Whitworth University

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Coordinates: 47°45′13″N 117°25′02″W / 47.753665°N 117.417197°W / 47.753665; -117.417197

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Whitworth University
Whitworth University Logo
Motto An Education of Mind and Heart
Established 1890
Type Private liberal arts college
Endowment $98.9 million[1]
President Beck A. Taylor
Academic staff 127 (full-time)[2]
Students 2,886[3]
Undergraduates 2,628[4]
Postgraduates 258[5]
Location Spokane, Washington, United States of America
Campus Suburban
200 acres (809,371 m²)
Colors

Crimson and black

           
Mascot Pirates
Affiliations Presbyterian Church (USA)
Website www.whitworth.edu
This is a logo of Whitworth University.jpg
George F. Whitworth around the time he founded the college

Whitworth University is a private Christian liberal arts college located in Spokane, Washington, United States, that offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees in a variety of academic disciplines. It is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate programs.[6]

Formerly Whitworth College, the board of trustees voted to change the institution's name to Whitworth University in 2006, which became effective July 1, 2007.[7]

Contents

History [edit]

In 1883 founder George Whitworth established the Sumner Academy in Sumner, a small town in Washington Territory.  The school was incorporated in 1890 as Whitworth College.  In 1899, the college moved to Tacoma.  When a Spokane developer offered land just before World War I, the college moved once more. In September 1914 classes were held for the first time in Spokane. In 1942, Whitworth merged with Spokane Junior College when the latter shut down due to financial difficulties during World War II.[8]

Student life [edit]

Residence halls [edit]

There are 11 residence halls for undergraduate students[9]

  • Arend Hall—Arend Hall was originally called Washington Hall (the first floor, women in the 60s) Carlson (the middle floor, men in the 70s) and Goodsell (the top floor, coed in the 70s).
  • Baldwin-Jenkins Hall (an all freshman dorm)
  • Ballard Hall (an all women's dorm)
  • Boppell Hall (an upperclassmen dorm)
  • Cornerstone (an all freshman women's dorm)
  • Duvall Hall (this dorm has pod-style living quarters)
  • East Hall (the newest dorm and the only dorm not named after a former Whitworth involved in the school)
  • McMillan Hall (an all men's dorm)
  • Stewart Hall (this dorm has suite-style living quarters)
  • The Village (this offers apartment-style living where you do not have a roommate)
  • Warren Hall (the largest dorm on campus)

In addition to its 11 residence halls, Whitworth sponsors a variety of theme houses each year.[10]

Dorm life [edit]

The Resident Assistants hold a "primetime" from 8pm to 10pm each night in each dorm — a free opportunity for students to escape the books and relax, play games or partake in some other activity.[citation needed]

Additionally, Whitworth students are given the opportunity to set their own rules regarding their dorms.[citation needed] In the beginning of the year, every student has the chance to meet in their dorm lounge and decide on the rules for their dorm for the year. Decisions include but are not limited to deciding if students from other dorms can always enter the dorm; if there will be specific times when the dorm will be closed off to others; choosing the dorms' quiet hours, etc. Unlike most Christian colleges, men and women are trusted individuals and can always spend time together.

Athletics [edit]

Whitworth's athletics teams are the Pirates (or, unofficially, the Bucs). The university offers 20 varsity sports and competes in the Northwest Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III. Men's sports include cross country, football, basketball, swimming, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, tennis, soccer and baseball; women compete in soccer, volleyball, basketball, swimming, track and field (indoor and outdoor), golf, tennis, and softball.[citation needed]

Whitworth offers a variety of intramural sport activities: ultimate frisbee, volleyball, soccer, tennis, etc. Club frisbee is also offered to all students.[citation needed]

Men's basketball [edit]

The Whitworth men's basketball team has a history of successful seasons since Warren Friedrichs was hired as the head coach in 1986.[citation needed] In his tenure as the coach he led the school to five conference titles and was named Coach of the Year five times. During his 16 seasons, the Pirates made the NAIA national tournament three times—including an overtime loss in the 1996 NAIA Div. II National Championship game. At the conclusion of the 1995-96 season, Friedrichs was named NAIA Div. II National Coach of the Year.

