in 1869, the school struggled—and often failed—to attract students, pay teachers, and stay open for each term.
=== From seminary to college ===
Whitman's trustees decided in 1882 that while their institution could not continue as a prep school, it might survive as the area's only college. Alexander Jay Anderson, the former president of the Territorial University (now the University of Washington), came to turn the institution into a college and become its president. After modeling the institution after New England liberal arts colleges, Anderson opened the school, Whitman College, on September 4, 1882 (Marcus Whitman's birthday) with an enrollment of 60 students and three senior faculty (Anderson, his wife and son). In 1883, the school received a collegiate charter and began expanding with aid from the Congregational American College and Education Society.
=== Financial turmoil and new leadership ===
Despite local support for Whitman College and help from the Congregational community, financial troubles …
