslie would serve until his death in 1869. The original purpose of the institute was the education of the missionaries' children.
The original building of the institute was a three-story frame structure first occupied in 1844. At the time, it was one of the largest structures in the Pacific Northwest
. It housed the first session of the state legislature to meet in Salem
after the capital was moved there in 1851. The building burned down in 1877. In 1867, a new brick building was finished to house the school and named University Hall. The building was renamed as Waller Hall
in 1912 to honor the Reverend Alvin F. Waller
, and is now the oldest university building west of the Mississippi River
still in use. The first president was Francis S. Hoyt
, who served in that position from 1853 until 1860 and was replaced by Thomas Milton Gatch who is the only president of the school to serve as president two different times.
The name of institution was changed to "Wallamet University" in 1852. The following year, the Oregon Territorial Legislature
granted a charter to the university. The first graduate was Emily W. York, in 1859. In 1866, the university established the first school of medicine in the Pacific Northwest
. The current spelling of the university was adopted in 1870. In 1883, the university established the first law school
in the Pacific Northwest during the presidency of Thomas Van Scoy
. The school of medicine then merged with the University of Oregon
in 1913 and is now Oregon Health and Sciences University.
In December 1941, the university's football team traveled to Hawaii
to play the University of Hawaii
. Many students accompanied the team by passenger ship to Oahu
. The game was played was on December 6. The following day, many of the Willamette students witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor
from their hotels on Waikiki Beach
. Their return trip was delayed by many weeks, and some of the students had to return to the mainland by troop transport ships. Many of the team members stayed with football players from Punahou School
. The incident has since become part of the folklore of the university.
During World War II
, Willamette was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program
which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
In 1983, U.S. News & World Report
named Willamette the best small comprehensive university in the Western United States. Willamette was one of the last universities in the nation to hold an annual singing and marching competition between the undergraduate classes. The competition, known on campus as "Glee," was held each March. In the late 1990s, the competition came to be regarded as anachronistic and was abolished. Glee returned during the 2006 to 2007 academic year.
, affording students access to internships in the institutions of Oregon government
. Much of downtown Salem, including the Capitol, is on land once owned by the university. Railroad tracks are located directly east of the school, with the Salem Amtrak Station
near the southeastern edge of campus. South of the school is Salem Hospital, with Bush's Pasture Park
and the school's McCulloch Stadium
on the opposite of the hospital.
Willamette's core area lies between State Street on the north, Bellevue Street on the south, Winter Street to the west, and 12th Street on the east. On the west side of Winter Street lie the university's graduate programs in education, management, and law. Additional school properties outside of the core area are the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
, the Oregon Civic Justice Center
, the Tokyo International University of America campus, and several residential buildings. Willamette owns several other properties along state street west of the main campus. The school plans on redeveloping portions of the west end of campus in order to better tie the campus to downtown Salem. These plans include adding a performing arts center.
Academic buildings on campus include Eaton Hall
and Smullin/Walton Hall, which are primarily used by liberal arts departments. Science classes are generally held in the Collins and Olin buildings. Willamette's music program is housed by the G. Herbert Smith Auditorium and Fine Arts building, as well as the Mary Stuart Rogers auditorium. Administrative offices are found in the Putnam University Center and Waller Hall
, Willamette's oldest building. Waller Hall was built using bricks made of clay from the campus quad. Willamette's newest buildings, including the Goudy Commons, Kaneko Commons (a residential college
opened in the Fall of 2006), and Rogers Music Center have all been designed by the Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects. Ford Hall, near Gatke Hall
on State Street, is a new academic building completed in the Fall of 2009.
In addition to Greek housing, eleven residence halls exist on the Willamette campus. Undergraduate students are under contract to live on campus for two years, after which they may move into private residence or one of the university's apartment complexes. Lausanne Hall
, originally home of the university's Women's College, is now one of the university's undergraduate dormitories. The building commemorates the ship that brought the reinforcements to Lee in 1839. York Hall commemorates the university's first graduate.
A stream runs through the middle of the campus. Starting across 12th Street and flowing through the length of the campus, it passes by the Martha Springer Botanical Garden
, the Hatfield Library
, Hudson Hall, the University Center, Smith Auditorium and Goudy Commons. This artificial stream is named the Mill Race, although it is commonly referred to as "the Mill Stream." It forms a "W" shape when viewed from the University Center. Also from this vantage point one can view "the impossible triangle," a metal structure erected at the suggestion of a physics professor, M. B Stewart. As a tradition, undergraduate students are thrown into the Mill Stream on their birthday. Biology and environmental science classes utilize the Mill Stream as an authentic research venue. As part of the freshman matriculation ceremony, new students place a lit candle into the Mill Stream and watch it float downstream.
On campus athletics facilities are located in the southeast portion of the campus. These include a soccer field, tennis courts, and the Sparks Center. Softball, football, and baseball stadiums are located outside of the main campus. Willamette also operates the Willamette University Forest at Zena, a 305 acres (123.4 ha) research forest in the Eola Hills
west of Salem.
