Western Kentucky University

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Western Kentucky University (WKU)
Motto: The Spirit Makes the Master
Life More Life
Established 1906
Type: Public
Endowment: $102 million (based on WKU Spirit)
President: Dr. Gary A. Ransdell
Faculty: 1,109 (Fall 2006)[1]
Staff: 1,903 (Fall 2006)[1]
Students: 19,215 (Fall 2007)[2]
Undergraduates: 15,234 (Fall 2006)[1]
Postgraduates: 2,584 (Fall 2006)[1]
Location Bowling Green, KY, USA
Campus: 200 acres (.81 km²) and expanding
Athletics: NCAA Division I; 18 varsity teams
Colors: Red and White            
Nickname: Hilltoppers and Lady Toppers
Mascot: Big Red
Affiliations: Sun Belt Conference, Missouri Valley Conference
Website: Official WKU Website

Western Kentucky University (WKU) is a public university in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

Contents

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 authorized to offer 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 Southern 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.

Lowell H. Harrison, professor emeritus, serves as official University Historian.

Pearce Ford Tower, the largest dormitory at Western Kentucky University, and the tallest college residence hall in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
Pearce Ford Tower, the largest dormitory at Western Kentucky University, and the tallest college residence hall in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

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

WKU's Nursing[citation needed], Journalism[citation needed] and Photojournalism[citation needed] 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.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

WKU is also home to the largest American master's degree program in folklore; it is contained within the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology[citation needed]

A cooperative doctoral degree program is offered with the University of Louisville.

View from the middle of the campus.
View from the middle of the campus.

WKU is on the semester system..


WKU's Forensic (Speech and Debate) Team won its fourth American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament in five years, sixth NFA National Tournament championship in debate as well as its fourth NFA championship in individual events, its eighth International Forensic Association title, the National Parliamentary Debate Association National Tournament and its 17th consecutive Kentucky Forensic Association State championship.

Extended campuses are operated in Glasgow, Elizabethtown/Fort Knox and Owensboro.

Guthrie Tower, on the common of Western Kentucky University.
Guthrie Tower, on the common of Western Kentucky University.

Western Kentucky University offers Distance Learning Degrees:[1]

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky opened in the Fall of 2007. The project is based on the University of North Texas's Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science. The school will be accepting 60 juniors and 60 seniors for the first class. As an incoming junior, one will be given the opportunity to earn 60 college credits during one's stint at the school. Schneider Hall, the dorm where all Academy students will be housed, is now complete. One can track the progress of this by visiting their official website. [2]

The Gatton Academy will have a curriculum of university courses. Students are required to take certain science and mathematics courses, such as biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics, and humanities courses. Students will be able to access many Western Kentucky University courses for elective credit. Gatton Academy students will take WKU courses taught by professors, and many will be open to other students on campus.

The Carol Martin Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky also will offer research opportunities to students during the year and during the summer.

The Gatton Academy will provide an environment designed for academically talented adolescent students and will support extracurricular activities that reflect the interests of Academy students.

All Gatton Academy students are required to live in the residence hall even if their homes are within commuting distance. Gatton Academy students will be housed in Schneider Hall. Approximately one weekend each month, students will go home to be with their families. Schneider Hall will have state-of-the-art technology.

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, led by former Hilltopper guard Darrin Horn, has the 16th most victories in the history of the NCAA. The school has made one appearance in the NCAA Final Four, in 1971. WKU also made three appearances in the NIT Final Four while it was the premier post-season tournament. It is very competitive in the Sun Belt Conference, usually finishing near the top of the conference and regularly competing for the conference championship. In Fact in Street & Smith's publications, "100 Greatest Programs", WKU ranked #31.

The women's basketball team, coached by former player Mary Taylor Cowles, is a storied program with a bright future ahead. The team has made three NCAA Final Four appearances. In 1992, coach Paul Sanderford's Lady Toppers advanced to the national championship game before bowing out to Stanford. The Lady Toppers are known for their postseason prowess, appearing in a postseason tournament in 19 of the last 20 seasons. Their last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2003, Cowles' first season as head coach.

The Hilltopper football team belonged to the Gateway Football Conference and, in 2002, they won the NCAA Division I-AA, now known as Division I FCS, National Football championship. In 2002, they renewed their annual rivalry game against cross-state rival Eastern Kentucky University. David Elson is the head football coach.

E.A. Diddle Arena, home to the Men's and Women's Basketball teams at WKU.
E.A. Diddle Arena, home to the Men's and Women's Basketball teams at WKU.

On November 2, 2006, the WKU Board of Regents voted to approve a proposal by the school's president, Gary A. Ransdell, to move the football program to Division I FBS, formerly known as Division I-A, in the Sun Belt Conference. The Hilltoppers began Division I FBS play as a reclassifying Independent school, joining Army, Navy, and Notre Dame in that respect, in the 2007 season. They will be eligible for post-season play in 2009.[3] One of the major reasons for the move is, ironically, 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.[4]

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 men's 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.

