Citizendia

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. A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group The date of establishment or date of founding of an Institution is the date on which that institution chooses to claim as its starting point The term public school has two distinct (and virtually opposite meanings depending on the location of usage in the United States, Australia and A financial endowment is a Transfer of Money or Property donated to an Institution, usually with the stipulation that it be invested University president is the title of the highest ranking officer within a University, within university systems that prefer that appellation over other variations such as 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 (. A faculty is a division within a University. The concept of a university with different faculties for different subjects dates back to Al-Azhar University, which had Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. The word student is etymologically derived through Middle English from the Latin second-type conjugation Verb "studēre" In some Educational systems undergraduate education is Post-secondary education up to the level of a Bachelor's degree. See also Postgraduate Training in Education Postgraduate education (synonymous in North America with graduate education, and sometimes described Bowling Green is the fourth-most populous City in the US state of Kentucky after Louisville, Lexington and Owensboro The Commonwealth of Kentucky ( is a state located in the East Central United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 81 km²) and expanding
Athletics:15 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. School colors are the Colors chosen by a School to represent it on uniforms and other items of identification The athletic nickname, or equivalently athletic moniker, of a University or College within the United States is the name officially adopted by The term mascot – defined as a term for any person animal or object thought to bring Luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common Big Red is the name given to Western Kentucky University 's mascot a red furry amorphous blob created by WKU student Ralph Carey in 1979. The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I since 1976. Membership Affiliate members Eastern Illinois University (men's soccer not sponsored by the Ohio Valley Conference) A website (alternatively web site or Web site, a back-construction from the Proper noun World Wide Web) is a collection of Web pages Bowling Green is the fourth-most populous City in the US state of Kentucky after Louisville, Lexington and Owensboro It was formally founded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky in 1906, though its roots reach back a quarter-century earlier.

A statue of Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry, WKU's founder, stands at the top of The Hill, in front of Cherry Hall.
A statue of Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry, WKU's founder, stands at the top of The Hill, in front of Cherry Hall. Henry Hardin Cherry Hall is a building located on the campus of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green Kentucky.

WKU has a student body of more than 19,000 students. Its main campus, College Heights, is in the midst of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of construction and renovation. Since 1997, dormitories have been renovated, new academic and athletic buildings have been finished, with more construction under way. The university also has placed a premium on creating a parklike atmosphere, with parking lots on the interior of the 200-acre campus replaced with greenspace, trees and other landscaping known as Centennial Mall.

WKU sits atop the highest point in south-central Kentucky, a hill called College Heights with a commanding view of the Barren River valley. The Barren River is a River in western Kentucky, USA. It is the largest tributary of the Green River, which drains more of Kentucky than any The campus flows from the top of College Heights, also known as The Hill, down its north, south and west faces.

The university's mottos are "The Spirit Makes the Master" and "Life, More Life!" -- both phrases coined by WKU's founder, Dr. Henry Hardin Cherry.

WKU alumni have among the nation's highest rate of giving back to the university, both in money and time. WKU is in the midst of its second major capital campaign, the $200 million New Century of Spirit. It follows the university's first campaign, Investing in the Spirit, which had a goal of $75 million but raised more than $100 million.

Besides the main campus at College Heights, WKU operates a satellite campus in Bowling Green and regional campuses in Glasgow, Elizabethtown/Fort Knox and in Owensboro.


Contents

History

The roots of WKU go back to 1875 and the founding of the privately owned Glasgow Normal School. Glasgow is a city in and the County seat of Barren County, Kentucky, United States. normal school was a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers 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 Kentucky General Assembly, also called the Kentucky Legislature, is the state legislature of the U The owner of the Southern Normal School, Henry Hardin Cherry, became the first president of the new school. Classes began on January 22, 1907. Events 565 - Eutychius is deposed as Patriarch of Constantinople by John Scholasticus. Year 1907 ( MCMVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year

The Spirit Makes the Master, WKU's motto, is on the pylon at the entrance to the university.
The Spirit Makes the Master, WKU's motto, is on the pylon at the entrance to the university.

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. A Master of Arts ( Latin: Magister Artium) is a Postgraduate academic Master's degree awarded by universities in a large 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. Lowell Hayes Harrison is an American Historian specializing in Kentucky.

