Whittier College was founded in 1887 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and named after the poet and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier.[5] Although the institution no longer has a formal Quaker affiliation, it maintains a tradition of emphasizing social responsibility and community engagement.[6][7]
Academics
Whittier College is a four-year liberal arts institution.[8] The school enrolls around 800 undergraduates and has just over 100 full-time faculty members.[9][10] It offers over 30 majors and 30 minors in 23 disciplines.[11] Whittier offers one graduate degree–a master's degree in education. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were[12]
On April 19, 2017, the law school announced that it would stop admitting students and begin the process of shutting down.[15] The school ceased operations in July 2020.[16]
The Whittier Poets compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) of NCAA Division III. The school has fielded sports teams for over 100 years. Its current teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, lacrosse and water polo, women's softball and volleyball, and men's baseball and golf. In November 2022, Whittier announced that it was discontinuing its football team, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's golf.[21][22] After community input, the Board of Trustees voted to reinstate the Football program, which is slated to return in the 2026-27 academic year, after alumni had raised more than $800,000 to support its revitalization.[23]
The history of the Whittier football program began in 1907, and since the inception of the SCIAC in 1915, the Poets have won 26 conference titles. From 1957 to 1964, Whittier won eight straight SCIAC football titles under the direction of coaches George Allen (1951–1956), Don Coryell (1957–1959), and John Godfrey (1960–1979). Their most recent championships came back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. Twenty-three Poets have earned All-American honors, the most recent coming in 2007. The football program plays out of Newman Memorial Field, which seats 7,000. Whittier maintained a century-long football rivalry with Occidental Tigers. The two schools play for the shoes of 1939 All-American Myron Claxton.[22]
The Whittier men's lacrosse program was established in 1980. In 1980, the Poets became a member of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL). From 1980 to 1999, Whittier won ten championships. In 1990, they were recognized by the NCAA but continued to compete in the WCLL. The Poets were the team to beat throughout the 1990s, and it was not until 2000 that Whittier decided to make their mark on the national scene by leaving the WCLL and focusing on being selected for the NCAA tournament. On November 15, 2022, it was announced that Whittier College would discontinue its men's lacrosse program after the conclusion of their season.[21][22]
The Whittier men's and women's swimming and diving teams earned Academic All-American status—the women for the fourth straight year and the men for the first time after the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced the programs who achieved this honor for the 2015 Fall Semester. Five hundred forty-seven swimming and diving teams representing 354 colleges and universities have been named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Teams. The awards recognize teams with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2015 fall semester.
The termination of football, lacrosse, and golf in the fall of 2022 was greeted with controversy and strong community input.[24] After fundraisers by alumni generated over $814,000 in donations, the football program was revived starting with the 2026 season.[25]
Leo B. Calland, former college football and basketball coach; highest winning percentage of any basketball coach at USC
Greg Carlson, head football coach for the Poets from 2003–2005.
Don Coryell, head football coach for the Poets from 1957 to 1959. First and only coach to win at least 100 games at both the collegiate level and in the NFL
Wallace Newman, head football coach for the Poets from 1929 to 1950. American Indian Tribal leader and mentor to future President of the United States Richard Nixon
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