Western Michigan University (WMU) is a public university established in 1903 by Dwight B. Waldo. When the school first opened, it was known as the Western State Normal School but was renamed Western State Teachers College in 1927 and Western Michigan College of Education in 1941. On February 26, 1957 Governor G. Mennen Williams signed into law a bill making Western Michigan College the state's fourth public university.
WMU's main campus is located in Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. As of the 2008–2009 school year, the school has an enrollment of 24,818.[1] The school is the fifth largest university in the state of Michigan.The school's mascot is Buster Bronco, and the school colors are brown and gold.
WMU's College of Aviation is one of the largest aviation programs in the United States; the university is also noted for its Paper Engineering and Behavior Analysis programs, as well as for the Haworth College of Business and Army ROTC program. WMU's theatre department has also produced many talented individuals working in the entertainment industry throughout the country. Additionally, the WMU School of Music is recognized as offering some of the best programs in the Nation for those with musical interests and aspirations.[citation needed]
WMU's expansion projects include a new Business and Technology park for research, a new aviation campus in Battle Creek, Michigan, and extensive building renovation and restoration in the Kalamazoo campus, as well as a new chemistry building and a visual arts center.
WMU is the site of the annual International Congress on Medieval Studies.
Academics
The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching places WMU among the 76 public institutions in the nation designated as research universities with high research activity. U.S. News & World Report's annual ranking of American colleges and universities includes WMU as one of the nation's top-100 public universities. Princeton Review included Western Michigan on its 'best Midwestern colleges' list for two years in a row. The University also had six Fulbright Scholars, the most of any school in the state of Michigan in 2006, these individuals are recognized for increasing understanding between the United States and other countries.
The university offers 254 degree programs through 9 colleges. The colleges that are part of WMU are: the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Aviation, the Haworth College of Business, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the College of Fine Arts, the College of Health and Human Services, the Lee Honors College, and the Graduate College.
The Haworth College of Business operates out of Arnold Schneider Hall. The school is named for an alumnus, who gave a gift of $5,000,000 towards the construction of Schneider Hall, and later served on the school's board of directors. Aside from having a nationally recognized undergraduate business program, the Haworth College of Business has one of the oldest and most successful Master of Business Administration (MBA) programs in the state. It also is the sixth largest college of business in the country, with over 5,200 students.
Campus
WMU’s campuses encompass more than 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) and roughly 150 buildings. Western is divided into five campuses in and near Kalamazoo:
West Campus
Stewart Clocktower, flanked by Waldo Library to the left, and the University Computing Center.
West Campus is the primary and largest WMU campus in Kalamazoo, and is usually referred to as "Main Campus." Most of the university academic and administrative buildings are located on West Campus, including the College of Arts and Sciences, Haworth College of Business, College of Education, College of Fine Arts, and the Lee Honors College. Many of the residence halls are found scattered throughout West Campus, while other dormitories (affectionately referred to as "The Valleys") are located quite a distance away from West Campus in Goldsworth Valley.
The Bernhard Center is a centrally located multi-purpose building to provide student and community groups with meeting space. Located within the Bernhard Center is the Bronco Mall, a one-stop-shop for students which includes a large 24-hour computer lab, a food court and dining area, a full service bank, and one of two school bookstores. Waldo Library and the attached University Computing Center are located on West Campus, as is the Dalton Musical Center. Recently constructed buildings on West Campus include the Richmond Center for Visual Arts and the new Chemistry Building, which replaces aging McCracken Hall.
McCracken hall is also the location of the Paper pilot plant. The plant handles research and small on-site production trials of paper for the university and private clients.
West Campus is also the site of Miller Auditorium. A large entertainment venue seating nearly 3500 people, it is Michigan's fourth largest auditorium. Miller Auditorium hosts many events ranging from popular musicals and concerts to graduation commencements and film screenings. The Gilmore Theater Complex is located directly next to Miller Auditorium, and features three performance stages and faculty offices. The Richmond Center for Visual Arts was added to the Fine Arts Complex in 2007, then South Kohrman Hall was renovated into the Kohrman Hall Studios in 2008. Both house the Gwen Frostic School of Art.
East Campus
East Campus is the original development dating from when the university was founded in 1903. It contains many of the university's historical buildings including, East Hall, West Hall, North Hall, Walwood Hall, Spindler Hall, Vandercook Hall, and The Little Theater. Many of these buildings are located on a hill overlooking the city of Kalamazoo.
Oakland Drive Campus
The Oakland Drive Campus is the university's newest land acquisition. It is home to the university's College of Health and Human Services and the WMU Army ROTC program.
Parkview Campus
College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Parkview Campus
The Parkview Campus is home to the University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the Business Technology and Research Park. Erected in 2003, the $72.5 million building is 343,000 square feet (31,900 m2) and features two two-story 600-foot (180 m) wings connected by a middle glass enclosure. The state of the art campus is located about 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of the main campus. Students often commute to the campus via a free shuttle bus that runs Monday through Friday between the main campus and the engineering college.
The 265-acre (1.07 km2) campus contains the paper coating plant with space available for the paper pilot plant on west campus. The school offers 16 undergraduate engineering, technology and applied sciences programs, while the graduate level, the College of Engineering offers 11 master programs, and 5 doctoral programs.
College of Aviation
The College of Aviation offers the only comprehensive aviation program at a public university in Michigan, and with over 900 undergraduate students, is one of the largest (top 3) aviation programs in the nation. Backed by over 60 years of history and a strong industry reputation, the College of Aviation is a powerful force in the cutting edge aviation training.
