Eastern Washington University

Last updated

Eastern Washington University
Eastern Washington University Seal.svg
Former names
Eastern Washington State College (1961–1977)
Eastern Washington College of Education (1937–1961)
State Normal School at Cheney (1889–1937)
Benjamin P. Cheney Academy (1882–1889) [1]
Type Public university
EstablishedApril 3, 1882;142 years ago (April 3, 1882) [2]
Accreditation NWCCU
Academic affiliations
COP [3]
Endowment $32.1 million (2023) [4]
Budget$223.3 million (2022) [5]
President Shari McMahan
Provost Jonathan Anderson
Academic staff
802
Administrative staff
830
Students10,915 (2022) [6]
Location
Cheney
,
Washington
,
United States

47°29′29″N117°34′59″W / 47.49139°N 117.58306°W / 47.49139; -117.58306
CampusFringe town [7] , 300 acres (120 ha)
Other campuses [8]
NewspaperThe Easterner
Colors Red and white [9]
  
Nickname Eagles
Sporting affiliations
 NCAA Division I FCS – Big Sky
Mascot Swoop
Website www.ewu.edu
Eastern Washington University Logo.png
Washington State Normal School at Cheney
Showalter Hall - Eastern Washington University.jpg
Showalter Hall at Eastern Washington University, viewed northwest from 5th Street
NRHP reference No. 92001287
Added to NRHPOctober 1, 1992
USA Washington location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Location in Washington (state)
USA Region West location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Eastern Washington University (USA West)

Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington, United States. [10] It shares its satellite campus in Spokane, Washington with Washington State University.

Contents

Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; the College of Health Science & Public Health; the College of Professional Programs; and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics.

History

The city of Cheney, then known as Depot Springs, was surveyed in 1880 along the tracks of the Northern Pacific Railroad; [11] : 3  expressman Benjamin Pierce Cheney was a member of that railroad's board of directors. Officials renamed the city for Cheney by October 1880, [11] : 6  prompting him to donate $10,000 to establish the Benjamin P. Cheney Academy in 1882 on an 8-acre (3.2 ha) site at present-day Showalter Hall. [11] : 8  At the time, the school was a private institution losing pupils to the competing public school district; after Washington was admitted to the union in 1889, the Enabling Act allowed the establishment of normal schools in the new state and in 1890 the school was renamed the State Normal School at Cheney to train future elementary school teachers. [11] : 22–24  The first class of teachers began their studies on October 13, 1890, under the administration of W. W. Gillette (principal) and William J. Sutton (vice principal). [12]

Pomeroy Building, which served as the temporary home of Cheney Normal School for 1893-96 (photographed in 2015) Pomeroy Building - Cheney Washington.jpg
Pomeroy Building, which served as the temporary home of Cheney Normal School for 1893–96 (photographed in 2015)

The campus was almost totally destroyed twice by fire in 1891 and 1912, but was rebuilt each time. On August 27, 1891, while the original 1882 Cheney Academy building was being expanded, the first fire destroyed the building and unfinished addition, [11] : 9  and classes were moved to the Pomeroy building in downtown Cheney temporarily. Sutton took over as principal in 1892 and spearheaded an appropriation of $60,000 in 1895 from the state for a new building, completed in 1896 at the site of the former Academy building. [11] : 30  Sutton resigned in 1897, and shortly afterward, Governor John R. Rogers vetoed funding for the fledgling school, forcing it to cancel classes for the 1897–98 school year. Locals provided enough funding to operate the school in 1898, and state funding resumed in 1899. [12]

Noah D. Showalter was elected president of the Normal School in 1911, just before the second fire destroyed the 1896 building on April 24, 1912. Like Sutton before him, Showalter urged the state to pass an appropriation of $300,000 to pay for a new building; after Governor Ernest Lister vetoed the appropriation, the veto was overridden by the legislature under the leadership of Sutton, then serving as a State Senator. [12]

Julius Zittel was selected to design the new administration building, which was dedicated on May 22, 1915, and later renamed to Showalter Hall in 1940. The Herculean Pillars, at the intersection of 5th and College, were also completed in 1915, using materials salvaged from the 1896 Normal School building, and served as the entrance to the school for those arriving from the downtown train station. [12]