Willamette offers need-blind financial aid packages to many of its students (71% of undergraduate students in 2009-2010). For the 2009-2010 academic year, tuition, housing, and fee charges were $47,301 a year and the average need-based aid package was $31,800. In terms of merit-based aid, the majority of Willamette scholarships and grants are also awarded to students with demonstrated financial need.
, across the street from campus; study the effects of climate change at the nearby research forest; or conduct epidemiology surveys for the local health department.
Students in service-learning courses base papers and projects on their community service experience, and more than half of Willamette’s undergraduate students study abroad, choosing from programs in 40 countries. Co-located with Tokyo International University of America
, Willamette offers opportunities for students interested in Japanese language and culture, and connections to Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Carson Grants offer undergraduates the opportunity to undertake a scholarly, creative or professional research project during the summer, and the Lilly
Project provides grants, internships and programs to help students discern their “calling in life” and create meaningful professional paths. Sustainability mini-grants also provide students with opportunities to initiate contributions to campus sustainability efforts. Five academic Centers of Excellence provide opportunities for student-faculty collaboration and research.
Ten faculty members have been named Oregon Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
(CASE) since 1990. The U.S. Professors of the Year program recognizes educators who demonstrate an extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching through, "impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contribution to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students." The 2008 Princeton Review described Willamette as “academically rigorous, intimate and seriously gorgeous,” and the school ranked fifth in Seattle Metropolitan
’s Northwest college rankings. The magazine cited the school’s alumni roster, wireless features, “outdoorsy aesthetic” and new residence hall. As of 2009, U.S. News & World Report
ranks the university as the 60th best among liberal arts schools in their annual Best Colleges edition.
, began publishing in 1875. Willamette's radio station The Wire is broadcast solely over the Internet. The school has over 100 student organizations ranging from sport clubs, political groups, and social clubs to religious groups and honor societies. Willamette University has many active clubs sports on its campus. These include, but are not limited to rugby, lacrosse, crew, and ultimate Frisbee.
, Pi Beta Phi
, and Alpha Chi Omega
. Each has its own house located along sorority row on Mill Street. The fraternities at Willamette are Beta Theta Pi
,, Kappa Sigma
, Phi Delta Theta
, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
, and Sigma Chi
. The fraternities are housed on the east side of campus.
Greek life at Willamette began in the 1920s with the foundation of several local fraternities and sororities. In 1942, G. Herbert Smith, a Beta, became President of Willamette, and invited national fraternities and sororities onto campus. The local fraternities were soon converted into national fraternities and sororities. Pi Beta Phi became the first national sorority at Willamette in 1944, and Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, and Phi Delta Theta were installed in 1947. At its peak, there were six fraternities and five sororities at Willamette.
Two other sororities, Chi Omega
and Alpha Phi
, and two fraternities, Kappa Sigma
and Delta Tau Delta
used to have chapters at Willamette. In 2006, Kappa Sigma lost its charter. In the mid-1990s, Delta Tau Delta lost its charter. Two sororities lost their charters after their move to sorority row. Their on-campus houses are now general residences. Chi Omega was transformed into a multicultural oriented residence known as WISH (Willamette International Studies House). Alpha Phi was remade into a substance-free mixed gender dormitory called Shepard House.
In recent years, there have been several efforts to create a new fraternity on campus. In 2007, students attempted to restart Delta Tau Delta. While the students were recognized as a colony by the fraternity, they disbanded in 2009. Also in 2009, students started a Kappa Sigma interest group.
In the spring of 2011, all of the fraternities save Sigma Chi, and Kappa Sigma which did not have university designated housing, lost their on-campus housing. This means that while they still exist as chapters, their members are housed as the general public.
The Willamette University Bearcats compete at the NCAA Division III level. Willamette fields teams in baseball, basketball, cross-country, golf, football, rowing, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. Willamette is a founding member of the Northwest Conference
league. The football team plays home games at McCulloch Stadium
south of the main campus, while basketball, swimming, and volleyball teams use the Lestle J. Sparks Center for home events. At or adjacent to McCulloch are the Charles Bowles
Track used for track meets and Roy S. "Spec" Keene
Stadium where baseball plays its home games.
In 1991, the university started the Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1993, the school earned its only team sport national championship when the men's basketball team earned the NAIA Division 2 title. As an undergraduate, Olympian Nick Symmonds won the 800 NCAA championship race all four years and the 1,500 NCAA championship race as a freshman, junior, and senior. In 2007, Sarah Zerzan won the NCAA Division 3 title in cross country. The football team finished its best season in 1997 when they lost in the national championship game, and that year Liz Heaston
became the first woman to ever play in a college football game when the Bearcats beat rival Linfield College
.
Perhaps the most notable Willamette graduate is Dale T. Mortensen
, the 2010 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Business men include James Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing
Integrated Defense Systems, and Alex J. Mandl
, the executive chairman of digital security company Gemalto
. Those in the arts include Marie Watt
, a contemporary artist whose work centers on Native American themes.
Thomas A. Bartlett
, president of American University in Cairo
attended Willamette for two years before completing his bachelor of arts at Stanford University
. In his career, he has served as president of the Association of American Universities
, president of Colgate University
and chairman of the board of trustees of the United States–Japan Foundation. Another alum involved in the education arena is Norma Paulus
. Paulus served as Oregon's superintendent of public instruction. Prior to this, she was the first woman to hold statewide elected office in Oregon as secretary of state
.