The College of Aviation's vision is to establish and maintain state-of-the-art, world-class professional aviation programs that are among the best in the world. The COA is examining various methods of teaching and pioneering revolutionary new methods of instruction designed to improve a pilot's ability to fly and to work efficiently with a crew. The COA strives to produce graduates who think critically, communicate effectively, and participate meaningfully and ethically in the dynamic field of aviation.
College facilities
The College of Aviation's ability to deliver this comprehensive education is enhanced by its state-of-the-art facilities in Battle Creek, Michigan at WK Kellogg Field
Branch campuses
Western Michigan University also has several branch campuses that offer education to more than 6,000 students each year. These branch campuses are located in various cities throughout Michigan:
Student life
Students enjoying WMU's Main Campus on a spring day.
Western Michigan offers a wide range of activities and student organizations for its students to get involved with. There are currently over 300 registered student organizations that students may join. Students are welcomed to school each year with Bronco Bash, an event with live entertainment performances and booths sponsored by student and community organizations.
Entertainment
The Campus Activities Board CAB is the main student organization responsible for bringing entertainment events for students. Some events the organization sponsors include "At The Show" concerts, "Bernie's After Hours" comedians, "Special Events Live" and "Miller Movies," presented at the school's main theater, Miller Auditorium. CAB sponsors both Bronco Bash and WMU's student Homecoming activities.
Others include the Student Entertainment Team, or SET. SET is a student organization dedicated to providing recreational, educational, cultural, and creative programming for WMU students and the community. SET brings free entertainment to Center Stage (in the Bronco Mall) including comedians, musical acts, game shows, and cultural events.
Student government
2009-2010 Student Body President Nate Knappen and Vice President Janine Putnam.
The Western Student Association (WSA) is the primary body of student government at Western Michigan University. Current Student Body President Nate Knappen (Grand Rapids, MI) won his seat against challenger Stacey Nordstrand. [2] Along with Knappen, Janine Putnam (Clinton Township, MI) serves as Student Body Vice-President. Andrew Ladd currently serves as the Speaker of the Senate.
Social groups
WMU sponsors or recognizes several groups aimed towards personal and social development. This includes Faith and Spiritual Development, LBGT Student Services, Greek Life, services for International Students, Multicultural Affairs, Off-Campus Life, and Sponsored Student Organizations.
Student groups
Placement of the Chemistry Building generated much controversy from student groups because it displaced a large portion of greenery in the center of West Campus. A temporary outdoor plaza was constructed outside of Sangren Hall in 2007 to replace the greenery. However, this also generated controversy and protests among students and faculty because of its aesthetic characteristics and costs. One such protest by a student group involved requesting the financial records of the construction and using chalk to depict the costs of each item on the plaza[3].
A controversy of a mandatory living wage for full time employees of the university is currently being disputed by both the university and students.
The College Republicans at Western Michigan University were voted "Best College Republican Chapter in the Country" in 2006[4].
Fraternities and sororities
Some of the fraternities established on campus include Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Tau Omega, Delta Chi, Delta Sigma Phi, Delta Sigma Pi, Lambda Chi Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Phi Beta Sigma, Phi Chi Theta, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Phi Sigma Kappa, Pi Kappa Phi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Chi, Sigma Lambda Beta, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Sigma Pi and Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Some of the sororities established on WMU's campus are Alpha Omicron Pi, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Alpha Phi, Alpha Xi Delta, Chi Omega, Delta Sigma Theta, Delta Zeta, Pi Beta Phi, Sigma Gamma Rho, Sigma Kappa, Sigma Lambda Gamma and Zeta Phi Beta.
Health services
Western Michigan University students and faculty are served by Sindecuse Health Center. Resources include full clinical, diagnostic, and nursing services, health promotion options, sports medicine and therapy, dental services, and a pharmacy. Sindecuse Health Center is located on West Campus.
Athletics
Fight song
Fight on, fight on for Western!
Take the ball, make the score
Win the game
Onward for the brown and gold
Push 'em back, push 'em back!
Bring us fame!
Fight on, fight on for Western!
Over one, over all, We will reign!
Fight, Broncos fight!
Fight with all your might!
Western win this game!
Alma mater
Western we sing to you, brown and gold
Western we bring to you faith untold
You challenge and inspire,
Your hope is our desire,
We sing to you our alma mater, brown and gold!
Official seal
In 1957, WMU art professor John Kemper drafted a sketch that would eventually be adopted as the official seal of WMU. The design has four main components—five stars, a tree, a stone arch, and a pyramid. The five stars symbolize the main academic units in place when WMU gained university status—the schools of Applied Arts and Sciences, Business, Education, Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Graduate Studies. The tree signifies the University's continuing growth, while its roots acknowledge the institution's firm planting through its creation by the Michigan Legislature in 1903. The stone arch symbolizes a gateway to knowledge as well as solid growth, while the missing keystone indicates the University's growth is incomplete, with much more remaining to be accomplished and discovered. The pyramid stands for the building of knowledge and features a flame at its apex to signify enlightenment—WMU's true purpose.
Presidents
Notable alumni
External links
- Official Sites
- Athletic Message Boards
References
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Coordinates: 42°16′59″N 85°36′55″W / 42.283178°N 85.615219°W / 42.283178; -85.615219
