William Woods University

Last updated

William Woods University
William Woods University Seal.jpg
Other name
The Woods
Former names
Female Orphan School (1870–1899)
Daughters College (1899–1900)
William Woods College (1900–1993)
MottoAmor Vincit Omnia
Motto in English
Love Conquers All
Type Private university
Established1870;154 years ago (1870)
Accreditation HLC
Religious affiliation
 Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Endowment $25 million (2021)
President Jeremy L. Moreland
Provost Ted Blashak
Students1,681 [1]
Location
Fulton, Missouri
,
U.S.

38°51′39″N91°56′55″W / 38.8609°N 91.9485°W / 38.8609; -91.9485
CampusRural
Colors Forest Green & Maroon
   
Nickname Owls
Sporting affiliations
 NAIA – American Midwest
MascotScreech the Owl
Website www.williamwoods.edu

William Woods University is a private university in Fulton, Missouri. Founded in 1870, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Expanding its mission to address the need for graduate and adult-oriented programs, the institution became known as William Woods University in 1993. It began offering graduate degrees and admitting men as well as women into all of its programs. It enrolled 1,681 students in 2021. [1]

Contents

History

First known as the Female Orphan School, the institution was founded in 1870 in Camden Point, Missouri in response to the needs of girls who were orphaned during the American Civil War.

During the late nineteenth century, the institution moved to Fulton and expanded its elementary and secondary programs to accommodate young women who aspired to become teachers. Known briefly at the beginning of the twentieth century as Daughters College, it changed its name to William Woods College in 1900 to honor a major benefactor (William S. Woods, president of the National Bank of Commerce) and began offering a two-year college program. In 1962, anticipating dramatic changes in the role of American women in the labor force, William Woods became a four-year college.

In 1952, future U.S. President Ronald Reagan gave a commencement address at the college in which he said that he "always thought of America as a place in the divine scheme of things that was set aside as a promised land." [2] This is also a notable speech by the future President as it is one of his oldest surviving speeches. [3]

In 1992, William Woods College changed its name to William Woods University, and began offering a wide variety of graduate-level degree programs, geared toward the working adult. The university went co-education by accepting male students on campus in 1997. [4]

Campus

William Stone Woods William Stone Woods.png
William Stone Woods

The campus in Fulton includes buildings of various types. Two favorites of the campus community are Dulany Auditorium and the William S. Woods Academic Building. [5]

Dulany Auditorium was built in 1907. Mrs. D.M. Dulany contributed $7,500 toward construction of the $24,000 building in memory of her husband. The stained glass portrait windows are of D.M. Dulany, W.H. Dulany and Benjamin L. Locke, all early supporters of the college.

The William S. Woods Academic Building, or the Academic Building, as most students refer to it, is a three-story brick structure which houses administrative offices, classrooms and faculty. It was completed in 1921. [6]

Rosa Parks Center

Rosa Parks Center, a Missouri Division of Youth Services (DYS) center for incarcerated girls, is a former university dormitory at WWU. [7] It holds 10-12 girls at a time. [8] WWU students are involved with the center. DYS and WWU agreed to the joint project in 2000, and the center opened in January 2001. [9] The Rosa Parks Center is now the home for the newly announced Owl Football team, housing the coaching staff along with areas for student-athlete study and enrichment.

Student life

William Woods offers approximately 40 student organizations, including co-curricular, honorary, religious/faith-based, service/leadership, and social/academic/special interest groups. [10] [11]

Greek life

William Woods is home to three fraternities and four sororities. [12]

Athletics

The William Woods athletic teams are called the Owls. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) since the 1993–94 academic year. [13]

William Woods competes in 24 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, flag football, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, lacrosse, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; and co-ed sports include competitive cheerleading, competitive dance, and outdoor life sports.

On July 24, 2023, the school announced it would join the Heart of America Athletic Conference in 2024 as an associate member for football. [14] It will become a full member of the Heart of America in 2025.

