| Western Oregon University | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1856 |
| Type | Public |
| President | Mark Weiss |
| Provost | Kent Neely |
| Academic staff | 452 |
| Admin. staff | 427 |
| Students | 6,233[1][2] |
| Undergraduates | 5,318 |
| Postgraduates | 915 |
| Location | Monmouth, Oregon, U.S. |
| Campus | Rural College Town 157 acres (64 ha) |
| Former names | Monmouth University Christian College Oregon State Normal School Oregon Normal School Oregon College of Education Western Oregon State College |
| Colors | Red |
| Athletics | NCAA Division II Great Northwest Athletic Conference |
| Sports | 13 Varsity Teams |
| Nickname | Wolves |
| Mascot | Wolfy |
| Website | www.wou.edu |
Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public liberal arts college located in Monmouth, Oregon, United States. It was originally established in 1856 by Oregon pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names include Oregon Normal School, Oregon College of Education, and Western Oregon State College. Western Oregon University incorporates both the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Enrollment is approximately 6,200 students.
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In the early 1850s, a group of pioneers crossed the Oregon Trail. Upon arrival in the Willamette Valley, they founded both a church and a school. Monmouth University opened in 1856 with a small number of students.[3]
Through the years, WOU has undergone seven name changes. In 1865, it merged with another private institution, Bethel College, in Bethel and became Christian College. In 1882, the Oregon State Legislature approved the college's bid to become a state-supported teacher training (or "normal") school, Oregon State Normal School. Later the name was changed to Oregon Normal School.
A period of growth in the 1920s more than tripled the school's enrollment to nearly 1,000 students. In 1939, the Oregon Legislature again changed the name to Oregon College of Education. The school entered an extended period of growth, except for a period during World War II when college enrollments dropped nationwide. New programs were added in the areas of liberal arts and sciences.[3]
In 1977, the institution was renamed Western Oregon State College[3] to reflect the school's growing academic programs in the liberal arts fields. In 1997 the school's name was changed to Western Oregon University.
Beginning with the 2007–2008 academic year, WOU guarantees that undergraduate students will have the same tuition rate for four academic years as the year they entered. WOU is the only public university in the western U.S. to offer this guarantee.[4][5]
Beginning with the 2011-2012 academic year, WOU allows students to choose between their Tuition Promise, or the new tuition choice. Students who choose the tuition choice will have a 2012 tuition that will be no more than 1% above the 2011 tuition, but with annual increases that could be between 5% and 10% per year. Students and their families will likely pay less their first year or two, but will pay more in years three and four. [6]
Using a 2010-11 federal grant from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE), WOU has developed a textbook rental program that will result in significant savings to students. [7][8] Students rent textbooks at a cost of 38% of the purchase price for new textbooks.
Western Oregon University offers bachelor's degrees (BA, BS, BM, and BFA) through its two colleges: the College of Education and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Master's degrees are available in Education (MAT and MSEd), Rehabilitation Counseling (MS), Criminal Justice (MA), Music (MM), Management and Information Systems (MS), and History (MA).[9][10]
WOU’s College of Education[11] is divided into: Division of Teacher Education,[11] Division of Special Education,[12] Division of Health and Physical Education,[13] Division of Extended Programs,[14] Regional Resource Center on Deafness,[15] Education Evaluation Center,[16] and the Graduate Office[17] The College offers a number of bachelor’s and master’s degrees, in addition to minors available to students.[18]
One of the university's most well-known areas is its American Sign Language/English Interpreting program.[19] In 2008, Sorenson Communications, a provider of Video Relay Services (VRS) for deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals who use ASL to communicate, awarded WOU’s ASL/English Interpreting program the recipient of the Sorenson VRS Interpreter Education Program Award of Excellence. This award included $10,000 to be reinvested in the curriculum.[20]
The Teacher Education Program was recognized in 2010 by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities as the recipient of the Christa McAuliffe Award for Excellence in Teacher Education.[21]
The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers 30 bachelor degrees in six academic divisions (Business and Economics, Computer Science, Creative Arts, Humanities, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Psychology and Social Science. The Communications Studies Program received the 2008 Rex Mix Award for Excellence from the National Communication Association.[22]
The Business and Economics Division offers courses and training in accounting, finance, management, marketing, and production/operations management. The Economics Division prepares students for careers in the private and public sectors.