Pierce Ford Tower, the largest dormitory at Western Kentucky University
Pierce Ford Tower, the largest dormitory at Western Kentucky University

Academics

WKU is divided into six undergraduate colleges:

An academic range of eighty majors and seventy minors are offered, toward the following degrees:

WKU also offers seventeen associate degree programs and five certificate programs. A degree is any of a wide range of status levels conferred by institutions of Higher education, such as universities, normally as the result of successfully completing An associate degree is an Academic degree awarded by Community colleges Junior colleges four-year Universities, Business colleges

The Graduate School is now the Office of Graduate Studies and Research, which offers:

Mass Media and Technology Hall, home to WKU's School of Journalism and Broadcasting, a nationally prominent program routinely ranked among the best undergraduate journalism schools in the nation.
Mass Media and Technology Hall, home to WKU's School of Journalism and Broadcasting, a nationally prominent program routinely ranked among the best undergraduate journalism schools in the nation.

WKU's Nursing, Journalism [3] and Photojournalism[4] programs rank among the best in the country. Photojournalism is a particular form of Journalism (the collecting editing and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast that creates images in order to tell The photojournalism department has won numerous awards. As of 2007, more than 25 alumni of WKU's photo and print journalism programs have been honored with the Pulitzer Prize. The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, [5] 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. The College Heights Herald is the student newspaper of Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green Kentucky. The Associated Press ( AP) is an American News agency. The AP is a Cooperative owned by its contributing Newspapers radio

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

A cooperative doctoral degree program is offered with the University of Louisville. A doctorate is an Academic degree that indicates the highest level of academic achievement The University of Louisville (also known as U of L) is a public University in Louisville, Kentucky, United States.

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

WKU is on the semester system. An academic term is a division of an academic year the time during which a School, College or University holds classes .


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. Glasgow is a city in and the County seat of Barren County, Kentucky, United States. Elizabethtown is a city in Hardin County, Kentucky, United States. Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. Owensboro is the third-largest city in the US state of Kentucky and the County seat of Daviess County.

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

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 Texas Academy of Mathematics and Science ( TAMS) is a two-year residential Early college entrance program serving approximately 380 Texans at the 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.

The Gatton Academy has 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 are able to access many Western Kentucky University courses for elective credit. Gatton Academy students take WKU courses taught by professors, and many will be open to other students on campus. All tuition, room, and board is paid for by the state with students responsible only for books and transportation.

Florence Schneider Hall at WKU is home of the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science.
Florence Schneider Hall at WKU is home of the Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science.

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

The Gatton Academy provides an environment designed for academically talented adolescent students and supports 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 are 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. On May 10th, 2008 there were 54 graduates of the inaugural class.

Athletics

Main article: Western Kentucky Hilltoppers

The men's athletic teams are known as the Hilltoppers and the women's teams as the Lady Toppers. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers is the name for all of the men's intercollegiate athletic teams that play for Western Kentucky University. Their mascot is an amorphous red blob known as Big Red. Big Red is the name given to Western Kentucky University 's mascot a red furry amorphous blob created by WKU student Ralph Carey in 1979.

Big Red, mascot of the WKU Hilltoppers, has become one of the most popular characters in collegiate sports, even appearing in a series of ESPN promotions.
Big Red, mascot of the WKU Hilltoppers, has become one of the most popular characters in collegiate sports, even appearing in a series of ESPN promotions.

In most sports, WKU has been a member of the Sun Belt Conference since 1982. The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA 's Division I since 1976. During the years 1948-82, it was a member of the Ohio Valley Conference. The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States.

The men's basketball program, led by Former Hilltopper & Texas assistant Ken McDonald, has the 16th most victories in the history of the NCAA. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations The school has made one appearance in the NCAA Final Four, in 1971. The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single elimination Tournament held each spring featuring 65 College basketball teams in the 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. In the 2008 NCAA tournament WKU entered the tourney as a 12th seed and went on to upset the #5 seed Drake Bulldogs in the first round with a last second three-pointer in the corner. The Drake Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the Drake University. They advanced to the Sweet Sixteen by defeating the #13 seed San Diego Toreros in the second round of the tournament. The University of San Diego is a Roman Catholic University in San Diego, California. They then went on to lose a closely contested and well played game to the #1 UCLA Bruins in the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament.

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. The National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA, often pronounced "N-C-Double-A" is a voluntary association of about 1200 institutions conferences organizations 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.

The Hilltopper football team belonged to the Missouri Valley Football Conference and, in 2002, they won the NCAA Division I-AA, now known as Division I FCS, National Football championship. The Missouri Valley Football Conference (formerly the Gateway Football Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern United States Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States In 2002, they renewed their annual rivalry game against cross-state rival Eastern Kentucky University. Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU by local residents is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution

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. EA Diddle Arena is a 7500-seat multi-purpose Arena in Bowling Green Kentucky.

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. Division I (or D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association in the United States 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. [6] One of the major reasons for the move is, ironically, to meet Title IX requirements. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, now known as the Patsy T 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. An athletic scholarship is a form of Scholarship to attend a College or University awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to [7]

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.

