Not Unto Ourselves Alone
Alumni often ask me: “Is Willamette the same place I remember?”
Celebrating a record-setting Red Light, Green Light attempt. See more on, p. 32
At first glance, things may appear very different. The geographic and demographic makeup of our student body has diversified. Students travel much farther to attend Willamette than ever before. New student organizations like the Cupcake Club, Poi Club and Management Professionals Club spring up based on students taking initiative. During Opening Days when students move into the residence halls, we see that smartphones and tablets are now considered essential items, rather than the dictionaries and typewriters of years past (see a fascinating example of how the college packing list has changed in “Then & Now” page 23). Willamette has also become increasingly global. Students from all over the world attend our undergraduate programs and make up a significant portion of our entering MBA classes in the Atkinson Graduate School of Management and increasingly in the College of Law. More Willamette students also travel to more countries through study abroad opportunities, adding an international perspective to all their other life-changing experiences here. However, Willamette will always remain the welcoming community our alumni hold fondly in their hearts. During one of my recent trips to California, an alumnus shared a story about his less-than-ideal start to the term at Willamette. Unable to afford the tuition, he feared he couldn’t complete his education. He expressed his concerns to Richard “Buzz” Yocom ’40, our beloved former administrator. A short while later the student found a check for $2,500 in his campus mailbox to cover his expenses.
Fast forward to this past August. An out-of-state student was nervous about making the trek to Oregon and also wondered how to cover the cost of her Willamette education. Caring staff members from the admission office and financial aid found a solution to narrow her financial aid gap. Not one, but three faculty members called her to talk through her questions and anxieties. In the end she safely made it to campus – with the help of a professor who drove to the Portland Airport to pick her up and bring her to Salem. Saying that your “community” is what makes you different may sound like an abstract concept. But at Willamette, it’s a living reality. During this year’s matriculation ceremony, as alumni from the Class of 1969 lit the candles held by members of the Class of 2019, the proverbial flame was passed from one Bearcat to another. In that brief but important moment, both generations realized that they would forever be not unto themselves alone. And that, no matter where in the world life takes us, Willamette will always feel like home.
Stephen E. Thorsett President
WILLAMETTE UNIVERSITY
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