About Us
Mission Statement
Studying Communication and Languages stimulates critical thinking and creative expression, enhances language and cultural sensitivity, and helps students connect educational, career, and life goals. Students are prepared to enter careers or pursue graduate studies that use their talents to understand, speak, read, write, and communicate through a variety of media, becoming effective and articulate Christian communicators.
Our Buildings
Canaday Technology Center (CTC) The CTC is home to the Department of Communication and Languages and the Department of Technology, with whom we collaborate on various academic programs and events. You can find our main office on the first floor of the CTC in room 116 and faculty offices on the fourth floor. The CTC houses our classrooms, film studio, and Donnie Rigby Stage (the Black Box Theater).
Kretschmer Hall (KRH) Our language professors’ offices are located on the second floor of Kretschmer along with our language classroom (room 205) and our lounge (room 214).
Village Hall Our drama productions take place in Village Hall, one of the oldest buildings on campus. It is filled with theater-style seats facing a large stage. The Festival of Shorts also takes place each year in Village Hall.
History and Timeline
1920 - Village Hall opens. Village Hall was originally the church for what was at the time Walla Walla College. In 1971, after the church moved locations, the building was repurposed to be the home for our drama program.
1916 - Professor Donnie Rigby directs the first stage play for the Walla Walla College Women’s Club weekend. Afterwards, drama starts producing at least one fully staged play each year.
1963 - Kretschmer Hall, where our languages offices are now located, is built.
1978 - Classes begin in the Industrial Technology Center, now known as the Canaday Technology Center (CTC). At the opening, the technology facility was praised as "the most outstanding technology facility in the West—and probably the nation."
2001 - Lambda Pi Eta, the official honor society of the National Communication Association, recognizes outstanding academic achievement in the discipline of communication in the department of Communication and Languages. The Nu Zeta Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta is issued at Walla Walla College.
2004 - The Donnie Rigby Stage, also known as the Black Box Theater, opens as a flexible theater space allowing for anything from multiple stages to theater in the round.
2010 - The International Communications degree starts to be offered. The degree has since been renamed as Global Communication.
2015 - Our Master of Arts in Media Ministry (changed to Cinema, Religion, and Worldview in 2018) is established.
Want to know more?
Visit our FAQ page for answers to common departmental questions, such as aspects of registration, degrees, studying abroad, and much more.