Upon Friedrichs' retirement from coaching basketball, Whitworth hired Jim Hayford who built the Pirates into a Northwest Conference power. Since 2000, Hayford has led the Pirates to eight 20-win seasons, six appearances in the NCAA Div. III Tournament (2007–2011), five Northwest Conference titles (2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011), three NCAA Div. III Sweet 16 appearances (2008, 2010, 2011) and one Elite Eight appearance (2011).[citation needed] The 2011 team reached No. 1 in the national polls twice, including the final poll of the regular season, but still were not selected as a campus host for the NCAA Div. III tournament past the second round. Instead the Pirates had to travel to Ohio where they were eventually beaten in the Elite Eight. The 2010-11 team also featured Michael Taylor, who was named the NCAA Div. III National Player of the Year.

Hayford was named Northwest Conference Coach of the Year five times and was named National Association of Basketball Coaches as the West Region Coach of the Year twice (2009–10, 2010–11) and coached two West Region Players of the Year (2009–10: Nate Montgomery, 2010–11: Michael Taylor). During Hayford's tenure, Whitworth also accumulated a 217-57 record (.792 winning percentage) and was home to six NWC MVP's during the 2000s (2003: Bryan DePew, 2006: Lance Pecht, 2007: Bryan Williams, 2008: Ryan Symes, 2010: Nate Montgomery, and 2011: Michael Taylor).

After the 2011 season Hayford left Whitworth to coach at NCAA Div. I Eastern Washington University. He has been replaced by Matt Logie, who grew up in Mercer Island, Wash., before attending Lehigh University where he played and eventually coached as the top assistant.

In 2012, they were once again Northwest Conference Champions with a 15-1 record (26-4 overall) and went to the NCAA Div. III Tournament where they made a good showing.[citation needed] In the first three games they beat McMurry and Trinity before losing to Virginal Wesleyan 74-71. Senior Felix Friedt from Germany received honors as the All-West third team center of the year.

Football [edit]

The Pirates were 2006 and 2007 NWC champions.[11] Head coach John Tully was named NWC Coach of the Year in 2001, 2006, 2007.[12]

The 2006 Pirate football team had an 11-1 record, its best ever[13] finished the season ranked 9th in the nation, and made it to the second round of the NCAA Division III playoffs. Tight end Michael Allan was a top scorer in the year and later was drafted to the NFL Kansas City Chiefs.

Men's Track and Field [edit]

Dr. Tody Schwarz, the head coach of the Men's Track and Field program has transformed the Whitworth Track & Field team into one of the top programs in the nation. In 2012 the Pirates captured the Northwest Conference men’s team title with 270 points, the squad’s fourth title in five years. The Pirates qualified their largest group ever to the 2010 indoor and outdoor national championships and came back in 2011 to surpass that number with 26 individual national qualifying marks, seven All-Americans, and five coach of the year awards. The Pirates have finished in the top fifteen in the nation four of the last five years, including a third place finish at the 2008 outdoor national championships, third place at the 2009 indoor national championships, and sixth place at the 2009 outdoor national championships. Schwarz was awarded as the national head men’s track and field coach in 2009.

Whitworth has been a powerhouse program in the last several years, winning the Northwest Conference men's and women's title in 2001 and the men's title in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Over the last ten seasons more than 60 athletes per year (over 75% of the team) have qualified for the NWC championship meet. And over the last ten years Schwarz has coached 50 athletes to NCAA Division III All-American honors, including two time national champions Emmanuel Bofa (800 meters) and Cody Stelzer (High Jump) in 2008 and 2009. In 2011 and 2012 Coach Schwarz added his sixth national champion with Carter Comito winning back to back national titles in the men’s discus.

Following the 2006 season, a decision was made by the coaching staff to cease the continuous growth of the program and move to a philosophy of a smaller, more focused and committed group of student-athletes. Through a process of tryouts and cuts, a more streamlined group of student-athletes make up the current and future Whitworth program.