Government officials who have graduated from Willamette include members from both the judicial and legislative branches of government. Oregon Supreme Court’s current chief justice, Paul De Muniz
, graduated from the College of Law, as did his predecessor, Wallace P. Carson, Jr.
Current Oregon State Supreme Court justice Virginia Linder
also received her J.D.
from Willamette. California Democratic congressman Sam Farr
who successfully introduced the 2007 “Oceans Conservation, Education and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act” attended Willamette for his undergraduate studies. Mark O. Hatfield, Oregon's former governor and the longest serving Oregon senator, graduated from Willamette and later returned as a professor at his alma mater. Bob Packwood
, former Republican senator graduated from Willamette University in 1954. Lisa Murkowski
, senior Republican senator on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, also received her JD from Willamette University College of Law.
Notable alumni involved in athletics include Cal Lee
, linebackers coach for the University of Hawaii
football team, who graduated from Willamette in 1970. A graduate of the class of 1999, Liz Heaston
, made history at Willamette as the first female to play and score in a men’s NAIA college football game in 1997. Nick Symmonds
won seven NCAA Division III 800-meter championships during his undergraduate years at Willamette before going on to win the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
in the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group
Annapolis Group
The Annapolis Group is an American organization that describes itself as "a nonprofit alliance of the nation’s leading independent liberal arts colleges." It represents approximately 130 liberal arts colleges in the United States...
of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and post-graduate schools of business, law, and education. The university is a member of the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
's Division III Northwest Conference
Northwest Conference
The Northwest Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington.-History:...
. Willamette's mascot is the bearcat
Binturong
The Binturong , also known as the Asian Bearcat, the Palawan Bearcat, or simply the Bearcat, is a species of the family Viverridae, which includes the civets and genets. It is the only member of its genus...
and old gold and cardinal are the school colors. Approximately 2,500 students are enrolled at Willamette between the graduate and undergraduate programs. The school employs over 200 full-time professors on the 69 acres (279,233.3 m²) campus located across the street from the Oregon State Capitol
Oregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
.
Originally named the Oregon Institute
Oregon Institute
The Oregon Institute was a school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European-Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist Mission, it was located in what is now Salem, Oregon, United...
, the school was an unaffiliated outgrowth of the Methodist Mission
Methodist Mission
The Methodist Mission was founded in Oregon Country in 1834 by the Reverend Jason Lee. The mission was started to educate the Native Americans in the Willamette Valley and grew into an important center for politics and economics in the early settlement period of Oregon.-Foundation:In 1831, several...
. The name was changed to Wallamet University in 1852, followed by the current spelling in 1870. Willamette founded the first medical school and law school in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
in the second half of the 19th century. In the 20th century, the school started a sister school
Sister school
The term sister school has several meanings:*a definite financial commerce between two colleges or universities*two schools that have a strong historical connection...
relationship with Tokyo International University of America and began competing in intercollegiate athletics.
Willamette's undergraduate programs exist within the school's College of Liberal Arts. The school was rated 57th among American liberal arts colleges by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
for 2012. The oldest of the graduate programs is the College of Law
Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the oldest university in the Western United States...
, founded in 1883 and currently located in the Truman Wesley Collins Legal Center. Established in 1974, Atkinson Graduate School of Management
Atkinson Graduate School of Management
The George H. Atkinson Graduate School of Management is the Masters in Business Administration program at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is one of only two MBA programs in the world accredited for both Business Administration and Public Administration...
is housed in the Seeley G. Mudd Building. The School of Education
Willamette University School of Education
Willamette University School of Education is a master’s degree granting program at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. The school offers a master of arts in teaching degree and runs the Center for Excellence in Teaching program, or CET. These programs have a total enrollment of...
, established in 1996, has an enrollment of 250 students.
History
The university was founded as the Oregon InstituteOregon Institute
The Oregon Institute was a school located in the Willamette Valley of the Oregon Country during the 19th century. Begun in 1842, it was the first school built for European-Americans west of Missouri. Founded by members of the Methodist Mission, it was located in what is now Salem, Oregon, United...
by the missionary Jason Lee
Jason Lee (missionary)
Jason Lee , an American missionary and pioneer, was born on a farm near Stanstead, Quebec. He was the first of the Oregon missionaries and helped establish the early foundation of a provisional government in the Oregon Country....
, who had arrived in what was then known as the Oregon Country
Oregon Country
The Oregon Country was a predominantly American term referring to a disputed ownership region of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The region was occupied by British and French Canadian fur traders from before 1810, and American settlers from the mid-1830s, with its coastal areas north from...
in 1834 and had founded the Indian Manual Labor Institute for the education of the local Native Americans. Lee requested additional support for his mission, and received 53 additional volunteers in 1839, who arrived on the ship Lausanne. After a series of meetings in Lee's home, the by-laws were adopted and board of trustees elected and the institute was officially established on February 1, 1842. Lee served as the first President of the Board of Trustees, followed by David Leslie
David Leslie (Oregon politician)
Reverend David Leslie was an American missionary and pioneer in what became the state of Oregon. A native of New Hampshire, he joined Jason Lee as a missionary at the Methodist Mission in the Oregon Country in 1836. In that region he participated in the early movement to start a government and his...
after Lee’s death in 1845. Leslie would serve until his death in 1869. The original purpose of the institute was the education of the missionaries' children.