Cheney Normal School continued to grow, opening its first dormitories in 1916 (Monroe Hall), 1920 (Senior Hall), and 1923 (Sutton Hall); in 1929, it completed the President's House (now University House), to serve as the residence for the school's president. All were designed by Zittel. [12] A new building to house the Training School for future teachers was opened in 1937 and named Martin Hall to honor Governor and local resident Clarence Martin. [12] That same year, Cheney Normal School was renamed to Eastern Washington College of Education. On June 4, 1940, the new campus library was opened as Hargreaves Hall (designed by Rasque), and the former administration building was formally dedicated to Noah Showalter. [12]

Hargreaves Hall (photographed in 2015) Hargreaves Hall - Eastern Washington University.jpg
Hargreaves Hall (photographed in 2015)

The school grew quickly following World War II and became Eastern Washington State College in 1961. During this era, Eastern added various graduate and undergraduate degree programs. In 1977, the school's name was changed to Eastern Washington University by the Washington State Legislature. [13]

In 1992, the core of the campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [14] [15]

In July 2024, amid a continuing drop in enrollment and inability to differentiate itself with the other regional universities in Washington (Western Washington University and Central Washington University), university president Shari McMahan announced that EWU would rebrand to a polytechnic university, emphasizing applied and experiential learning over theoretical discussions. The change drew criticism from students and faculty in the humanities, fearing that arts-related programs would be reduced or overlooked in the change. [16] The university plans to expand internship opportunities and work with employers to offer more degrees for in-demand fields. [17]

Campus locations

The main campus of Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney. A branch campus, known as the Riverpoint Campus is located nearby in Spokane and is shared with Washington State University.[ citation needed ]

EWU also offers degree programs located in Bellevue, Everett, Seattle, Longview, and Vancouver (Washington). [18]

Academics

EWU offers over 100 fields of study, 10 master's degrees, seven graduate certificates, 55 graduate programs of study and an applied doctoral program of physical therapy. [19] A master's in social work is offered in Everett and Vancouver, and a master's in education is available in Kent. A creative writing Master of Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, Child & Family Outreach Program, Communication Studies, Social Work Program (part-time Master's), Journalism, Alcohol & Drug Studies, and Counseling Education & Developmental Psychology programs are offered in Spokane.[ citation needed ]

Admissions

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies the university as Inclusive, since the university admitted eighty-two percent of those who applied to be freshmen in 2010. The average incoming freshman had a combined SAT score of 970 and a high-school weighted grade-point average (GPA) of 3.17 in 2010. 86% of freshmen in 2010 were from Washington.[ citation needed ]

Rankings

Academic rankings
Regional
U.S. News & World Report [20] 53



Research institutes & centers

Eastern Washington University is home to a number of research institutes and centers, including:

Student life

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022
Race and ethnicity [22] Total
White 58%58
 
Hispanic 19%19
 
Other [a] 13%13
 
Black 4%4
 
Asian 3%3
 
Foreign national 3%3
 
Native American 1%1
 
Pacific Islander 1%1
 
Economic diversity
Low-income [b] 43%43
 
Affluent [c] 57%57
 

Pence Union Building (PUB)

The Pence Union Building, or PUB, is the community center for Eastern Washington University.[ citation needed ]

University Recreation Center (URC)

The University Recreation Center (URC) is a three-level 117,699-square-foot (10,934.6 m2) recreational facility that was opened on campus in 2008. The facility has a 19,455-square-foot (1,807.4 m2) multi-purpose arena that can operate as an ice rink and general-purpose sports floor, 30-foot (9.1 m) indoor climbing wall with 11 routes (one simulating ice climbing) and two bouldering walls, an indoor parking garage, 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) fitness center and gymnasium, campus dining facility known as "The Roost" and a two-Lane 200-meter running track.[ citation needed ]

The Easterner

The Easterner is the student newspaper of Eastern Washington University. The paper is distributed in print form during the fall, winter, and spring quarters on a weekly basis. The Easterner maintains a website [23] and Facebook page, [24] both independent from the university. The first student newspaper, The State Normal School Journal, was first in 1916. The weekly publication changed its name to The Easterner in 1951. [25]

Student organizations and Greek life

The student body's government, the Associated Students of Eastern Washington University, dates to 1919–1920, and organizes the work of a wide range of student committees. The Office of Student Activities oversees more than 100 student clubs and organizations on campus that cater to a wide variety of interests and activities.[ citation needed ] EWU is the only regional university in Washington that has an active Greek system on campus.

