1999-2000: The Year In Review

1999-2000 Campus Highlights

A new mission statement, new areas of study, and a major grant are among the accomplishments of the year at Walla Walla College.

• A new Walla Walla College mission statement was developed to more clearly define the school’s purpose. Comprised of three parts, it begins with an identity statement identifying WWC as an Seventh-day Adventist institution of higher education, and follows with vision and philosophy statements.

• Enrollment for 1999-2000 school year was 1,782, an increase of 107 students from the previous year and the highest enrollment since 1981.

• The M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust awarded WWC a $333,000 grant for the Rosario Marine Station renovation project, which includes construction of a new dining/meeting hall.

• The use of campus space was a priority issue as planning continued for the eventual construction of a new Administration building, and long range use of other buildings on campus.

• U.S. News and World Report ranked WWC 19th among the top 20 universities in the 15-state Western region, and also ranked WWC #2 for “Best Value.”

• Time magazine included WWC in their “Time 500” list of top colleges in the nation‹the only Adventist college or university listed.

• Students continued to be more involved in ministry programs. Among the many programs, student missionaries numbered more than 70, and more than 30 student groups, part of the small groups program, met regularly.

• New theology faculty, specializing in Old Testament, missiology, and New Testament, will continue to broaden areas of expertise in the School of Theology. The School will also fill a post for a faculty member who can serve as a mentor to the women in theology and religion programs.

• A new major in biochemistry is designed to prepare students for graduate school, but can also be a foundation for studies in medicine, patent law, and other specialized areas.

• A new bachelor’s degree program in special education is the first offered by a Seventh-day Adventist institution.

• A new minor in archaeology provides the first academic option of its kind at a Seventh-day Adventist institution. Archaeology students will take part in the Madaba Plains Project, an archeological excavation in Jordan. All objects from this project will be stored in a new pottery restoration lab located in the basement of Bowers Hall.

• WWC’s Y2K readiness project led to a thorough inventory of campus equipment and software updates, as well as WWC’s first crisis preparedness plan.

• The college choirs joined with other community choral groups to perform Mendelssohn’s “Elijah” with the Walla Walla Symphony. The highly acclaimed concert was the first major community event performed in the newly renovated sanctuary. Improvements included a new sound system and acoustic fixtures.

• Enrollment in the master’s of social work program reached 216. Eighty of the 216 were enrolled in MSW program offered in Missoula, Mont. t WWC published the book “Seasons of Faith,” written by Terrie Aamodt, professor of English and history. The book was a collection of spiritual readings by students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

• Alumni and friends contributed $4,824,852, an increase of $695,608 from the previous year.

• Loren Dickinson, professor of communications, was named the 1999 Distinguished Faculty Lecturer in recognition of excellence in academic scholarship and service to WWC. In his lecture titled “Taming the Tongue & Other Wild Animals: An Evening of Civility,” Dickinson spoke about civil actions in our relationships with others.

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