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. It housed the first session of the state legislature to meet in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
after the capital was moved there in 1851. The building burned down in 1877. In 1867, a new brick building was finished to house the school and named University Hall. The building was renamed as Waller Hall
Waller Hall
Waller Hall is the oldest building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1867 as University Hall, the five-story, red-brick structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975...
in 1912 to honor the Reverend Alvin F. Waller
Alvin F. Waller
Alvin F. Waller was an American missionary in Oregon Country and an early leader at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. He was a native of Pennsylvania and helped found the first Protestant church west of the Rocky Mountains in 1843 in Oregon City.-Early life:Alvin Waller was born in Abington,...
, and is now the oldest university building west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
still in use. The first president was Francis S. Hoyt
Francis S. Hoyt
Francis Southack Hoyt was an American educator from the state of Vermont. A minister and the son of a minister, he served as the first President of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he and his wife were also teachers...
, who served in that position from 1853 until 1860 and was replaced by Thomas Milton Gatch who is the only president of the school to serve as president two different times.
The name of institution was changed to "Wallamet University" in 1852. The following year, the Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon Territorial Legislature
Oregon’s Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory...
granted a charter to the university. The first graduate was Emily W. York, in 1859. In 1866, the university established the first school of medicine in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
. The current spelling of the university was adopted in 1870. In 1883, the university established the first law school
Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the oldest university in the Western United States...
in the Pacific Northwest during the presidency of Thomas Van Scoy
Thomas Van Scoy
Thomas Van Scoy was an American minister and educator in Indiana, Oregon, and Montana. A Methodist, he served as the sixth president of Willamette University and as president of the now defunct Portland University...
. The school of medicine then merged with the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
in 1913 and is now Oregon Health and Sciences University.
In December 1941, the university's football team traveled to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
to play the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
. Many students accompanied the team by passenger ship to Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
. The game was played was on December 6. The following day, many of the Willamette students witnessed the bombing of Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
from their hotels on Waikiki Beach
Waikiki
Waikiki is a neighborhood of Honolulu, in the City and County of Honolulu, on the south shore of the island of Oahu, in Hawaii. Waikiki Beach is the shoreline fronting Waikīkī....
. Their return trip was delayed by many weeks, and some of the students had to return to the mainland by troop transport ships. Many of the team members stayed with football players from Punahou School
Punahou School
Punahou School, once known as Oahu College, is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Honolulu CDP, City and County of Honolulu in the U.S. State of Hawaii...
. The incident has since become part of the folklore of the university.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Willamette was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program
V-12 Navy College Training Program
The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II...
which offered students a path to a Navy commission.
In 1983, U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
named Willamette the best small comprehensive university in the Western United States. Willamette was one of the last universities in the nation to hold an annual singing and marching competition between the undergraduate classes. The competition, known on campus as "Glee," was held each March. In the late 1990s, the competition came to be regarded as anachronistic and was abolished. Glee returned during the 2006 to 2007 academic year.
Campus
The 69 acres (27.9 ha) campus is directly south of the Oregon State CapitolOregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
, affording students access to internships in the institutions of Oregon government
Government of Oregon
The government of the U.S. state of Oregon, as prescribed by the Oregon Constitution, is composed of three government branches: the executive, the legislative, and the judicial...
. Much of downtown Salem, including the Capitol, is on land once owned by the university. Railroad tracks are located directly east of the school, with the Salem Amtrak Station
Salem (Amtrak station)
Salem Station is an Amtrak train station in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is served by the Amtrak Cascades and the Coast Starlight passenger trains.-History:...
near the southeastern edge of campus. South of the school is Salem Hospital, with Bush's Pasture Park
Bush's Pasture Park
Bush's Pasture Park is a public park and botanical garden in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is also the site of the Asahel Bush House, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and is now operated as the Bush House Museum.-Bush House Museum:The park and Italianate...
and the school's McCulloch Stadium
McCulloch Stadium
McCulloch Stadium is a 2,500-seat outdoor stadium in Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1950, the multi-use facility serves as home to Willamette University's football and track & field teams, high school football games, and the Cascade Surge soccer club...
on the opposite of the hospital.
Willamette's core area lies between State Street on the north, Bellevue Street on the south, Winter Street to the west, and 12th Street on the east. On the west side of Winter Street lie the university's graduate programs in education, management, and law. Additional school properties outside of the core area are the Hallie Ford Museum of Art
Hallie Ford Museum of Art
The Hallie Ford Museum of Art is the museum of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. It is the third largest art museum in Oregon. Opened in 1998, the facility is across the street from the Oregon State Capital in downtown Salem, on the western edge of the school campus...
