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Western Kentucky University

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

Contents

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 1-AA National Football championship. In 2002, they renewed their annual rivalry game against cross-state rival Eastern Kentucky University.

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 men's athletic teams are known as the Hilltoppers and the women's teams as the Lady Toppers.

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.

Greek Life

Sororities

Student Government Association

Western Kentucky University does have a very active, involved, and well respected SGA.

Media and Publications

Notable alumni

Commt. and National Leadership Award 2003 - NRCC

Soap opera actress Kassie DePaiva speaks at WKU many times a year about her acting and singing career, although she never attended class there.

Charmaine Hunt, a 2000 Western Kentucky University graduate from Madisonville, is one of 18 contestants on the fifth edition of NBC’s “The Apprentice.”

External links

 

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

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