Alumni and traditions

William Woods has more than 25,000 alumni.[ citation needed ] There are many traditions associated with the school, including the "Ivy Chain." The Ivy Ceremony marks the start of the students' college life. When they graduate, the ivy will be cut during another ceremony, held at commencement, symbolizing separation from college and the beginning of a new life. The tradition is believed to have begun more than a hundred years ago when the Class of 1899 planted ivy on the campus during a special graduation ceremony. [15]

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dartmouth College</span> Private college in Hanover, New Hampshire, US

Dartmouth College is a private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution. Emerging into national prominence at the turn of the 20th century, Dartmouth has since been considered among the most prestigious undergraduate colleges in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reed College</span> Private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon

Reed College is a private liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland neighborhood, Tudor-Gothic style architecture, and a forested canyon nature preserve at its center. Reed alumni include 123 Fulbright Scholars, 73 Watson Fellows, and three Churchill Scholars. Its 32 Rhodes Scholars are the second-most for a liberal arts college. Reed is ranked fourth in the United States for the percentage of its graduates who earn a PhD.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fulton, Missouri</span> City in Missouri, United States

Fulton is the largest city in and the county seat of Callaway County, Missouri, United States. Located about 22 miles (35 km) northeast of Jefferson City and the Missouri River and 20 miles (32 km) east of Columbia, the city is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,600 at the 2020 census. The city is home to two universities, Westminster College and William Woods University; the Missouri School for the Deaf; the Fulton State Hospital; and the Fulton Reception and Diagnostic Center state prison. Missouri's only nuclear power plant, the Callaway Plant is located 13 miles southeast of Fulton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salisbury University</span> Public university in Salisbury, Maryland, U.S.

Salisbury University is a public university in Salisbury, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1925, Salisbury University is a member of the University System of Maryland, with a fall 2022 enrollment of 7,123.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Washington University</span> Public university in Bellingham, Washington, US

Western Washington University is a public university in Bellingham, Washington, United States. The northernmost university in the contiguous United States, WWU was founded in 1893 as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School, succeeding a private school of teaching for women founded in 1886. The university adopted its present name in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenyon College</span> Private college in Gambier, Ohio, US

Kenyon College is a private liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private institution of higher education in the state of Ohio and enrolls approximately 1,800 undergraduate students. Students choose from over 50 majors, minors, and concentrations, including self-designed majors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Missouri State University</span> Public university in Springfield, Missouri, US

Missouri State University, formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second-largest university by enrollment, with an enrollment of 23,418 in the fall semester of 2023. The school also operates a two-year campus in West Plains, Missouri offering associate degrees, which had an enrollment of 1,060 in the fall semester of 2023. A bachelor's degree in business is offered at Liaoning Normal University in China. The university also operates a fruit research station in Mountain Grove, Missouri and a Department of Defense and Strategic Studies program in Fairfax, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple University</span> Public university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

Temple University is a public state-related research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was founded in 1884 by the Baptist minister Russell Conwell and his congregation at the Grace Baptist Church of Philadelphia, then called Baptist Temple. Today, Temple is the second-largest university in Pennsylvania by enrollment and awarded 9,128 degrees in the 2023-24 academic year. It has a worldwide alumni base of 378,012, with 352,175 alumni residing in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murray State University</span> Public university in Murray, Kentucky, US

Murray State University (MSU) is a public university in Murray, Kentucky, in the Southern United States. In addition to the main campus in Calloway County in southwestern Kentucky, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper-level and graduate courses in Paducah, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lindenwood University</span> Private university in St. Charles, Missouri, US

Lindenwood University is a private university in St. Charles, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1832 by George Champlin Sibley and Mary Easton Sibley as The Lindenwood School for Girls, it is the second-oldest higher-education institution west of the Mississippi River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonoma State University</span> Public university in Rohnert Park, California, US

Sonoma State University is a public university in Sonoma County, California. It is part of the California State University system. Sonoma State offers 92 bachelor's degree programs, 19 master's degree programs, and 11 teaching credentials. The university is a Hispanic-serving institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eureka College</span> Private liberal arts college in Eureka, Illinois, U.S.

