Willamette University


Willamette University is a private liberal arts college in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest college in the Western United States. Originally named the Oregon Institute, the school was an unaffiliated outgrowth of the Methodist Mission. The name was changed to Wallamet University in 1852, followed by the current spelling in 1870. Willamette founded the first medical school and law school in the Pacific Northwest in the second half of the 19th century.
Approximately 2,400 students are enrolled at Willamette between its undergraduate and graduate programs. It has an additional campus in Portland, Oregon, which contains a graduate education center and the Pacific Northwest College of Art. The college is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association 's Division III Northwest Conference.

History

The college was founded as the Oregon Institute by the missionary Jason Lee, who had arrived in what was then known as the Oregon Country in 1834 and had founded the Indian Manual Labor Institute for the education of the local Native Americans. Lee requested additional support for his mission, and received 53 additional volunteers in 1839, who arrived on the ship Lausanne. After a series of meetings in Lee's home, the by-laws were adopted and board of trustees elected and the institute was officially established on February 1, 1842. The Oregon Institute officially opened on August 13, 1844, with a total of five students and one teacher, Mrs. Chloe Clarke Willson. Lee served as the first President of the Board of Trustees, followed by David Leslie after Lee's death in 1845. Leslie would serve until his death in 1869. The original purpose of the institute was the education of the missionaries' children.
The original building of the institute was a three-story frame structure first occupied in 1844. At the time, it was one of the largest structures in the Pacific Northwest. It housed the first session of the state legislature to meet in Salem after the capital was moved there in 1851. The building burned down in 1872. In 1867, a new brick building was finished to house the school and named University Hall. The building was renamed as Waller Hall in 1912 to honor the Reverend Alvin F. Waller, and is now the oldest university building west of the Mississippi River still in use. The first president was Francis S. Hoyt, who served in that position from 1853 until 1860 and was replaced by Thomas Milton Gatch who is the only president of the school to serve as president two different times.
The name of the institution was changed to "Wallamet University" in 1852. The following year, the Oregon Territorial Legislature granted a charter to the university. The first graduate was Emily J. York, who received a degree as Mistress of English Literature in 1859. In 1866, the university established the first school of medicine in the Pacific Northwest. The current spelling of the university was adopted in 1870. In 1883, the university established the first law school in the Pacific Northwest during the presidency of Thomas Van Scoy. The school of medicine then merged with the University of Oregon in 1913 and is now Oregon Health and Science University.
In December 1941, the institution's football team traveled to Hawaii to play the University of Hawaiʻi. Many students accompanied the team by passenger ship to Oahu. The game was played on December 6. The following day, many of the Willamette students witnessed the attack on Pearl Harbor from their hotels on Waikiki Beach. Their return trip was delayed by many weeks, and some of the students returned to Oregon by helping on ships transporting the wounded to the mainland. Many of the team members stayed with football players from Punahou School.
During World War II, Willamette was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission. Lausanne Hall, previously a women's residence, served as a "ship" for trainees between 1943 and 1945.
In 1965, Willamette and the Tokyo International University entered a sister-college relationship. The Tokyo International University in America, on Willamette University's campus, was completed in 1989.
Elizabeth Heaston, of the class of 1999, became the first female to play in a collegiate football game in 1997. In 2013, the Willamette community broke the world record for largest game of Red Light/Green Light with 1,060 players, and reclaimed the record in August 2015, with 1,203 players.
In September 2020, Willamette announced that it would merge with the Pacific Northwest College of Art. It finalized the merger on June 30, 2021. Willamette also attempted to merge with the Claremont School of Theology starting from 2017, but was blocked by a California court ruling in 2021. In December 2025, Willamette signed a letter of intent to merge with Pacific University. If completed, the combined institution would be the largest independent private university in Oregon.

