The First Five Years

A look back at President M. Lee Pelton’s progress on community outreach and the five points of Willamette’s Long Range Plan – academic excellence, student life, technology, diversity and visibility.

In his inaugural address in February 1998, Willamette University President M. Lee Pelton said, “And while I shall always be attentive to preserving the University’s core values, I understand that the best leaders seize opportunities undreamed of and inspire hope in the promise of a better tomorrow.”

Throughout the past five years, in both halcyon days and periods of strained regional economy and even national grief, President Pelton has added to Willamette’s history books a compelling mix of inspired goals and pragmatic choices.

Long Range Plan
Since his arrival, Willamette opened the doors to the Hallie Ford Museum of Art and the Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center. The Montag Center was created, Eaton Hall was remodeled and renovated and the Art Building was expanded. The University also purchased the YWCA property on the corner of State and Winter streets. While there is no immediate plan for the building, its availability and location made it an attractive acquisition for the University and the natural evolution of the Campus Master Plan.

The University will break ground this year on Kaneko Commons, phase one in a process that will completely redesign the teaching-learning experience at Willamette through a University-wide residential commons program. The Kaneko project is funded by an $11 million donation from Tokyo International University of America, Willamette’s sister institution since 1965. These capital improvements total approximately $27.6 million.

The drumbeat for academic excellence has been a constant and steady theme since 1998.

In five years, Willamette students received three Goldwater, eight Fulbright, four Udall, one Datatel, one Watson, one National Science Foundation and six Truman fellowships.

In 1999, the College of Liberal Arts admitted 90 percent of students who applied with a median g.p.a. of 3.7. In the fall of 2003, Willamette admitted only 74 percent of those who applied and the median g.p.a. was 3.85.

Endowed scholarship funds have increased by $19 million since 1998. The minority student enrollment in that period increased from 11 percent to 19 percent. Willamette University today has the highest enrollment of students of color of any university in the Pacific Northwest.

In the desire to keep pace with technology in the classroom, Willamette’s technology investments since 1998 have resulted in the installation of computerized teaching stations with multi-media presentation capabilities and connections to the Internet in 40 percent of University classrooms. All academic buildings became wireless in 2002. Technology has also meant added student services in many areas including admissions, registration and library access.

Willamette faculty continues to engage in funded research, to publish in nationally respected academic journals and to lecture internationally. Since 1985, the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education have named seven Willamette University faculty members Oregon Professor of the Year.

The combination of outstanding students and respected faculty have brought national ranking to Willamette with recognition from the National Survey of Student Engagement prepared by Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research and Planning and U.S. News & World Report.

These rankings and individual stories about Willamette faculty and students, as well as opinion pieces by President Pelton on issues of national concern in major media markets across the country, have helped to increase the visibility of Willamette University.

Community Outreach
While national recognition is always appreciated, few university presidents are as sensitive as President Pelton is to the value of University/community partnerships. Since his arrival, the president has remained committed to the need to make Willamette programs more accessible to local residents. From discussions with local civic leaders regarding the future development of downtown Salem, to increasing the participation in University cultural events, he has made university/community partnerships a key benchmark in his administration.

Annually, Willamette University students, undergraduate and graduate, contribute between 15,000 and 20,000 hours of volunteer service to the greater Salem community. But the jewel in the crown of the University/community partnership effort is Willamette Academy, which opened in 2001.

Each summer, Willamette Academy students (Salem-Keizer School District middle school students) participate in a 10-day residential program. During the academic year, students spend one Saturday per month on campus in academic enrichment activities. Tutoring is offered three days per week. During the 2003-04 academic year, Willamette Academy expects to provide each of the 50 current students with more than 400 hours of focused activity, including almost 250 hours of classroom instruction. The goal is to improve grades and SAT scores and lower the dropout rate.

Last June, the Academy received an anonymous $1 million gift from a Willamette alumni couple. This contribution will ensure the future of the program. Whether it’s inviting the community to visit the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, or sharing an evening performance by the Dance Theatre of Harlem, or providing generous financial aid packages to local students who enroll at Willamette, under President Pelton’s leadership, University/community partnerships are now a key component of campus life.

What five-year review would be complete without talking about fundraising. Over the past five years, Willamette University has received $67 million in charitable giving.

If you pressed the president to name his most significant achievement, he would not hesitate to talk about his three children. If you forced him to focus his answer on the institution, he might allude to the University’s unique culture.

Willamette University is a place that respects and nurtures potential and welcomes diversity in all things. It is a place that blends academic rigor, community service, citizenship and faculty/student interaction with genuine caring and support. By all accounts, President Pelton has done his part to ensure that Willamette University continues to be a place that draws people who are destined to make a difference.

- Janis J. Nichols