Western Kentucky Men's Basketball team defeated Middle Tennessee State in the 2008 Sun Belt Conference tournament championship game to get a bid into the 2008 NCAA Tournament. The Hilltoppers won their first-round contest against Drake University on a last-second three-pointer, and won their second round game against the University of San Diego, before losing by 10 points against UCLA in the Sweet 16. It was the 'Toppers' third appearance in the Sweet 16 but their first since 1993.

Student Body Profile

The historic Colonnade is a central fixture on The Hill, as WKU's main campus is known.
The historic Colonnade is a central fixture on The Hill, as WKU's main campus is known.

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 under-graduate 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. About 3 of every five students are female. [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. In Education, a grade (or mark is a teacher's standardized Evaluation of a Student 's work A freshman, fresher, fish, or frosh is a first-year student in an educational institution 15[1] and 24. 6%[1] had an ACT score of 24 or above. The ACT is a standardized achievement Examination for college admissions in the United States produced by ACT Inc

Greek Life

Fraternities


Sororities

Student Government Association

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. Alpha Kappa Alpha ( ΆΚΆ) is the first Greek-lettered Sorority established and incorporated by African American college women Delta Sigma Theta ( ΔΣΘ) Sorority is a Non-profit Greek letter organization of college educated women who perform public service placing emphasis on the Sigma Gamma Rho ( ΣΓΡ) was founded on the campus of Butler University on November 12, 1922, by seven school teachers in Indianapolis, Zeta Phi Beta ( ΖΦß) is an international historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Gamma Sigma Sigma (ΓΣΣ is a national service Sorority founded in October 1952 at Beekman Tower in New York City. Omega Phi Alpha (OPA O-Phi-A or ΩΦΑ is an American national service Sorority. 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.

Media and Publications

Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center, home to the College Heights Herald, the Talisman and WKUHerald.com.
Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center, home to the College Heights Herald, the Talisman and WKUHerald. com.


WKU Student Publications (Herald and Talisman) moved into a state-of-the-art new facility, the Adams-Whitaker Student Publications Center, in December 2007. The $1. 6 million complex was built through a partnership between alumni, who raised more than $1 million, and the university. The 6,500-square-foot building, across Normal Drive from the School of Journalism and Broadcasting, is named for Robert Adams and the late David B. Whitaker.

Notable alumni

Business

History

Movies and television

Music

Politics

Sports

Other notables

Notes and references

  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 Remains Among Nation's Elite In Journalism Competition, May 15, 2008
  4. ^ NATION'S JOURNALISM SCHOOLS WIN $52,500 IN HEARST PRIZES, HEARST JOURNALISM AWARDS PROGRAM, April 10, 2007 Hearst Intercollegiate Competition Winners.
  5. ^ WKU To Recognize Pulitzer Prize Recipients, October 08, 2004
  6. ^ WKU Regents Approve Move To Division 1-A (sic) Football. Western Kentucky University (2006-11-02). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Retrieved on 2006-11-03. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina.
  7. ^ Bailey, Rick (2006-10-05). Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 869 - The Fourth Council of Constantinople is convened to decide about what to do about Patriarch Photius of Constantinople State College Notebook: Toppers' switch to I-A probable. Lexington Herald-Leader. The Lexington Herald-Leader is a Newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and based in the U Retrieved on 2006-11-03. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 644 - Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, is killed by a Persian slave in Medina.
  8. ^ K.C. Armstrong - FamousWhy
  9. ^ John Carpenter - The New York Times
  10. ^ Clint Ford at the Internet Movie Database
  11. ^ Charmaine Hunt - bio
  12. ^ Matt Long at Starpulse.com
  13. ^ Charles Napier at TVSA
  14. ^ The Official Charles Napier Website
  15. ^ Michael Rosenbaum at CelebrityWonder.com
  16. ^ David Schramm at filmsglobe
  17. ^ "Local boy Jay Wilkison comes home to roost in TPAC's rendition of 'Rent'" , Nashville City Paper
  18. ^ http://www.wku.edu/textonly/hoda/93hoda.html WKU Hall of Distinguished Alumni
  19. ^ The Legacy Of Cordell Hull
  20. ^ William Natcher at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
  21. ^ Western Kentucky University Athletics Hall of Fame - Class of 1999. The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a Biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress as Western Kentucky University. Retrieved on 2006-12-18. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 218 BC - Second Punic War: Battle of the Trebia - Hannibal 's Carthaginian forces defeat those of the
  22. ^ http://www.nndb.com/people/237/000163745/
  23. ^ Terrence W. Wilcutt, Biographical Data

Other Sources

External links

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