Bradley University

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Bradley University
Established: 1897
Type: private, coeducational
Endowment: $205 million[1]
President: Joanne K. Glasser, Esq.
Provost: Dr. Peter Johnsen[2]
Faculty: 389
Undergraduates: 5,301
Postgraduates: 800
Location: Peoria, Illinois, USA
Campus: urban, 85 acres (303,514 m²)
Colors: Red & White          
Nickname: Braves
Website: www.bradley.edu
BUlogo.gif

Bradley University is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois (40°41′53.27″N 89°36′56.88″W / 40.6981306, -89.6158Coordinates: 40°41′53.27″N 89°36′56.88″W / 40.6981306, -89.6158). 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.
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.[3]

[edit] Academics

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

Bradley University was recently ranked 6th among Midwestern comprehensive masters-degree-granting universities in the 2007 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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6]

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

Through its Graduate School, Bradley University offers Masters level graduate degrees in 5 of its departments; business, communication and fine arts, education and health sciences, engineering, and liberal arts and sciences. Each has its own hourly requirements and varies in completion time. The program of physical therapy provides a Doctor of Physical therapy degree.

[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.
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.

Bradley's 85 acre campus is located on Peoria's west bluff and is minutes from the city's downtown. The campus of Bradley University is relatively compact. There are few places on campus which cannot be reached from any other part of campus in under ten minutes on foot. 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.[7]

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
The Dingeldine Music Center

Bradley University is also the site of Peoria's National Public Radio affiliate, WCBU-FM, located on the second floor of Jobst Hall.

[edit] Groups and activities

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

Bradley University is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Conference-approved sports at Bradley for men are baseball, basketball, cross country running, golf, soccer, and tennis. Women's' sports consist of basketball, cross country running, golf, indoor and outdoor track, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The men's basketball team has appeared eight times 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, Bradley's run 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. In 2008, the men's basketball team was selected to participate in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. They reached the Championship game but lost to Tulsa 2-1 in a 3 game series.


In 2006, the Bradley soccer team lost in the MVC Championship. In 2007, the Bradley soccer team returned to the MVC Championship and defeated Creighton 1-0 to claim their first MVC Tournament Championship and fourth appearance in the NCAA postseason soccer tournament. they had never won a game in the NCAA tournament. Following their first ever NCAA tournament game victory over DePaul 2-0, the Braves continued on a magical run to the Elite Eight by defeating seven-time national champion Indiana University on penalty kicks (5-4)and the University of Maryland in overtime, both on the road. During the Maryland game they were down 3-0 with 2 minutes left and won. They called the Miracle in Maryland. Bradley’s coach, Jim DeRose, was named the national Coach of the Year by Soccer America after there great season.

The university does not have a football team, having disbanded its football program in 1970. They quit the sport because they thought it would be too much money to have kids on scholarships, and if they didnt have scholarships then they wouldnt compete well against the school that did in the gate way league.

[edit] Controversy

The schools teams were originally named the "Braves" in reference to the Peoria tribe from which the city takes its name.

In August of 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which conducts collegiate athletics, instituted 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.[8] The university does not have a mascot.

[edit] Forensics

Westlake Hall is home to Bradley's College of Education and Health Sciences.
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.[9][10] 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.

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. 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] The Scout

The student-run weekly newspaper, The Scout, covers student life and issues on campus, Bradley sports, and local Peoria news that concerns students. Dates for local concerts, movie and music reviews can all be found written by students in The Scout’s "Voice" section. Student staff rotates and changes yearly.

[edit] Notable people

 This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008)
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[edit] Alumni

[edit] Government, public service, and public policy

[edit] Literature, arts, and media

[edit] Business and science

[edit] Athletics

[edit] Infamous

[edit] Other staff and faculty

People who did not attend Bradley as a student but were on the Bradley staff or faculty.

[edit] See also

[edit] Nearby colleges

[edit] External links

[edit] References

 This article uses bare URLs for citations, which are subject to link rot.
Please help improve this article by changing bare URLs into proper citations with titles, dates, and authors, so that the article remains verifiable in the future.
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  1. ^ America's Best Colleges 2006. U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved on February 7, 2006.
  2. ^ http://www.bradley.edu/spotlight/provost/
  3. ^ :: Bradley University ::
  4. ^ :: Bradley University ::
  5. ^ NCATE - public - Home Page
  6. ^ http://www.bradley.edu/fcba/about/about.shtml
  7. ^ Bradley University :: Center for Residential Living
  8. ^ NCAA - National Collegiate Athletic Association
  9. ^ Afa-Niet National Champions
  10. ^ The Bradley University Speech Team
  11. ^ http://www.bradley.edu/hilltopics/03winter/profiles.shtml
  12. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1245962/bio
  13. ^ "US 'cannot hold enemy combatant'", BBC, Monday, June 11, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-06-11. 
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Missouri Valley Conference