Flag of Kentucky
This box: view • talk • edit
Sports teams based in Kentucky
Baseball IL: Louisville Bats, SAL: Lexington Legends, FL: Florence Freedom
Basketball CBA: East Kentucky Miners
Football af2: Lexington Horsemen • Louisville Fire, MCFL: Louisville Bulls, Northern Kentucky Xtreme, Hardin County Wolverines, NWFA: Kentucky Karma
NASCAR Busch: Baker Curb Racing
Australian rules football USAFL: Louisville Kings
College athletics
(NCAA Division I)		 Eastern Kentucky University • University of Kentucky • University of Louisville • Morehead State University • Murray State University • Western Kentucky University • Bellarmine University (lacrosse only)

WKU had a total enrollment in the Fall Semester of 2007 of 19,215[2] students. Out of Fall 2006's enrollment figure of 17,818[1] Out of this total, 12,984[1] were full-time and 15,234[1] were undergraduates. WKU now has the second largest undergraduate population in the commonwealth of Kentucky, behind the University of Kentucky. Ethnic and racial minority enrollment was 16%[1] at 1,920[1] students. This is a 21%[1] increase since 2002. The ratio of male to female students is 3:5[1].

Non-traditional students (undergraduates aged 25 and older) make up 19.2%[1] of the undergraduate student body.

The average high school grade point average for entering freshmen in 2006 was 3.15[1] and 24.6%[1] had an ACT score of 24 or above.

Fraternities


Sororities

The Official Logo of the Student Government Association at Western Kentucky University
The Official Logo of the Student Government Association at Western Kentucky University

The Student Government Association (SGA) is made up of three branches, the Executive Cabinet, the Senate, 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 (who serves as Student Regent to the WKU Board of Regents, and serves as Student Body President), Executive Vice President (Who serves on the Student Life Foundation, and serves as Student Body 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 or her election. The Speaker of the Senate, who is the leader of the Senate, serves as an ex officio member of the Executive Cabinet.

The Student Senate is composed of student senators, the Secretary of the Senate, the parliamentarian, the sergeant at arms, and its leader, the Speaker of the Senate. The Senate meets weekly and discusses legislation in the forms of bills and resolutions in the standing and ad hoc committees. There are five standing committees, which each have a chairman, vice chairman, and secretary. Those committees are 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 SGA's governing documents.

Student Government Association celebrated its fortieth anniversary in 2006.

  • College Heights Herald, Since 1924,WKU's student-run newspaper, routinely named one of the best in the nation
  • Talisman, WKU's award-winning yearbook
  • WWHR, Revolution 91.7 - WKU's College Radio Station
  • WKU SPIRIT, WKU's Alumni Magazine, published three times each year

  • Craig Dezern, vice president for global public relations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
  • Julian Goodman, former president of NBC
  • Richard W. Wolfe, Health Care Executive, Businessman of the Year, National Congressional Advisory Commt. and National Leadership Award 2003 - NRCC.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n 2007 WKU Factbook. Western Kentucky University (2007).
  2. ^ a b WKU Passes 19,000 Mark In Enrollment, Sets Record. Western Kentucky University (2007).
  3. ^ WKU Regents Approve Move To Division 1-A (sic) Football. Western Kentucky University (2006-11-02). Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
  4. ^ Bailey, Rick (2006-10-05). State College Notebook: Toppers' switch to I-A probable. Lexington Herald-Leader. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
  5. ^ Western Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame - Class of 1999. Western Kentucky University. Retrieved on 2006-12-18.

  • Western Kentucky University by Lowell H. Harrison. University Press of Kentucky, 1987. ISBN: 0813116201

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Kentucky Higher Education
Public Universities
Eastern Kentucky University • Kentucky State University • Morehead State University • Murray State University • Northern Kentucky University • University of Kentucky • University of Louisville • Western Kentucky University
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Alice Lloyd College • Asbury College • Asbury Theological Seminary • Bellarmine University • Berea College • Brescia University • Campbellsville University • Centre College • Clear Creek Baptist Bible College • Frontier School of Midwifery and Family Nursing • Georgetown College • Kentucky Christian University • Kentucky Mountain Bible College • Kentucky Wesleyan College • Lexington Theological Seminary • Lindsey Wilson College • Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary • Mid-Continent University • Midway College • Pikeville College • Saint Catharine College • Simmons College • Southern Baptist Theological Seminary • Spalding University • Spencerian College • Sullivan University • Thomas More College • Transylvania University • Union College • University of the Cumberlands
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Ashland • Big Sandy • Bluegrass • Bowling Green • Elizabethtown • Gateway • Hazard • Henderson • Hopkinsville • Jefferson • Madisonville • Maysville • Owensboro • Somerset • Southeast Kentucky • West Kentucky
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Sun Belt Conference
Football Arkansas State Indians • Florida Atlantic Owls • Florida International Golden Panthers • Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns • Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks • Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders & Lady Raiders • North Texas Mean Green • Troy Trojans
Non-football Arkansas–Little Rock Trojans • Denver Pioneers • New Orleans Privateers & Lady Privateers • South Alabama Jaguars • Western Kentucky† Hilltoppers & Lady Toppers
† - Will join the conference for football in 2009
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Kentucky_University"
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