| Whitworth University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | An Education of Mind and Heart |
| Established | 1890 |
| Type | Private liberal arts college |
| Endowment | $73.2 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, USA |
| Campus | Suburban 200 acres |
| Colors |
Crimson and black |
| Mascot | Pirates |
| Affiliations | Presbyterian Church (USA) |
| Website | www.whitworth.edu |
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]
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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.
There are 11 residence halls for undergraduate students [8]
In addition to its 11 residence halls, Whitworth sponsors a variety of theme houses each year.[9]
Whitworth offers a unique program that is unlike most universities in the nation/world. The Resident Assistants hold a "primetime" from 8pm to 11pm each night in each dorm — a free opportunity for students to escape the books and relax, play games or partake in some other activity.
Additionally, Whitworth students are given the unique opportunity to set their own rules regarding their dorms. 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.
Whitworth's three main rules reflect Whitworth's commitment to putting Christ and His commandments above all else. 1) Alcohol is prohibited on campus, 2) Violence is prohibited, and 3) Cohabitation is prohibited.
Whitworth's "Little Three" are the three things that every student is supposed to accomplish by the end of their senior year. The first is to catch a virgin pinecone, the second is to break a dish in Saga, and the third is to get hit in the head with a frisbee. The campus does not want to encourage the old "ring by spring" so they changed it to getting hit by the frisbee.
Whitworth offers a variety of intramural sport activities: ultimate frisbee, volleyball, soccer, tennis, etc. In fact, one can almost always expect to see a frisbee being thrown around in the loop or on the intramural field throughout the day, and late at night. Club frisbee is also offered to all students. If you can't tell, Whitworth loves frisbee!
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.
The Whitworth men's basketball team has a history of successful seasons since Warren Friedrichs was hired as the head coach in 1986. 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). 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.
The Pirates were 2006 and 2007 NWC champions [10]. Head coach John Tully was named NWC Coach of the Year in 2001, 2006, 2007 [11].
The 2006 Pirate football team had an 11-1 record, its best ever [12] 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.
[12].
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