Campus

The Salem campus is directly south of the Oregon State Capitol, affording students access to internships in the institutions of Oregon government. Much of downtown Salem, including the Capitol, is on land once owned by the college. Railroad tracks are located directly east of the institution, with the Salem Amtrak Station near the southeastern edge of campus. South of the school is Salem Hospital, with Bush's Pasture Park and the school's McCulloch Stadium opposite the hospital.
Willamette's core area in Salem lies between State Street on the north, Bellevue Street on the south, Winter Street to the west, and 12th Street on the east. On the west side of Winter Street lie the university's graduate programs in business and law. Additional properties outside of the core area are the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, the Oregon Civic Justice Center, the Tokyo International University of America campus, and several residential buildings. Willamette owns several other properties along State Street west of the main campus. The institution plans to redevelop portions of the west end of campus to better tie the campus to downtown Salem.
Academic buildings on campus include Eaton Hall and Smullin/Walton Hall, which are primarily used by humanities departments. Science classes are generally held in the Collins and Olin buildings. Willamette's music program is housed by the G. Herbert Smith Auditorium and Fine Arts building, as well as the Mary Stuart Rogers Music Center. Administrative offices are found in the Putnam University Center and Waller Hall, Willamette's oldest building. Waller Hall was built using bricks made of clay from the campus quad. Willamette's newest buildings, including the Goudy Commons, Kaneko Commons, and Rogers Music Center have all been designed by the Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects. Ford Hall, near Gatke Hall on State Street, is a new academic building completed in the Fall of 2009.
In addition to Greek housing, eleven residence halls exist on the Willamette campus. Undergraduate students are under contract to live on campus for two years, after which they may move into private residences or one of the university's apartment complexes. Lausanne Hall, originally home of the university's Women's College, is now one of the university's undergraduate dormitories. The building commemorates the ship that brought the reinforcements to Lee in 1839. York Hall commemorates the university's first graduate.
The portion of Mill Creek's artificial millrace that runs through the middle of the campus is known as the Mill Stream. The millrace is diverted from Mill Creek at Waller Dam near 19th and Ferry streets. On the Willamette campus, it passes by the Martha Springer Botanical Garden, the Hatfield Library, Hudson Hall, the University Center, Smith Auditorium, and Goudy Commons. It forms a "W" shape when viewed from the University Center. Biology and environmental science classes use the Mill Stream as an authentic research venue. As part of the freshman matriculation ceremony, new students place a lit candle into the Mill Stream and watch it float downstream. The millrace connects with Pringle Creek near Salem City Hall.
On-campus athletics facilities are located in the southeast portion of the campus. These include a soccer field, tennis courts, and the Sparks Center. Softball, football, and baseball stadiums are located outside of the main campus.

Academics

Undergraduate admissions

For the Class of 2026, Willamette received 3,993 applications, admitted 3,218, and enrolled 537 students. For the freshmen who enrolled, the average high school weighted grade point average was 3.96.
For the 2022–2023 academic year, tuition, housing, and fee charges were $65,047. Willamette awarded about $30.2 million in need-based aid to its students in 2015, with the average financial aid package equal to $35,204. In terms of merit-based aid, the majority of Willamette scholarships and grants are awarded to students with demonstrated financial need.
Willamette University is a Common Application-exclusive school and is test-optional. All students who apply for admission are automatically considered for merit-based scholarships, which start at $22,000 per year. The university accepts the FAFSA to determine financial aid packages.

Curriculum

Willamette College offers 33 majors, 38 minors and eight special programs The most popular undergraduate majors, by number out of 393 graduates in 2022, were:
  • Economics
  • Psychology
  • Biology/Biological Sciences
  • Environmental Science
  • Political Science and Government
  • Exercise Science and Kinesiology
Learning takes place both in and outside of the classroom. For example, students earn credit as political interns at the Oregon State Capitol, across the street from campus; study the effects of climate change at the nearby research forest; or conduct epidemiology surveys for the local health department.
Students in service-learning courses base papers and projects on their community service experience, and more than half of Willamette's undergraduate students study abroad, choosing from programs in 40 countries. Co-located with Tokyo International University of America, Willamette offers opportunities for students interested in Japanese language and culture, and connections to Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Carson Grants offer undergraduates the opportunity to undertake a scholarly, creative, or professional research project during the summer, and the Lilly Project provides grants, internships and programs to help students discern their "calling in life" and create meaningful professional paths. Sustainability mini-grants also provide students with opportunities to initiate contributions to campus sustainability efforts. Five academic Centers of Excellence provide opportunities for student-faculty collaboration and research. Eleven faculty members have been named Oregon Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education since 1990.