Western Kentucky University
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto | The Spirit Makes the Master and Life, More Life |
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| Established | 1906 |
| Type | Public |
| Endowment | $11.8 million |
| President | Dr. Gary A. Ransdell |
| Undergraduates | 15,798 |
| Postgraduates | 2,593 |
| Location | Bowling Green, KY, USA |
| Campus | 200 acres (.81 km²) |
| Athletics | 15 varsity teams |
| Colors | Red █ and White █ |
| Nickname | Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers |
| Mascot | Big Red |
| Affiliations | Sun Belt Conference, Gateway Football Conference, Missouri Valley Conference |
| Website | http://www.wku.edu |
Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
Contents |
[edit] History
The roots of WKU go back to 1875 and the founding of the privately owned Glasgow Normal School. This institution moved to Bowling Green in 1884 and became the Southern Normal School and Business College.
The student body and building were transferred to the Western Kentucky State Normal School, when it was created by an act of the Kentucky General Assembly in 1906. The owner of the Southern Normal School, Henry Hardin Cherry, became the first president of the new school. Classes began on January 22, 1907.
The school moved to its present location in 1911. The property had been purchased in 1909 when the Pleasant J. Potter College closed.
In 1922, the school was authorized by the state to grant four-year degrees and was renamed as Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College. The first four-year degrees were awarded in 1924. In 1927, it merged with Odgen College, which occupied an adjacent campus.
The name changed again in 1930 to Western Kentucky State Teachers College. It was authorised to offered the Master of Arts degree in 1931. Another name change took place in 1948, when the school became more simply Western Kentucky State College.
WKSC merged with the Bowling Green College of Commerce, formerly the Bowling Green Business University, in 1963. Bowling Green Business University had originally been a part of the Southern Normal School and had been sold off by Henry Hardin Cherry when Southen Normal School was transferred to the state.
The structure of the institution changed at this time, dividing into separate colleges. Bowling Green College of Commerce maintained its identity in this way. The Graduate School also became a constituent college. In 1965, three additional colleges were created.
In 1966, Western Kentucky State College became Western Kentucky University.
Western Kentucky University is located in Warren County.
[edit] Academics
WKU is divided into six undergraduate colleges:
- The Bowling Green Community College of Western Kentucky University
- The College of Education and Behavioral Sciences
- The Gordon Ford College of Business
- Ogden College of Science And Engineering
- Potter College of Arts and Letters
- College of Health and Human Services
An academic range of eighty majors and seventy minors are offered, toward the following degrees:
- Bachelor of Engineering
- Bachelor of Arts
- Bachelor of Fine Arts
- Bachelor of General Studies
- Bachelor of Science
- Bachelor of Science in Nursing
- Bachelor of Music
WKU also offers seventeen associate degree programs and five certificate programs.
The Graduate School is now the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, which offers:
- Master of Arts
- Master of Arts in Education
- Master of Business Administration
- Master of Science
- Master of Public Administration
- Master of Health Administration
- Master of Public Health
Western's Nursing, Journalism and Photojournalism programs rank among the best in the country. The photojournalism department has won numerous awards, and a number of its alumni have won the Pulitzer Prize. The school's twice-weekly newspaper, the College Heights Herald, regularly wins awards placing it among the top college newspapers in the nation, and even competes against commercial newspapers in the state's Associated Press competition.
Western is also home to the largest American master's degree program in folklore; it is contained within the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology.
A cooperative doctoral degree program is offered with the University of Louisville.
WKU is on the semester system.
WKU's Forensic Team has won 6 consecutive International Competitions including 15 consecutive state competitions as of school year 2003-2004.
Extended campuses are operated in Glasgow, Elizabethtown/Fort Knox and Owensboro.
[edit] Athletics
In most sports, WKU has been a member of the Sun Belt Conference since 1982. During the years 1948-82, it was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. The men's soccer program competes in the Missouri Valley Conference, as the Sun Belt does not sponsor that sport for men.