, the Oregon Civic Justice Center
Oregon Civic Justice Center
The Oregon Civic Justice Center is a three-story former library building on the campus of Willamette University in downtown Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1912 as a Carnegie library for the city of Salem, the building now houses several programs of Willamette University College of Law...
, the Tokyo International University of America campus, and several residential buildings. Willamette owns several other properties along state street west of the main campus. The school plans on redeveloping portions of the west end of campus in order to better tie the campus to downtown Salem. These plans include adding a performing arts center.
Academic buildings on campus include Eaton Hall
Eaton Hall (Oregon)
Eaton Hall is an academic building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Completed in 1909, the four-story brick and stone hall is the fourth oldest building on the campus of the school after Waller Hall , Gatke Hall , and the Art Building...
and Smullin/Walton Hall, which are primarily used by liberal arts departments. Science classes are generally held in the Collins and Olin buildings. Willamette's music program is housed by the G. Herbert Smith Auditorium and Fine Arts building, as well as the Mary Stuart Rogers auditorium. Administrative offices are found in the Putnam University Center and Waller Hall
Waller Hall
Waller Hall is the oldest building on the campus of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1867 as University Hall, the five-story, red-brick structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975...
, Willamette's oldest building. Waller Hall was built using bricks made of clay from the campus quad. Willamette's newest buildings, including the Goudy Commons, Kaneko Commons (a residential college
Residential college
A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...
opened in the Fall of 2006), and Rogers Music Center have all been designed by the Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects. Ford Hall, near Gatke Hall
Gatke Hall
Gatke Hall is the second-oldest building at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. A two-story structure, it was originally built in downtown Salem in 1903 across the street from the Marion County Courthouse and served as a post office...
on State Street, is a new academic building completed in the Fall of 2009.
In addition to Greek housing, eleven residence halls exist on the Willamette campus. Undergraduate students are under contract to live on campus for two years, after which they may move into private residence or one of the university's apartment complexes. Lausanne Hall
Lausanne Hall
Lausanne Hall is a college residence hall at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1920, the red-brick and stone accented structure stands three-stories tall along Winter Street on the western edge of the campus that was originally a residence for women only. The late...
, originally home of the university's Women's College, is now one of the university's undergraduate dormitories. The building commemorates the ship that brought the reinforcements to Lee in 1839. York Hall commemorates the university's first graduate.
Martha Springer Botanical Garden
The Martha Springer Botanical Garden is a botanical garden on the campus of Willamette University, located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1988, the garden contains 12 smaller gardens stretched along the Mill Race that bisects the campus.-About:...
, the Hatfield Library
Mark O. Hatfield Library
The Mark O. Hatfield Library is the main library at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Opened in 1986, it is a member of the Hatfield Library Consortium along with several library lending networks and is a designated Federal depository library. Willamette's original library was...
, Hudson Hall, the University Center, Smith Auditorium and Goudy Commons. This artificial stream is named the Mill Race, although it is commonly referred to as "the Mill Stream." It forms a "W" shape when viewed from the University Center. Also from this vantage point one can view "the impossible triangle," a metal structure erected at the suggestion of a physics professor, M. B Stewart. As a tradition, undergraduate students are thrown into the Mill Stream on their birthday. Biology and environmental science classes utilize the Mill Stream as an authentic research venue. As part of the freshman matriculation ceremony, new students place a lit candle into the Mill Stream and watch it float downstream.
On campus athletics facilities are located in the southeast portion of the campus. These include a soccer field, tennis courts, and the Sparks Center. Softball, football, and baseball stadiums are located outside of the main campus. Willamette also operates the Willamette University Forest at Zena, a 305 acres (123.4 ha) research forest in the Eola Hills
Eola Hills
The Eola Hills are a range of hills northwest of Salem, Oregon, United States. They stretch from the community of Eola about north to Yamhill County.They are divided from the Salem Hills by the Willamette River at Eola....
west of Salem.
College of Liberal Arts
The mission of the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) is to "maintain a setting which encourages and sustains students and faculty in the practices of liberal education." The undergraduate program is able to be personal with a student-faculty ratio of 10:1. Students conduct original research, publish papers and are able to design their own academic paths.Admissions
For the Class of 2014, Willamette had much lower acceptance rates than in previous years, and accepted 40% of the 8,136 applicants. 55% of Willamette undergraduates are women and 23% of admitted students come from historically underrepresented groups. Additionally, each year Willamette accepts 100 students from the Tokyo International University.Willamette offers need-blind financial aid packages to many of its students (71% of undergraduate students in 2009-2010). For the 2009-2010 academic year, tuition, housing, and fee charges were $47,301 a year and the average need-based aid package was $31,800. In terms of merit-based aid, the majority of Willamette scholarships and grants are also awarded to students with demonstrated financial need.
Programs and resources
The CLA offers 35 majors, six minors and seven special programs, including pre-law, pre-med and a BA/MBA program. The most popular areas of study are economics, psychology, politics, English and biology, and learning takes place both in and outside of the classroom. For example, students earn credit as political interns at the Oregon State CapitolOregon State Capitol
The Oregon State Capitol is the building housing the state legislature and the offices of the governor, secretary of state, and treasurer of the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located in the state capital, Salem. The current building, constructed from 1936 to 1938, and expanded in 1977, is the third...