With a smaller, more committed group of student-athletes, the level of excitement at practice is high, leading to a national championship caliber program. Whitworth finished fourth in the inaugural Al Carius Men’s Program of the Year award that was based on the team’s overall finish at the NCAA DIII cross country, indoor and outdoor Track & Field national championships in 2008-09. The men’s team finished 9th in the Al Carius Program of the Year standings in 2011. The Pirate program was also honored as the Scholar Team of the Year in 2008 and 2009 which is based on team overall GPA and national team finishes.[14]

Other [edit]

  • Men's golf: 2008 tied for first, NWC North Tournament; 2008 second place, NWC. 2005, 2006, 2007 NWC champions, 2007 NCAA DIII tournament participants. Coach Warren Friedrichs named NWC Coach of the Year 2005, 2006, 2007.
  • Men's soccer: The Pirates have dominated the decade, winning NWC seven titles in 10 years (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011). Head coach Sean Bushey has been named NWC Coach of the Year four times (2001, 2004, 2007, 2008). In 2005, they were NCAA Div. III Final Four participants and finished third in the nation.[15]
  • Women's soccer: 2008 15-4-1 record, second place in NWC behind undefeated UPS; 2007 17-2 record, competed in first round of NCAA Div. III playoffs; Head coach Sean Bushey named 2007 NSCAA West Region Coach of the Year and NWC Coach of the Year [13].
  • Men's swimming: The men's team has dominated the NWC, winning nine-straight titles (2003–2011). In 2006 and 2011, head coach Steve Schadt was named NWC Coach of the Year, and in 2011 Rory Buck was named NCAA Div. III Swimmer of the Year in only his junior season. Buck went on to compete for a spot on the South African national swim team.
  • Women's swimming: 2008 finish 10th at NCAA DIII championships; head coach Steve Schadt has been named NWC Coach of the Year twice (2007, 2008). In 2006, swimmer Samantha Kephart won two national championships – in the 100- and 200-yard (180 m) butterfly events, respectively – at the 2006 NCAA Division III swim tournament, setting a Division III record in the 200 butterfly. They won the 2008, 2010 and 2011 NWC championships.
  • Women's indoor track & field: Head coach Toby Schwarz named 2007 DIII Regional Coach of the Year. In 2004, track-and-field standout Kristen Shields was named U.S. College-Division Academic All-American of the Year (along with the University of Connecticut's Emeka Okafor).
  • Men's Cross Country: 2008 NWC Champions and 2008 NCAA West Region Champions. Toby Schwarz named 2008 NWC and DIII West Regional Coach of the Year. Emmanuel Bofa was named DIII West Region Athlete of the Year.
  • Women's Tennis: 2009 NWC Champions after going 18-0 in conference play. Jo Wagstaff was named 2009 NWC and DIII West Regional Coach of the Year. The Pirates repeated in 2010 and 2011, going 29-1 in regular season conference play during that stretch.

Notable alumni [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ As of June 30, 2011. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2011 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2010 to FY 2011". 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved October 5, 2012. 
  2. ^ [1] Facts About Whitworth University page provides full-time faculty numbers
  3. ^ [2] Facts About Whitworth University page provides enrollment numbers
  4. ^ [3] Facts About Whitworth University page provides undergraduate enrollment numbers
  5. ^ [4] Facts About Whitworth University page provides graduate enrollment numbers
  6. ^ [5] Fall 2011 press releases boilerplates identifying enrollment, program numbers
  7. ^ [6] Press release details Whitworth's name change
  8. ^ "Junior College Joins Whitworth." Spokane Daily Chronicle, February 20, 1942
  9. ^ [7] Whitworth Residence Life and Housing site lists university residence halls
  10. ^ Whitworth residence halls http://www.whitworth.edu/administration/studentlife/residencelife&housing/livingoncampus/residencehalls/index.htm
  11. ^ [8] Facts About Whitworth University page details football championships
  12. ^ [9] Facts About Whitworth University page details Tully's coaching awards
  13. ^ [10] Athletics department press release details 2006 season
  14. ^ [11]
  15. ^ [12] Athletics department release details 2005 season
  16. ^ "The 2008 Time 100". Time. April 30, 2009. 
  17. ^ Additional Whitworth Facts: http://www.whitworth.edu/GeneralInformation/WhitworthFacts/AdditionalFacts.htm#Alumni

External links [edit]

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Current members
Founding members
Former members
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