The Creative Arts Division comprises departments in Art, Music and Theatre/Dance. The Music Department offers four degrees. The BA and BS in Music are liberal arts degrees with a third of all coursework in music. The Bachelor of Music in Contemporary Music is a professional degree with two thirds of all coursework in music. The Master of Music in Contemporary Music is perhaps the only degree of its kind in the US.[23] Music programs at WOU are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
The Computer Science Division covers the Computer Science and Information Systems majors, and offers both Majors and Minors in Computer Science and Information Systems, falling into BS and BA degrees.
The Social Science Division is a cluster of disciplines concerned with the characteristics and interactions of humans in their social and physical settings. These include anthropology, criminal justice geography, history, political science, and sociology. The Social Science Division also includes programs in public policy and administration and international studies. The BA and BS degrees are offered. Masters degrees are offered in Criminal Justice and History.
Western Oregon University's sports teams are called the Wolves and compete in the NCAA's Great Northwest Athletic Conference at the Division II level. WOU sponsors 13 intercollegiate sports. Within their history under the NAIA prior to their transition to the NCAA, Western Oregon won multiple NAIA national titles in women’s basketball. The Baseball team on campus has experienced much success in the GNAC, winning ten consecutive conference titles since 2001. The Track and Field teams have also performed well within the conference, with the men's team winning four consecutive GNAC Indoor Track titles since 2008. In the fall of 2010, the men's and women's cross country teams earned their first berths in school history to the NCAA National Championships where they placed 20th and 21st, respectively.
Pertaining to club sports on campus, not regulated by the NCAA or NAIA, the Western Oregon Men's Lacrosse Club has won the Division II PNCLL championship trophy in 2008, 2009, and 2010.[24] The Western Oregon Men's Rugby Club won the Division II Pacific Northwest Rugby Football Union (PNRFU) championship in 2005, 2009, and 2010.
On April 26, 2008, Sara Tucholsky, a reserve outfielder on the Wolves softball team (2005–08), hit the first home run of her college career in a victory over Central Washington University, but injured her knee rounding first base; Central Washington's Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace carried Tucholsky around the rest of the bases to home plate. This act of sportsmanship was heavily covered by national media outlets, and resulted in Tucholsky, Holtman, and Wallace's winning the Best Moment award at the 2008 ESPY Awards.[25]
The National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) has recognized eight Western Oregon University faculty and staff for academic advising (three in 2008, one in 2009, two in 2010, and two in 2011). [28]
On January 2010, The Education Trust named WOU in the top 10 of the nation for improved graduation rates among underrepresented minorities.[29][30][31] WOU also ranked ninth in closing the gap between minority and nonminority graduation rates.[30] WOU is one of the most diverse universities in Oregon and has the highest percentage of Latino students in the Oregon University System.[32] Between 2000 and 2009, enrollment of Latino students increased 75%, Asian-American students by 53%, African-American students by 115% and Native American students by 63%, for an overall increase of these student populations of 73%.[33] The successful growth in Latino students has resulted in WOU being the only public college or university accepted as a member of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU).[34]
Parade Magazine listed WOU as one of the top twenty small state schools for 2010. WOU was noted for its small classes and exceptional services for first generation to college students.[35]
The Jensen Arctic Museum at WOU is the only museum on the west coast of the contiguous states dedicated to the Arctic culture, and one of two in the entire United States outside of Alaska, the other being in the state of Maine. The museum's collections include art, animals, tools, apparel and information about indigenous Arctic people.
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