, across the street from campus; study the effects of climate change at the nearby research forest; or conduct epidemiology surveys for the local health department.
Students in service-learning courses base papers and projects on their community service experience, and more than half of Willamette’s undergraduate students study abroad, choosing from programs in 40 countries. Co-located with Tokyo International University of America
Tokyo International University
is an institution of higher learning with a strong international focus, with a satellite campus--Tokyo International University of America --Willamette University in Salem, Oregon....
, Willamette offers opportunities for students interested in Japanese language and culture, and connections to Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Carson Grants offer undergraduates the opportunity to undertake a scholarly, creative or professional research project during the summer, and the Lilly
Lilly Endowment
Lilly Endowment Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana is one of the world's largest private philanthropic foundations and is among the ten largest such endowments in the United States....
Project provides grants, internships and programs to help students discern their “calling in life” and create meaningful professional paths. Sustainability mini-grants also provide students with opportunities to initiate contributions to campus sustainability efforts. Five academic Centers of Excellence provide opportunities for student-faculty collaboration and research.
Ten faculty members have been named Oregon Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education
Council for Advancement and Support of Education
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a nonprofit association of educational institutions. It serves professionals in the field of educational advancement...
(CASE) since 1990. The U.S. Professors of the Year program recognizes educators who demonstrate an extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching through, "impact on and involvement with undergraduate students; scholarly approach to teaching and learning; contribution to undergraduate education in the institution, community and profession; and support from colleagues and current and former undergraduate students." The 2008 Princeton Review described Willamette as “academically rigorous, intimate and seriously gorgeous,” and the school ranked fifth in Seattle Metropolitan
Seattle Metropolitan
Seattle Metropolitan, or Seattle Met, is a monthly, local magazine for Seattle, Washington. Its first issue was published in March 2006 and features reporting and feature articles on Seattle events, people, dining and restaurants, popular places and attractions.-Staff:Editor-in-chief Katherine...
’s Northwest college rankings. The magazine cited the school’s alumni roster, wireless features, “outdoorsy aesthetic” and new residence hall. As of 2009, U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
ranks the university as the 60th best among liberal arts schools in their annual Best Colleges edition.
Graduate programs
Located on the western side of the campus are the university's three graduate level schools. The College of Law is the oldest and largest of the three programs, with the School of Education as the smallest and newest program. Atkinson and the College of Law offer a joint-degree program that allows students to earn both an MBA and juris doctorate.Campus life
The university's weekly newspaper, the Willamette CollegianWillamette Collegian
The Collegian or Willamette Collegian is the student run newspaper of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Originally founded in 1875, the weekly paper has been in continuous publication since 1889. It is a member of the College Publisher Network.-History:In 1842, the Oregon...
, began publishing in 1875. Willamette's radio station The Wire is broadcast solely over the Internet. The school has over 100 student organizations ranging from sport clubs, political groups, and social clubs to religious groups and honor societies. Willamette University has many active clubs sports on its campus. These include, but are not limited to rugby, lacrosse, crew, and ultimate Frisbee.
Greek life
There are four fraternities and three sororities at Willamette. The sororities are Delta GammaDelta Gamma
Delta Gamma is one of the oldest and largest women's fraternities in the United States and Canada, with its Executive Offices based in Columbus, Ohio.-History:...
, Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi
Pi Beta Phi is an international fraternity for women founded as I.C. Sorosis on April 28, 1867, at Monmouth College in Monmouth, Illinois. Its headquarters are located in Town and Country, Missouri, and there are 134 active chapters and over 330 alumnae organizations across the United States and...
, and Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
. Each has its own house located along sorority row on Mill Street. The fraternities at Willamette are Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi
Beta Theta Pi , often just called Beta, is a social collegiate fraternity that was founded in 1839 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, USA, where it is part of the Miami Triad which includes Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi. It has over 138 active chapters and colonies in the United States and Canada...
,, Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
, Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
, Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
, and Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
. The fraternities are housed on the east side of campus.
Greek life at Willamette began in the 1920s with the foundation of several local fraternities and sororities. In 1942, G. Herbert Smith, a Beta, became President of Willamette, and invited national fraternities and sororities onto campus. The local fraternities were soon converted into national fraternities and sororities. Pi Beta Phi became the first national sorority at Willamette in 1944, and Beta Theta Pi, Sigma Chi, and Phi Delta Theta were installed in 1947. At its peak, there were six fraternities and five sororities at Willamette.
Two other sororities, Chi Omega
Chi Omega
Chi Omega is a women's fraternity and the largest member of the National Panhellenic Conference. Chi Omega has 174 active collegiate chapters and over 230 alumnae chapters. Chi Omega's national headquarters is located in Memphis, Tennessee....
and Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha...
, and two fraternities, Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
and Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta is a U.S.-based international secret letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded in 1858 at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, . It currently has around 125 student chapters nationwide, as well as more than 25 regional alumni groups. Its national community service...
used to have chapters at Willamette. In 2006, Kappa Sigma lost its charter. In the mid-1990s, Delta Tau Delta lost its charter. Two sororities lost their charters after their move to sorority row. Their on-campus houses are now general residences. Chi Omega was transformed into a multicultural oriented residence known as WISH (Willamette International Studies House). Alpha Phi was remade into a substance-free mixed gender dormitory called Shepard House.