The men's basketball program is one of the ten most winning in the history of the NCAA. The school has made one appearance in the Final Four, in 1971. It is very competitive in the Sun Belt Conference, usually finishing near the top of the conference and regularly competing for the conference championship.
The Hilltopper football team belongs to the Gateway Football Conference and, in 2002, they won the NCAA Division I-AA National Football championship. In 2002, they renewed their annual rivalry game against cross-state rival Eastern Kentucky University.
On November 2, 2006, the WKU Board of Regents voted to approve a proposal by the school's president to move the football program to Division I-A in the Sun Belt Conference. The Hilltoppers plan to start Division I-A play in 2009.[1] One of the major reasons for the move is, paradoxically, to meet Title IX requirements. At the time of the Regents vote, WKU was one of the few schools in the nation out of Title IX compliance because it offered too few scholarships for men's sports.[2]
The women's basketball program is consistently ranked in the top twenty and made three Final Four appearances. They were the runner-up in 1992.
The Western Kentucky Swim team consistently places in the top 5 in the Mid-Major National Rankings. In 2006 their men were undefeated in dual meets and were Sun Belt Conference Champions. The women won five consecutive championships from 2001-2005. In 2005, after 37 years as head coach, Coach Bill Powell became the assistant coach, and holds record for being the second winningest coach in mens swimming in NCAA dual meet history.
The men's athletic teams are known as the Hilltoppers and the women's teams as the Lady Toppers. Their mascot is an amorphous red blob known as Big Red.
[edit] Student Body Profile
WKU had a total enrollment in the Fall Semester of 2002 (the latest published figures) of 17,818 students. Out of this total, 73% were full-time and 85% were undergraduates. Ethnic and racial minority enrollment was just under 13% at 2,097. This is a 55% increase since 1998.
The ratio of female to male students in 3:2. This has remained constant since at least 1998. Males account for fewer than 32% of graduate students. However, this represents a 39% increase since 1998.
Non-traditional students (undergraduates aged 25 and older) make up 22% of the undergraduate student body.
The average high school grade point average for entering freshmen in 2002 was 3.12 and 24% had an ACT score of 24 or above.
WKU draws most of its students from within the state, with 17% of undergraduates and 23% of graduate students normally resident outside of Kentucky.
[edit] Greek Life
Fraternities
- Delta Tau Delta 1967, originated as The Thirteeners, or Teeners, a local fraternity in the 1930s; established itself as a Greek-letter organization, Phi Phi Kappa, in the early 1960s, before affiliating with Delta Tau Delta as the Fraternity's Epsilon Xi chapter.
- Phi Beta Sigma 1971
- Alpha Phi Alpha
- Kappa Alpha Psi 1969
- Omega Psi Phi 1969
- Iota Phi Theta Pending
- FarmHouse
- Alpha Gamma Rho
- Kappa Alpha Order
- Kappa Sigma
- Lambda Chi Alpha May 15, 1969
- Phi Delta Theta
- Sigma Chi
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon
- Sigma Nu
- Sigma Phi Epsilon
- Pi Kappa Alpha
- Phi Mu Alpha
Sororities
- Alpha Omicron Pi 1965
- Sigma Kappa 1965
- Alpha Delta Pi 1965
- Phi Mu 1965
- Kappa Delta 1965
- Chi Omega 1965
- Alpha Gamma Delta 1990
- Alpha Kappa Alpha
- Delta Sigma Theta 1970
- Sigma Gamma Rho
- Zeta Phi Beta
- Gamma Sigma Sigma
- Ceres
- Omega Phi Alpha 1993
[edit] Student Government Association
Western Kentucky University does have a very active, involved, and well respected SGA. The Western SGA is made up of three branches, the Student Senate, the Executive Cabinet, and the Judicial Council. The SGA is governed by its Constitution and By-Laws. All members of the student body are members of the Student Government Association and have the right to vote in SGA elections.
