When was wku founded

The first such degrees were awarded in The Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College campus expanded in when it merged with Ogden College, a private young men's school located on the east side of the Hill. The name was shortened to Western Kentucky State Teachers College in , and the following year the master of arts degree was first offered.

President Cherry died in and was succeeded by Paul Garrett. Under Dr. Thompson, both Western's curriculum and its campus underwent major reorganization and expansion.

Thompson remained president until At that time, Dero Downing became president and served until Downing had taught at WKU prior to becoming president. Downing retired.

He served until July 31, , when Donald Zacharias was appointed president. At the time of Dr. Minton's retirement in , he held the position of Vice President for Student Affairs. More colleges and reorganization followed throughout the years as WKU continued to expand. The Bowling Green Community College was established in Kern Alexander was the seventh WKU president. He had ties to the university through his graduate work at WKU. His tenure as president was a transitional period in the University's history, serving from until during which WKU's regional campus in Glasgow opened.

He was also tied to the university through his graduate work. Among his accomplishments were the introduction of WKU's first strategic plan, Distinguished Professorship Program and several new masters degree programs. More colleges and reorganization followed throughout the years as WKU continued to expand. The Bowling Green Community College was established in An administrative unit since , University College was reorganized in as an academic unit; it now houses those units and programs formerly part of the Bowling Green Community College, and serves as the administrative home of WKU's regional campus programs.

In the first doctoral degrees were awarded through the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. In and two new practice-oriented doctoral degrees, the Doctor of Nursing Practice and the Doctor of Physical Therapy, were established, and in the Doctor of Psychology was added. In addition, the Honors College offers high-achieving undergraduate students the environment of a small, highly selective college within the framework of the larger university.

Bowling Green, KY Site Index. Search Catalog. Catalog Navigation. WKU has a student body of over 21, students. Its main campus is in the midst of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of construction and renovation. Since , dormitories have been renovated, new academic and athletic buildings have been finished, with more construction under way.

The university also has placed a premium on creating a park-like atmosphere, with parking lots on the interior of the acre 0. The main campus sits atop the highest point in south-central Kentucky, a hill with a commanding view of the Barren River valley. The campus flows from the top of College Heights, also known as The Hill, down its north, south and west faces.

A statue of Dr. The student body and building were transferred to the Western Kentucky State Normal School , when it was created by an act of the Kentucky General Assembly in Classes began on January 22, The school moved to its present location in on property that had been purchased in when the Pleasant J.

Potter College closed. In , the school was authorized by the state to grant four-year degrees and was renamed as Western Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College. In , the school merged with Ogden College , which occupied an adjacent campus. The school was authorized to offer the Master of Arts degree in Another name change took place in , when the school became simply Western Kentucky State College.

The structure of the institution changed at this time, dividing into separate colleges. Bowling Green College of Commerce maintained its identity in this way. The Graduate School also became a constituent college. In , three additional colleges were created. Mass Media and Technology Hall, home to WKU's School of Journalism and Broadcasting, a nationally prominent program routinely ranked among the best undergraduate journalism schools in the nation.

An academic range of eighty majors and seventy minors are offered, toward the following degrees :. WKU also offers fifteen associate degree programs and five certificate programs. WKU's Journalism [5] and Photojournalism [6] programs rank among the best in the country.

The photojournalism department has won numerous awards. As of , more than 25 alumni of WKU's photo and print journalism programs have been honored with the Pulitzer Prize. The team hosts several tournaments for junior high and senior high students each fall, as well as a large speech and debate summer camp each July.

WKU is also home to the largest American master's degree program in folklore; it is contained within the Department of Folk Studies and Anthropology [ citation needed ]. It is unique among American folklore programs for its public folklore program and is one of the few schools in Kentucky to offer a focus in historic preservation.

In the fall of , WKU began its bachelor's degree program in popular culture studies , being only the second university in America to offer such a program the other being Bowling Green State University. The school accepts 60 juniors each year. As an incoming junior, students are given the opportunity to earn at least 60 college credit hours during their stint at the school. The Gatton Academy has been named as one of Newsweek 's "public elite" American high schools and in was named among Newsweek's Top 5 High Schools.

The men's athletic teams are known as the Hilltoppers and the women's teams as the Lady Toppers. Their mascot is known as Big Red.