In recent years, there have been several efforts to create a new fraternity on campus. In 2007, students attempted to restart Delta Tau Delta. While the students were recognized as a colony by the fraternity, they disbanded in 2009. Also in 2009, students started a Kappa Sigma interest group.
In the spring of 2011, all of the fraternities save Sigma Chi, and Kappa Sigma which did not have university designated housing, lost their on-campus housing. This means that while they still exist as chapters, their members are housed as the general public.
Athletics
Northwest Conference
The Northwest Conference is an athletic conference which competes in the NCAA's Division III. Member teams are located in the states of Oregon and Washington.-History:...
league. The football team plays home games at McCulloch Stadium
McCulloch Stadium
McCulloch Stadium is a 2,500-seat outdoor stadium in Salem, Oregon, United States. Built in 1950, the multi-use facility serves as home to Willamette University's football and track & field teams, high school football games, and the Cascade Surge soccer club...
south of the main campus, while basketball, swimming, and volleyball teams use the Lestle J. Sparks Center for home events. At or adjacent to McCulloch are the Charles Bowles
Charles J. Bowles
Charles J. Bowles was a professor of physical education and human anatomy at Willamette University for twenty-five years. He was also Willamette’s highly regarded cross-country and track and field coach. His teams won 20 Northwest Conference championships and 16 National Association of...
Track used for track meets and Roy S. "Spec" Keene
Spec Keene
Roy S. "Spec" Keene was a football, baseball, and basketball coach at Willamette University and an athletic director at Oregon State University.-Playing career:...
Stadium where baseball plays its home games.
In 1991, the university started the Willamette University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 1993, the school earned its only team sport national championship when the men's basketball team earned the NAIA Division 2 title. As an undergraduate, Olympian Nick Symmonds won the 800 NCAA championship race all four years and the 1,500 NCAA championship race as a freshman, junior, and senior. In 2007, Sarah Zerzan won the NCAA Division 3 title in cross country. The football team finished its best season in 1997 when they lost in the national championship game, and that year Liz Heaston
Liz Heaston
Elizabeth "Liz" Heaston Thompson is an American athlete who is the first woman ever to score in a college football game. She accomplished this feat on October 18, 1997 as a placekicker for the Willamette University Bearcats, which was competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate...
became the first woman to ever play in a college football game when the Bearcats beat rival Linfield College
Linfield College
Linfield College is an American private institution of higher learning located in McMinnville, Oregon, United States. As a four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts and sciences college with a campus in Portland, Oregon, it also has an adult degree program located in eight communities throughout the...
.
Notable faculty
- Willis C. HawleyWillis C. HawleyWillis Chatman Hawley was an American politician and educator in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he would serve as president of Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees before entering politics...
- John Lowden KnightJohn Lowden KnightJohn Lowden Knight was a professor, university administrator, and a Methodist theolgian. He was President of Nebraska Wesleyan University, Lincoln, Nebraska; the fourth president of Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, Ohio; and the eighth president of the Wesley Theological Seminary, in Washington,...
- Orlando PlummerOrlando PlummerOrlando Pleasant Shields Plummer was an American physician and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Pennsylvania, he started practicing medicine in Illinois before moving to Portland, Oregon. In Oregon, he continued his medical work as well as working for several telegraph companies...
- Bill Smaldone
- Kim StaffordKim StaffordKim Robert Stafford is an American poet and essayist who lives in Portland, Oregon.-Career:The son of poet William Stafford, Kim Stafford received a B.A. in 1971, an M.A. in English in 1973 and a Ph.D. in medieval literature in 1979 from the University of Oregon. Since 1979, he has taught writing...
- Symeon C. SymeonidesSymeon C. SymeonidesDr. Symeon C. Symeonides is the dean of the Willamette University College of Law in Salem, Oregon, United States. The Cyprus-born legal scholar is also President of the American Society of Comparative Law. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he previously taught at Louisiana State University's Paul M...
- Olympia VernonOlympia VernonOlympia Vernon is an African-American author who has published three novels: Eden , Logic , and A Killing In This Town . Eden won the 2004 Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award from The American Academy of Arts and Letters. Vernon was born in Bogalusa, Louisiana, and grew up in Mount...
Notable alumni
Notable alumni from Willamette include a range of people involved in business, government, education, sports, art and entertainment.Perhaps the most notable Willamette graduate is Dale T. Mortensen
Dale T. Mortensen
Dale Thomas Mortensen is an American economist. He received his B.A. in economics from Willamette University and his Ph.D. in Economics from Carnegie Mellon University. He is a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity...
, the 2010 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics.
Business men include James Albaugh, president and CEO of Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
Integrated Defense Systems, and Alex J. Mandl
Alex J. Mandl
Alex J. Mandl is a notable Austrian-American businessman, and currently Executive Chairman of smart card giant Gemalto. He has been named "One of America's Most Powerful Businessmen" by Forbes magazine.-Early life:...
