The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Whitman College

WHITMAN COLLEGE, located at Walla Walla, Wash. It was founded by Cushing Ells as a memorial to Marcus Whitman (q.v ); it was chartered in 1859 as Whitman Seminary, but was not open to students till 1866; in 1882 the courses were extended, the standard raised and another[?] charter obtained in 1883 by which the name was changed to Whitman College. Women are admitted on equal terms with men students. The organization includes in addition to the College Department, the Conservatory of Music and the Academy. The college confers the degrees of bachelor of arts, bachelor of letters, bachelor of science and bachelor of music. Certain studies, including Biblical literature, are required for all courses; Greek is required for the H.B. degree, French or German for the B.L. and B.S. degrees, and one year's work in theory of music, history of music, harmony and counterpoint for the music degree. Each student by the end of the freshman year must elect a major study in which three years' work must be done; the major for the B.S. degree must be in mathematics or a science. The rest of the required number of hours are free electives. Courses in pedagogy are included in the curriculum. Practical music work does not count toward a degree in the above-mentioned courses; but in the conservatory the degree of bachelor of music is conferred on students who hold a bachelor's degree and complete the regular music course. There are 20 scholarships and one loan fund; students are aided in securing employment. The students maintain Christian associations, literary societies and an oratorical association, glee clubs, athletic associations and a general organization known as the “Associate Students”; the college is affiliated with the Inter-Collegiate Debating Association and the Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association. The campus consist of 27 acres near the centre of the city and includes a small lake. The buildings include the Whitman Memorial, Billings Hall (men's dormitory), Reynolds Hall and Prentiss Hall (women's dormitories), Association Hall, the conservatory and the gymnasium. The library in 1917 contained 27,000 volumes; the students numbered 495, and the productive funds totaled $684,044.