Athletics

Roos Field EWU-Roos-Field.jpg
Roos Field

Eastern Washington University offers club, intramural, and varsity sports. Its twelve varsity men's and women's sports teams compete in the Big Sky Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as the Eastern Washington Eagles. The most-prominent athletics facilities on campus are Roos Field, Reese Court and the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse. EWU has three national championships, including football (2010 – NCAA Div. I FCS), wrestling (1977 – NAIA) and men's cross country (1982 – NCAA Div. II).[ citation needed ]

FIRST Robotics Competition events have been held there, including the Pacific Northwest District regional, since 2014. [26] The venue has since been switched to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Portland, Oregon). [27]

Notable alumni

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Eastern Washington Fieldhouse was a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Cheney, Washington. It was home to the Eastern Washington State College (EWSC) Eagles basketball team until the Reese Court opened in 1975. The facility was destroyed by fire on April 25, 1977.

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The 1891 State Normal School at Cheney fire was a conflagration on the morning of August 27, 1891, that consumed the only building then housing the State Normal School at Cheney in Cheney, Washington. There were no deaths, but the destruction of the building sparked a multi-year battle with the governor and state legislature regarding whether the normal school would be shuttered, or whether the state would authorize funds for the construction of a replacement building.

Mary Ann Monroe was a prominent teacher and school administrator in Spokane, Washington, and an active figure in education across the state of Washington. She was the first woman to serve as president of the Washington Education Association and the first woman on the board of trustees at the State Normal School at Cheney. She ran unsuccessfully for the office of Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction in 1912, but was active in civic and state politics in the early 20th century.

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Charles V. Mutschler was an archivist and Interim Dean of Eastern Washington University Libraries. He served as Assistant Archivist and Acting University Archivist and was hired as University Archivist in 2001. He became Interim Dean in 2018.

The Associated Students of Eastern Washington University (ASEWU) is the student government for the undergraduate and graduate student body at Eastern Washington University (EWU). The organization was first established in what was then the State Normal School at Cheney when its constitution was approved for the 1919–1920 academic year, and its initial class of officers were elected. ASEWU has played an important role in the life and landscape of EWU, including raising funds for multiple student union building projects over the course of the 20th and early 21st centuries.

References

  1. ↑ "A History of Eastern Washington University". ewu.org. Eastern Washington University. Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  2. ↑ "EWU – Facts at a Glance". ewu.edu.
  3. ↑ "About -Council of Presidents".
  4. ↑ As of July 31, 20223. Asset Class Performance (PDF) (Report). Retrieved December 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ "2022 FINANCIAL REPORT" (PDF).
  6. ↑ "Student Enrollment & Demographics (Old Factbook)".
  7. ↑ "IPEDS-Eastern Washington University".
  8. ↑ "Locations".
  9. ↑ EWU Identity Standards (PDF). Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Eastern Washington University is The Region's Polytechnic". ewu.edu. Eastern Washington University. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Oliphant, J. Orin (1924). History of the State Normal School at Cheney, Washington. Inland-American Printing Company. Retrieved December 30, 2019. Alternative link, transcribed to HTML
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "National Register Information System – Washington State Normal School at Cheney Historic District (#92001287)". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  13. ↑ Davis, Hugh (June 14, 1977). "Eastern changes few". Spokane Daily Chronicle. p. 19.
  14. ↑ Emerson, Stephen (April 1992), National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Washington State Normal School at Cheney Historic District (PDF), retrieved February 5, 2015.
  15. ↑ National Park Service (October 9, 1992), Weekly List of Actions Taken on Properties: 9/28/92 through 10/08/92 (PDF), archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2009, retrieved February 5, 2015
  16. ↑ "EWU rebrands itself polytechnic, while shifting its definition | The Spokesman-Review". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  17. ↑ Coenjaerts, Nick (September 24, 2024). "Eastern Washington transitions to polytechnic model for workforce readiness". KXLY kxly.com. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  18. ↑ "EWU Off Campus" . Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  19. ↑ "EWU – Programs by College/School". ewu.edu.
  20. ↑ "2024-2025 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report . September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  21. ↑ "Women's and Gender Education Center | Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies | College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences | Eastern Washington University" . Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  22. ↑ "College Scorecard: Eastern Washington University". United States Department of Education . Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  23. ↑ "The Easterner: The independent, student-run news site of Eastern Washington University" . Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  24. ↑ "@TheEasterner". The Easterner. Retrieved May 12, 2024.
  25. ↑ Perry, Rosie (October 6, 2016). "Editor's Note". The Easterner Vol. 100. No. 2. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  26. ↑ "The Blue Alliance". The Blue Alliance. February 28, 2014. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  27. ↑ "2024 Pacific Northwest FIRST District Championship". The Blue Alliance. April 3, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2023.

Notes

  1. ↑ Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.
  2. ↑ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
  3. ↑ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.
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