, the executive chairman of digital security company Gemalto
Gemalto
Gemalto is an international digital security company, providing secure personal devices such as smart cards and tokens in addition to software applications and managed services. The company was formed in June 2006 by the combination of two companies Axalto and Gemplus International...
. Those in the arts include Marie Watt
Marie Watt
Marie Watt is a contemporary artist living and working in Portland, Oregon. Part Seneca, Watt has created work centered on contemporary Native American themes.-Background:...
, a contemporary artist whose work centers on Native American themes.
Thomas A. Bartlett
Thomas A. Bartlett
Thomas Alva Bartlett is an American educator who is most notable for having served as President of several universities and university systems.Bartlett was born in Salem, Oregon and graduated from Salem High School in 1947...
, president of American University in Cairo
American University in Cairo
The American University in Cairo is an independent, non-profit, apolitical, secular institution of higher learning located in Cairo, Egypt...
attended Willamette for two years before completing his bachelor of arts at Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. In his career, he has served as president of the Association of American Universities
Association of American Universities
The Association of American Universities is an organization of leading research universities devoted to maintaining a strong system of academic research and education...
, president of Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
and chairman of the board of trustees of the United States–Japan Foundation. Another alum involved in the education arena is Norma Paulus
Norma Paulus
Norma Paulus is an American attorney and former politician in the state of Oregon. A native of Nebraska, she was raised in Eastern Oregon before becoming a lawyer...
. Paulus served as Oregon's superintendent of public instruction. Prior to this, she was the first woman to hold statewide elected office in Oregon as secretary of state
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
.
Government officials who have graduated from Willamette include members from both the judicial and legislative branches of government. Oregon Supreme Court’s current chief justice, Paul De Muniz
Paul De Muniz
Paul J. De Muniz is an American judge in the state of Oregon. He is the first Hispanic Chief Justice in the history of the Oregon Supreme Court. He was elected to the court in 2000, and elected as Chief Justice in 2006. He won re-election in May 2006 for another six-year term on the state's...
, graduated from the College of Law, as did his predecessor, Wallace P. Carson, Jr.
Wallace P. Carson, Jr.
Wallace P. Carson, Jr. is an American attorney and politician from Oregon. He has spent time in both of Oregon’s legislative branches and served on the Oregon Supreme Court for 24 years. Carson served for 14 years as Chief Justice of the court, which is the longest of any previous Chief Justice on...
Current Oregon State Supreme Court justice Virginia Linder
Virginia Linder
Virginia Lynn Linder is an American judge from Oregon who has served, since January 2007, as the 99th justice of the Oregon Supreme Court. She had previously served since 1997 on the Oregon Court of Appeals...
also received her J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
from Willamette. California Democratic congressman Sam Farr
Sam Farr
Samuel S. "Sam" Farr is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1993. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was elected to Congress in a 1993 special election when longtime Democratic Rep...
who successfully introduced the 2007 “Oceans Conservation, Education and National Strategy for the 21st Century Act” attended Willamette for his undergraduate studies. Mark O. Hatfield, Oregon's former governor and the longest serving Oregon senator, graduated from Willamette and later returned as a professor at his alma mater. Bob Packwood
Bob Packwood
Robert William "Bob" Packwood is a U.S. politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.-Early life and career:Packwood was born in...
, former Republican senator graduated from Willamette University in 1954. Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Murkowski
Lisa Ann Murkowski is the senior U.S. Senator from the State of Alaska and a member of the Republican Party. She was appointed to the Senate in 2002 by her father, Governor Frank Murkowski. After losing a Republican primary in 2010, she became the second person ever to win a U.S...
, senior Republican senator on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, also received her JD from Willamette University College of Law.
Notable alumni involved in athletics include Cal Lee
Cal Lee
Cal Lee is the assistant head coach for the University of Hawaii football team. Lee was a renowned high school football coach prior to joining the staff at the University of Hawaii in 2003.-High school coaching career:...
, linebackers coach for the University of Hawaii
University of Hawaii
The University of Hawaii System, formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH, is a public, co-educational college and university system that confers associate, bachelor, master, and doctoral degrees through three university campuses, seven community college campuses, an employment...
football team, who graduated from Willamette in 1970. A graduate of the class of 1999, Liz Heaston
Liz Heaston
Elizabeth "Liz" Heaston Thompson is an American athlete who is the first woman ever to score in a college football game. She accomplished this feat on October 18, 1997 as a placekicker for the Willamette University Bearcats, which was competing in the National Association of Intercollegiate...
, made history at Willamette as the first female to play and score in a men’s NAIA college football game in 1997. Nick Symmonds
Nick Symmonds
Nicholas "Nick" Symmonds is an American middle-distance track athlete from Boise, Idaho, specializing in the 800 meters and 1500 meters distances. He is also the part owner of a tanning salon. In college at Willamette University he won seven NCAA Division III titles in outdoor track. In 2007, he...
won seven NCAA Division III 800-meter championships during his undergraduate years at Willamette before going on to win the 2008 Olympic Track and Field Trials.