Bradley University

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
Bradley University
Bradley University Logo
Motto Understanding is Integration
Established 1897
Type private, coeducational
Endowment $182 Million [1]
President Dr. David C. Broski
Provost Dr. Peter Johnson [1]
Staff 515
Undergraduates 5,300
Postgraduates 800
Location Peoria, Illinois, USA
Campus urban, 75 acres (303,514 m²)
Colors Red & White
Nickname Braves
Website www.bradley.edu

Bradley University is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a medium sized institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students.

Contents

[edit] History

Bradley Hall is one of the first buildings constructed for the university and bears the name of the university's founder.
Enlarge
Bradley Hall is one of the first buildings constructed for the university and bears the name of the university's founder.

The Bradley Polytechnic Institute was founded by philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley in 1897 in memory of her husband Tobias and their six children, all of whom died early and suddenly, making Bradley a childless widow. In 1896, Bradley was introduced to the president of the University of Chicago, who convinced her to move ahead with her plans to establish the institute. Bradley provided seventeen and a half acres of land, $170,000 for buildings, equipment, and a library, and $30,000 per year for operating expenses.

Originally, the institute was organized as a four-year academy as well as a two-year college. There was only one other high school in the city of Peoria at the time. By 1899 the institute had expanded to accommodate nearly 500 pupils, and study fields included biology, chemistry, food work, sewing, English, German, French, Latin, Greek, history, manual arts, drawing, mathematics, and physics. By 1920 the institute dropped the academy orientation and adopted a four-year collegial program. Enrollment continued to grow over the coming decades and the name Bradley University was adopted in 1946. [2]

[edit] Academics

Baker Hall, named after Murray M. Baker, is home to the Foster College of Business Administration
Enlarge
Baker Hall, named after Murray M. Baker, is home to the Foster College of Business Administration

Bradley University was recently ranked 7th among Midwestern comprehensive masters-degree-granting universities in the 2006 edition of America's Best Colleges published by U.S. News & World Report. In addition, Bradley's Department of Industrial Engineering was ranked second among colleges that do not grant PhDs. [3]

Bradley University was named 24th on the list of "Top 25 Most Connected Campuses" and "Top 25 Most Entrepreneurial Campuses" in the nation by The Princeton Review and Forbes magazine.

The College of Education at Bradley University is NCATE-approved. [4] Additionally, of the nation’s 3623 colleges and universities, Bradley University's Foster College of Business Administration is one of only 160 schools whose business and accounting programs are both accredited by AACSB International. [5]

Bradley University is organized into the following colleges and schools:

[edit] Undergraduate School

  • College of Education and Health Sciences
  • College of Engineering and Technology
  • College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
  • Foster College of Business Administration
  • Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts
  • Academic Exploration Program (AEP), for students without a declared major.

[edit] Graduate School

Bradley University offers master's degrees through the Foster College of Business Administration, Slane College of Communication and Fine Arts, College of Engineering and Technology, and College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, as well as master's and doctoral degrees in the College of Education and Health Sciences.

[edit] Campus

Seen here from bottom left to bottom right are Wyckoff, Heitz, and Elmwood Halls, with Harper and Geisert (also from left to right) dominating the background.
Enlarge
Seen here from bottom left to bottom right are Wyckoff, Heitz, and Elmwood Halls, with Harper and Geisert (also from left to right) dominating the background.

Confined to 75 acres on Peoria's west side and only minutes from the city's downtown, the campus of Bradley University is relatively compact when compared to other universities which may enjoy a more isolated setting. Consequentially, there are few places on campus which cannot be reached from any other part of campus in under ten minutes. Bradley's student housing is concentrated on the campus's east side, and the dormitories include College (all women's), Geisert, Harper, Heitz, University, Williams, and Wyckoff Halls. There is also a complex of singles dormitories and two university-owned apartment complexes. [6]

Also located on the south side of Bradley's campus is Dingeldine Music Center, which was acquired from the Second Church of Christ, Scientist in 1983. The Center serves as the main performance and practice facility for Bradley's instrumental and choral programs.

The Dingeldine Music Center
Enlarge
The Dingeldine Music Center

[edit] Groups and Activities

[edit] Athletics

The athletic emblem of the Bradley University Braves.
Enlarge
The athletic emblem of the Bradley University Braves.

The Bradley University Braves currently compete in all sports in the Missouri Valley Conference. The men's basketball team has made eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament: 1950, 1954, 1955, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1996, and 2006. In 1950 and 1954 they were in the Final Four, and in 2006 the Braves made their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1955, defeating 4th seed Kansas and 5th seed Pittsburgh. However, their Cinderella story came to an end in the Sweet Sixteen with a loss to the University of Memphis. Bradley also won the National Invitation Tournament in 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1982.

[edit] Fight Song

Bradley Loyalty Song or Charge On Bradley
Here's our pledge to Bradley,
Loyal hearts and hands,
Loudly sing your praises,
In a mighty band,
Ever forward Bradley,
We'll praise you to the sky,
Ever keep your banners flying while you hear our cry!
Charge on, Charge on, Bradley,
March right down the field,
Foes may press you,
Foes may even stress you,
But we'll never yield,
Fight for Alma Mater,
Plunge right thru to victory,
Fight on, Fight on, Bradley, And fight for varsity!

[edit] Controversy

In August of 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which conducts collegiate athletics, insituted a ban on schools that use "hostile and abusive" American Indian nicknames from hosting postseason games, beginning February 2006. Bradley, whose athletic teams are known as the "Braves," was placed on the list. In April 2006, the NCAA removed Bradley from the list but placed it on a 5-year watch list. [7].

[edit] Forensics

Westlake Hall is home to Bradley's College of Education and Health Sciences.
Enlarge
Westlake Hall is home to Bradley's College of Education and Health Sciences.

Bradley University boasts the nation's most prolific college forensics team, with their American Forensics Association Championship winning streak from 1980 through 2000 only broken in 1994 and 1995. [8][9] Originally established as an Oratorical Competition in 1897 by founder Lydia Moss Bradley, the Speech Team has become the most successful intercollegiate team in history. In 2005, Bradley won its 38th national championship title at the National Forensic Association tournament at the University of Akron. The team, consisting of nearly thirty Bradley students, won by one of the largest margins in history.

Since 1979, Bradley University has had one hundred and fifteen individual national champions. No other team has attained as many individual national champions. Since 1980, Bradley has won nationals thirty-three times, and is the only team to have won both the American Forensics Association Tournament and the National Forensics Association Tournament more than once. This record of success is unmatched by any other college forensics team in the United States.

[edit] Greek

Bradley chapters of the North-American Interfraternity Conference, National Panhellenic Conference, and National Pan-Hellenic Council are primarily located on the south side of campus.

[edit] North-American Interfraternity Conference chapters

[edit] National Panhellenic Conference sorority chapters

[edit] National Pan-Hellenic Council fraternity chapters

[edit] National Pan-Hellenic Council sorority chapters

[edit] Other social and professional organizations

[edit] Notable alumni

[edit] Government, public service, and public policy

[edit] Literature, arts, and media

[edit] Business and science

[edit] Athletics

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. 1 endowment  America's Best Colleges 2006. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on February 7, 2006.


Missouri Valley Conference
Bradley • Creighton • Drake • Evansville • Illinois State • Indiana State • Missouri State • Northern Iowa • Southern Illinois • Wichita State
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../b/r/a/Bradley_University_6bc7.html"