I have a mixed relationship with my alma mater. Willamette was an outstanding place for me to grow, to be pushed to write well and often, to think critically, to thrive in a community of loving friends. I loved going to college there. But Willamette also frustrates me because, like many small liberal arts universities, it has difficulty attracting and retaining significant numbers of minority professors, and it also harbors a lot of white students who, just as in wider society, just don't get all the hullaballoo over racial justice and reconciliation and wish everyone would stop making such a big deal about it. I know those troubles are far from unique to Willamette, but it makes me sad.
All that being said, I was glad to see Willamette's name pop up recently for something good. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has highlighted Willamette in their 2008 "National Report Card on Sustainability in Higher Education." Out of the 1,068 colleges and universities surveyed, "the school engaged in the greatest number of [sustainability] activities is Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Willamette is committed to energy efficiency and conservation, greener transportation, environmentally friendly landscaping practices, as well as to orienting personnel and faculty to the sustainability goals of the campus."
Sweet! Ah yes, more things to love about having gone to a small liberal arts college in Oregon :)
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