University of Northern Colorado

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University of Northern Colorado
University of Northern Colorado seal.svg
Former names
State Normal School of Colorado (1889–1935)
Colorado State College of Education at Greeley (1935–1957)
Colorado State College (1957–1970)
MottoSapientia in aeternum est (Latin)
Motto in English
Wisdom is Eternal
Type Public university
EstablishedApril 1, 1889;135 years ago (1889-04-01)
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
Endowment $111.9 million (2023) [1]
President Andy Feinstein
Provost Kirsten Fleming [2]
Academic staff
686 [3]
Students8,869 (Fall 2024) [4]
Undergraduates 6,480 (Fall 2024) [4]
Postgraduates 2,389 (Fall 2024) [4]
Location, ,
United States
CampusSuburban
260 acres (1.1 km2) [3]
Colors Blue and gold [5]
   
Nickname Bears
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I FCSBig Sky
MascotKlawz the Bear
Website unco.edu OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
University of Northern Colorado logo.svg
Normal School, Greeley, Colorado (1902) Normal School, Greeley, Colorado (The Journal of Education, 1902).png
Normal School, Greeley, Colorado (1902)
West Campus, Bear Mascot Statue. Bishop Lehr Hall is visible on the right, and McKee Hall of Education and Ross Hall of Science are on the left. UNCBEARWEST.jpg
West Campus, Bear Mascot Statue. Bishop Lehr Hall is visible on the right, and McKee Hall of Education and Ross Hall of Science are on the left.

The University of Northern Colorado (UNCO) (previously abbreviated as UNC)is a public university in Greeley, Colorado, United States. [6] It was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. [7]

Contents

The institution has officially changed its name three times, first to Colorado State College of Education, at Greeley on February 16, 1935, Colorado State College on February 11, 1957, and its current form since May 1, 1970. [8]

Approximately 10,000 students are enrolled in six colleges. Extended campus locations are in Loveland, Denver/Aurora, and Colorado Springs. [9] UNCO's 19 athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Big Sky Conference. [9]

Academic rankings
National
U.S. News & World Report [10] 352

Campus

UNC's Snyder Hall, a dormitory on Central Campus Snyder Hall.jpg
UNC's Snyder Hall, a dormitory on Central Campus

The campus is divided into two main areas: central and west. UNCO's Central Campus includes the areas north of 20th Street and west of 8th Avenue in Greeley, Colorado. The residence halls on Central Campus have been designated a state historic district. [11]

Organization

The board of trustees for the university oversees the administration and approves the university annual budget. Several members of the university's administrative team are ex officio members of the board. [12]

Presidents

The university has had 13 presidents since its establishment: [13]

College of Performing and Visual Arts

The College of Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) is an arts community of practitioners, scholars, and learners representing a range of arts traditions and disciplines. [15]

UNCO has a tradition as an arts institution and its main college offices, located in Guggenheim Hall, are one of the oldest buildings on campus. [16]

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022
Race and ethnicity [17] Total
White 63%63
 
Hispanic 23%23
 
Other [a] 6%6
 
Black 5%5
 
Asian 2%2
 
Foreign national 1%1
 
Economic diversity
Low-income [b] 35%35
 
Affluent [c] 65%65
 

Athletics

Northern Colorado Athletics wordmark UNC Bears.png
Northern Colorado Athletics wordmark

Sports teams at the school are called Bears. Northern Colorado joined the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2006. The school mascot is Klawz the Bear and the school colors are navy blue and gold. The Fight Song is the "UNC Fight Song". Northern Colorado's Athletic Director is Darren Dunn.

A number of the university's alumni have gone on to have professional sports careers. Vincent Jackson attended and played football at Northern Colorado from 2001 to 2004 before being drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL draft. Other football alumni of the school include punter Dirk Johnson, quarterback Kyle Sloter, safety Reed Doughty, and defensive lineman Aaron Smith.

Before upgrading to NCAA Division I in 2006, UNCO was a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1923 to 1972 and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–76). Following several years of being conference independent, the university joined the North Central Conference. The Bears have won two Division II Football National Championships in 1996 and 1997. On March 9, 2011, the Bears won the Big Sky Conference tournament championship in men's basketball, clinching a trip to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the first in the school's history. The Northern Colorado men's baseball program also ranks among the top 15 schools for most all-time NCAA College World Series appearances, tied with the University of Oklahoma at ten appearances apiece. The Northern Colorado women's softball team appeared in the first eleven Women's College World Series ever held in 1969–1979, advancing to but losing the title game in 1974. [18]

Mascots

The university's mascot, "Klawz" 2005 1029Homecoming0142.JPG
The university's mascot, "Klawz"

The bear became UNCO's mascot in 1923. Before the school adopted the bear, athletes used the nickname "the Teachers." [19] The bear was said to be inspired by a bear on top of an Alaskan totem pole donated by an 1897 alumnus in 1914. The totem pole was kept in the University Center, but under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, the pole was reclaimed by the Tlingit in 2003.

Klawz is the newest addition to the long line of Bears mascots.

Notable alumni

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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References

  1. "Endowment & Stewardship Report" (PDF). University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
  2. "Office of the Provost" . Retrieved June 24, 2022.
  3. 1 2 "About The University of Northern Colorado".
  4. 1 2 3 "2024 Fall Final Enrollment Profile" (PDF). unco.edu.
  5. UNC Style Guide (PDF). March 1, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
  6. "About the University of Northern Colorado". About UNC. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  7. The Campus History Series, University of Northern Colorado, by Mark Anderson and Jay Trask, 2010, Arcadia Publishing
  8. Institution Names University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved September 8, 2020
  9. 1 2 UNC Impact 2014. University of Northern Colorado.
  10. "2024-2025 Best National Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report . September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  11. "Weld County". Colorado Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation. December 28, 2010. Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  12. "Board of Trustees for the University of Northern Colorado".
  13. "Past Presidents".
  14. "President Andy Feinstein at the University of Northern Colorado". Office of the President. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  15. Wild, Stephi (March 26, 2022). "Edward W. Hardy, Georgina Escobar, and More Will Present at UNCO's First Arts Equity Summit". Broadway World.
  16. Schuhardt, Sara (February 25, 2022). "College of Performing and Visual Arts | University of Northern Colorado". College of Performing and Visual Arts.
  17. "College Scorecard: University of Northern Colorado". United States Department of Education . Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  18. Plummer, William; Floyd, Larry C. (2013). A Series Of Their Own: History Of The Women's College World Series. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States: Turnkey Communications Inc. ISBN   978-0-9893007-0-4.
  19. Various The Mirrors and Cache La Poudres

Further reading

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