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Dolly Parton during her visit to Willamette University in September 1989. Photo from Willamette Archives. Across Willamette’s campus, a culture of civic engagement—actions that individuals or groups take to address the concerns and well-being of their communities—drives students to step up, get involved and apply their skills to improve the public life of the greater Salem community. Especially now, that drive is taking a page out of Dolly Parton’s book. Parton’s impact on t

Polls and graphs showing Willamette's popularity on the website Niche. Art by Addie Martin. Every year, millions of high school students have the opportunity to decide where they’ll learn for the next (give or take) four years. Websites like Niche, which grade universities around the country on various subjects, could be one such example. Willamette, rated a B overall and 583rd of 1,613 colleges in the U.S., shines in terms of academics and professors. Other important categor

Prof. Ellen Eisenberg responding to a student's question in her HIST-399 class, A New History for WU, on April 20, 2026. Photo by Mac Childers. At the end of this semester, history professor Ellen Eisenberg will retire after 36 years at Willamette. During her time here, she published six books and 21 journal articles and book chapters. She’s received a wide array of grants and honors and maintained a rich and ongoing history of service and community involvement. She was born