The Executive Cabinet is composed of a President, Executive Vice President, Administrative Vice President, Chief of Staff, Director of Academic and Student Affairs, Director of Public Relations, and the Director of Information Technology. The President, Executive Vice President, and Administrative Vice President are elected by the student body each spring, the other positions are chosen by the President after his election. The Speaker of the Senate, who is the leader of the Senate, serves as an ex-offcio member of the Executive Cabinet. The President, also serves as Student Regent.
The Student Senate is composed of student senators, the Secretary of the Senate, the parliamentatian, the sergeant at arms, and its leader, the Speaker of the Senate. Currently, the Speaker of the Senate is Johnathon F. Boles, a sophomore. The Senate meets weekly and discusses legislation in the forms of bills and resolutions in the standing and ad hoc committies. There are five standing committies, who each have a chairman, vice chairman, and secretary. Those committies aree Academic Affairs, Campus Improvements, Legislative Research, Public Relations, and Student Affairs. Each committee meets weekly to discuss and create legislation.
The Judicial Council is made up of four associate justices and one Chief Justice. Their major role is to interpret our governing documents (and deals with some internal issues.
After celebrating its fortieth anniversary in 2006, the Student Government Association is going as strong as ever, with its devotion to serving as an advocate for students and serving the community of Western Kentucky University.
[edit] Media and Publications
- College Heights Herald, Since 1924,Western's student-run newspaper, routinely named one of the best in the nation
- Talisman, Western's award-winning yearbook
- Full Effect, Western's student-run online magazine
- WWHR, Revolution 91.7 - Western's College Radio Station
[edit] Notable alumni
- K.C. Armstrong, Former Assitant Producer of the Howard Stern Show
- Todd Buchanan, photojournalist
- Neil Budde, online news pioneer
- Joe Bugel, assistant offensive head coach for the Washington Redskins
- Michael Card, Contemporary Christian music artist
- John Carpenter, film director
- Chuck Clark, journalist
- Aaron D Corbett, famous mortgage banker
- Romeo Crennel, head coach for the Cleveland Browns
- Craig Dezern, vice president for global public relations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
- Coach E. A. Diddle, basketball coach
- Clint Ford, voice actor
- Julian Goodman, former president of NBC
- Steve Gorman, rock drummer, The Black Crowes
- Larnelle Harris, gospel singer
- Duncan Hines, journalist, namesake of the bakery products company
- Cordell Hull, Secretary of State under FDR, Nobel Peace Prize winner
- Jeremi Johnson, football player
- Matt Long, actor (Jack McCallister on WB's Jack & Bobby)
- Rick Loomis, photojournalist
- Charles Napier, actor
- William Natcher, U.S. Representative
- Kenny Perry, professional golfer
- Michael Rosenbaum, actor
- Rod Smart aka He hate me, football player
- Chris Turner, former Major League Baseball catcher
- Terrence Wilcutt, United States astronaut
- Richard W. Wolfe, Health Care Executive, Businessman of the Year, National Congressional Advisory Commt. and National Leadership Award 2003 - NRCC
- The Hilltoppers (1950s popular singing group comprised of WKU students including Billy Vaughn)
- The Muckrakers (band), rock and roll band
- Nappy Roots, rap group
Charmaine Hunt, a 2000 Western Kentucky University graduate from Madisonville, is one of 18 contestants on the fifth edition of NBC’s “The Apprentice.”
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ WKU Regents Approve Move To Division 1-A Football. Western Kentucky University (2006-11-02). Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
- ^ Bailey, Rick (2006-10-05). State College Notebook: Toppers' switch to I-A probable. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
[edit] External links
| Sun Belt Conference |
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| Arkansas–Little Rock • Arkansas State • Denver • Florida Atlantic • Florida International • Louisiana–Lafayette • Lousiana–Monroe • Middle Tennessee • New Orleans • North Texas • South Alabama • Troy • Western Kentucky |
| Gateway Football Conference |
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| Illinois State • Indiana State • Missouri State • Northern Iowa • Southern Illinois • Western Illinois • Western Kentucky • Youngstown State |