Eureka College is a private college in Eureka, Illinois, that is related by covenant to the Christian Church. Enrollment in 2022 was approximately 559 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana University East</span> Public university in Richmond, Indiana, U.S.

Indiana University East is a public university in Richmond, Indiana, a regional campus of Indiana University that serves the eastern Indiana and western Ohio area. Established in 1971 by the Indiana University Board of Trustees, IU East enrolls over 4,000 students on its five-building, 174-acre campus and in online classes. IU East has 60 academic degree programs, offering bachelor's and master's degree programs and certificates in areas of Business and Economics, Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, Natural Science & Mathematics, Informatics, General Studies, Nursing and Health Sciences, and Social Work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westminster College (Missouri)</span> Private college in Fulton, Missouri, US

Westminster College is a private college in Fulton, Missouri. It was established in 1851 as Fulton College. The school enrolled 609 students in 2020. America's National Churchill Museum is a historic site located on campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Camden County College</span> Community college in Camden County, New Jersey, US

Camden County College (CCC) is a public community college in Camden County, New Jersey. Camden County College has its main campus in the Blackwood section of Gloucester Township, with satellite locations in Camden, Cherry Hill and Sicklerville. The college offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Associate in Applied Science degree programs and certificate programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Pennsylvania Band</span>

The University of Pennsylvania Band is among the most active collegiate band programs in the U.S. The organization is a part of Student Life and the Department of Athletics at the University of Pennsylvania, a private Ivy League school in Philadelphia.

Missouri Baptist University (MBU) is a private Southern Baptist university in Creve Coeur, Missouri. It is one of three universities of the Missouri Baptist Convention. The main campus is located on a 68-acre site near Creve Coeur and Town and County in West St Louis County, off highway 64-40. There are currently 12 MBU locations including its regional learning centers throughout the St. Louis region and Illinois. The school enrolled 5,309 students in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harford Community College</span> Community college in Bel Air, Maryland, U.S.

Harford Community College is a public community college in Bel Air, Maryland. It was established as Harford Junior College in September 1957 with 116 students in the buildings and on the campus of the Bel Air High School in the county seat. The Bel Air campus of 1964 occupies 332 acres (1.34 km2) and now has 21 buildings totaling over 287,000 square feet (26,700 m2).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Missouri</span> Public university in Columbia, Missouri, US

The University of Missouri is a public land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus University of Missouri System. Founded in 1839, MU was the first public university west of the Mississippi River. It has been a member of the Association of American Universities since 1908 and is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity."

The Missouri Division of Youth Services (DYS) is a state agency of Missouri that operates juvenile correctional facilities. A division of the Missouri Department of Social Services, DYS has its headquarters in Jefferson City.

References

  1. 1 2 "Trends in Headcount Enrollment, 2013-2019". Missouri Department of Higher Education . Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  2. ↑ Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Digital Collection
  3. ↑ "Reagan Quotes . Reagan . WGBH American Experience". PBS. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
  4. ↑ Mission and History | Missouri | William Woods University
  5. ↑ "Buildings". Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  6. ↑ History of WWU
  7. ↑ Charton, Scott. "Missouri juvenile justice practices praised, and copied" (Archive). Associated Press . Monday March 7, 2005. Retrieved on December 23, 2015.
  8. ↑ "House Resolution No. 4910" (Archive). Missouri House of Representatives. Retrieved on December 23, 2015.
  9. ↑ "William Woods University (Fulton, MO) Rosa Parks Center" (Archive). Council of Independent Colleges (CIC). Retrieved on December 23, 2015.
  10. ↑ "More about student organizations". Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  11. ↑ "More about multicultural affairs". Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  12. ↑ "More about Greek Life". Archived from the original on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
  13. ↑ Mosley, Josh (March 8, 2011). "Lady Owls fall in AMC tournament title game". Fulton Sun. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
  14. ↑ "William Woods football joins Heart of America conference" ABC 17 News. Retrieved 2023-07-26.
  15. ↑ "Read the article about commencement 2010 to see the Ivy Chain Ceremony in action" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2010.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.