Wayne State College

Not to be confused with Wayne State University or Wayne College.

Wayne State College

Former names	List Nebraska Normal College (1891–1909) [1] Nebraska State Normal College (1910–1921) Nebraska State Normal College and Teachers College (1921–1949) Nebraska State Teachers College at Wayne (1949–1963) [2]
Type	Public college
Established	1910;115 years ago (1910)
President	Marysz Rames
Students	4,202
Location	Wayne, Nebraska , U.S.
Campus	Rural, 128 acres (52 ha)
Colors	Black and gold
Nickname	Wildcats
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – NSIC
Website	wsc.edu

Wayne State College (WSC) is a public college in Wayne, Nebraska. It is part of the Nebraska State College System and enrolls 4,202 students. The college opened as a public normal school in 1910 after the state purchased the private Nebraska Normal College (established 1891). The State Normal College became State Normal School and Teacher's College in 1921. This was changed to Nebraska State Teachers College at Wayne in 1949 and the present name was adopted in 1963. ^[3]

Academics

Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023 ^[4]

Race and ethnicity	Total
White	78%	78<div style="width:156px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:cyan
Hispanic	10%	10<div style="width:20px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:green
International student	5%	5<div style="width:10px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:#008080
Two or more races	3%	3<div style="width:6px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:violet
Black	3%	3<div style="width:6px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:purple
American Indian/Alaska Native	1%	1<div style="width:2px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:yellow
Asian	1%	1<div style="width:2px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:orange
Economic diversity
Low-income [a]	34%	34<div style="width:68px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:red
Affluent [b]	66%	66<div style="width:132px;height:2ex;background:#aaa;color:inherit;background:black

Academic rankings
Regional
U.S. News & World Report [5]	96 of 165

Hahn Administration Building on Wayne State campus

Wayne State offers 130 different programs of study in four Schools: Arts and Humanities, Business and Technology, Education and Counseling, and Natural and Social Sciences. Wayne State also offers classes at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska and through a satellite college in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Ranking

For 2024, U.S. News & World Report ranked Wayne State tied for No.96 out of 165 Regional Universities Midwest, No.32 in Regional Universities Midwest Top Public Schools, and tied for No.92 in Regional Universities Midwest Top Performers on Social Mobility. ^[6]

Undergraduate admissions

Wayne State has an open admission policy, admitting all applicants so long as certain minimum requirements are met. In 2024, those enrolled had an average 3.36 high school GPA. ^[7]

Athletics

Main article: Wayne State Wildcats

Wayne State athletic teams are the Wildcats. The college is a member of the Division II level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in all sports since the 1999–2000 academic year. The Wildcats previously competed in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; as well as in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) as a provisional member during the 1989–90 school year.

Notable alumni

• Greg L. Adams, state senator and Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature ^[8]
• Thomas M. Carsey, Professor of Political Science
• Byron Chamberlain, football player ^[9]
• Lamart Cooper, football player
• Charlie Janssen, state senator in the Nebraska Legislature ^[10]
• James Keogh, journalist and political adviser, Assistant Managing Editor of Time , Special Assistant to President Richard Nixon, Director U.S. Information Agency
• Connie Kunzmann, basketball player ^[11]
• John H. Kyl, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Assistant Secretary Dept. of the Interior 1973–1977 ^[12]
• Gale McGee, Democratic U.S. Senator from Wyoming 1959–1977, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States ^[13]
• Ruben Mendoza, football player ^[14]
• Hilda Neihardt, historian
• John Neihardt, Poet Laureate of Nebraska, author of Black Elk Speaks
• Brad Ottis, football player ^[15]
• Val Peterson, Governor of Nebraska 1947–1953, Director of Federal Civil Defense Administration, U.S. Ambassador to Denmark and Finland ^[16]
• Rosie Ruiz, fraudster
• Brett Salisbury, football player and author of The Transform Diet ^[17]
• Tom Sherlock, British Basketball League forward
• Kevin Swayne, football player ^[18]
• David Townsend, Art Director for MGM
• Brian Wansink, Cornell University professor and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
• Norma Wendelburg, composer
• DaVarryl Williamson, boxer

See also

• Wayne State College Arboretum

Notes

1. The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
2. The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

References

1. "History of Wayne State College: Nebraska Normal School". wsc.edu. Wayne State College. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
2. "History of Wayne State College: New Generation of Students". wsc.edu. Wayne State College. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
3. "Wayne State College". The European Education Directory. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
4. "College Scorecard: Wayne State College". College Scorecard. United States Department of Education . Retrieved June 23, 2025.
5. "2024-2025 Best Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report . September 23, 2024. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
6. "Wayne State College". usnews.com. U.S. News & World Report . Retrieved 6 October 2024.
7. "Wayne State College Admission Requirements". collegesimply.com. CollegeSimply | U.S. Department of Education National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
8. "Senator Greg Adams' Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved March 12, 2014.
9. "Byron Chamberlain". databaseFootball.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
10. "Senator Charlie Janssen's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
11. "Connie Kunzmann; Inducted: 1986". wsc.edu. Wayne State College. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
12. "John H. Kyl". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
13. "Gale W. McGee". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
14. "Ruben Mendoza". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
15. "Brad Ottis". Pro-Football-Reference.Com. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
16. "Nebraska Governor Frederick Valdemar Erastus (Val) Peterson". National Governors Association. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
17. "Brett Salisbury". Wayne State College Wildcats. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
18. "Kevin Swayne". NFL.com. Retrieved 17 October 2012.

External links

• Official website
• Athletics website

42°14′28″N97°00′54″W / 42.24111°N 97.01500°W / 42.24111; -97.01500