Friday, November 12, 2021

The following is excerpted from an op-ed President Kathleen Murray published in The Hechinger Report, a national nonprofit news organization that reports on education.

 

At Whitman, the pandemic reaffirmed the value of a new initiative we launched in 2019: our Early Financial Aid Guarantee. What this program does is simple, even if the legwork behind the scenes is often anything but. We give interested students a guaranteed preview of their financial aid package before they even apply. As long as their family’s financial situation doesn’t change, they are guaranteed at least that amount in scholarships, grants and loans if accepted.

 

We believe that Whitman is currently the only school with a tool like this. (The College of Wooster in Ohio offers something similar but not identical with its Early Aid Estimator.) Providing this service takes institutional willpower and resources, but schools like Whitman are well-positioned to pull it off in part because of our small size — we aren’t inundated with as many applications as larger schools. We are confident enough in our financial aid awards to lead with this figure without fear of losing applicants.

 

The reason I consider our approach innovative — and why I urge fellow higher education leaders to follow suit — is this: It upends (or, to borrow a phrase from Silicon Valley, “hacks”) the traditional college admission process to the benefit of families.

 

Here’s how: By delivering a transparent and easy-to-understand answer to the financial aid question up front. 

 

Read more.

Climate-Related Events Next Week

ReBuilt: A Fairer Future Through Embodied Carbon Management

This panel will provide an overview of embodied carbon, discuss the climate impacts of building materials, and feature an example of how the EPA, local government and NGOs are partnering to address the impacts of climate change by centering environmental justice and community resilience.

 

Join on Zoom. Monday, Nov. 15 at 2:30 p.m.

The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our Planet

Michael Mann is Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Penn State University. Dr. Mann has earned many awards in fields including geosciences, conservation organizations, science communication, and science education. He has been a vocal advocate for addressing climate change at the federal level.

 

Join on Zoom. Tuesday, Nov. 16: student discussion at 4 p.m., public presentation at 5 p.m.

Will You Hire Me? is a study from the Diversity and Social Cognition Lab that is looking for participants. The purpose of this project is to investigate how individuals make hiring decisions in the workplace. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to experience what a hiring process looks like! Please use this link to sign up for an open time slot or email diversitysocialcoglab@gmail.com to schedule a time where you can come in. In addition to that, if you are enrolled in PSYC 110 at Whitman College you may receive 1 credit for participating. If you are not enrolled in PSYC 110 you may enter a raffle to win 1 of 20 $5 Starbucks gift cards. This study is open to all faculty, staff and students age 18 and older.

The application for leading Outdoor Program (OP) trips in Spring 2022 is now open and ready for your application! Whitman’s OP runs trips most weekends throughout the school year. Activities include kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, climbing, rafting, skiing, snow-shoeing, ice climbing and more. Trip leaders make adventures like these possible for all Whitman students. Free training is available for all leaders and new leaders will be joining a team of friendly outdoor enthusiasts. Applications are due Sunday, Nov. 14 at midnight. Please email optrips@whitman.edu with any questions.

Get real time text notification of suspicious activity on your Whitman College-issued JPMorgan purchasing card. Enrolling in this feature gives you the ability to quickly respond and let JPMorgan know whether or not a specific charge is valid. This helps to minimize account disruptions and holds and combat possible fraud on your account. Enroll online. Questions for all Whitman-issued purchasing card issues should be sent to JPMorgan@whitman.edu.

Freedom Songs: Pieces of Home

When: Today at 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:20 p.m.)
Where: Cordiner Hall

• If you are a part of the Whitman community, no RSVP is necessary. Please bring your WID card and show it to our volunteers upon entry.
• If you want to bring a friend who is not a Whitman student or employee, they will have to RSVP through this link and show their vaccination card (with all required vaccination doses) and a photo ID upon entry.
• Masks are required throughout the whole performance.

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“Whitman Today” is produced by the Office of Communications and is emailed Monday through Friday to Whitman College staff, faculty and students. All times are listed in Pacific Daylight Time. 

 

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