A Brief History of Western Michigan University

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A Brief History of Western Michigan University
Lesson 2 Requirement for EDT 347 Online Created
By Jason D. Valade
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How about a little info

• Now celebrating the 100th anniversary of its
  founding, Western Michigan University is a
  vibrant, nationally recognized student-centered
  research institution with an enrollment of nearly
  30,000. WMU is focused on delivering high-quality
  undergraduate instruction, advancing its growing
  graduate division and fostering significant
  research activities.
• WMU is one of only 102 public universities placed
  in the highest category of doctoral-research
  universities by the Carnegie Foundation for the
  Advancement of Teaching -- "Doctoral/Research
  Universities-Extensive." WMU also has been named
  one of the nation's top 100 public universities
  in U.S. News World Report's annual ranking of
  American colleges and universities.

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WMU History as they celebrate their Centennial
1903Following the successful effort to have
Michigan's fourth and final normal school located
in their city, hundreds of Kalamazoo residents
sign a petition calling for a special election to
help fund it. The drive pays off on Oct. 19 when,
by nearly an 8-1 margin, voters authorize the
city to borrow 70,000 to build and operate the
new school. Western State Normal School is
dedicated on May 27, 1903.
1925As additional facilities are built on and
near Prospect Hill, East Campus takes on the look
of a bustling small town. Notable dedications in
1925 include the Library, now named North Hall,
and the Men's Gymnasium. The gymnasium was later
renamed the Oakland Gym and in 2001 demolished,
except for the Oakland Drive facade, to make way
for the Seelye Athletic Center now under
construction.
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WMU History as they celebrate their Centennial
1941With the advent of World War II, life at WMU
dramatically changes. Most on-campus housing is
soon reserved for the 900 men stationed at the
school during the war as part of the V-5 program
(for naval cadets receiving ground and flight
instruction) and the V-12 program (for Navy men
and Marines preparing to become officers). The
last naval contingents leave in October 1945, but
were quickly followed by veterans returning to
complete their interrupted college
educations. Western State Teacher College changes
it's name to Western Michigan College of
Education.
1973Figures show enrollment has more than
doubled during President Miller's tenure, jumping
from 9,000 to 22,000 students. The increase
signals a new period of growth for WMU, but one
it's prepared for given the introduction of
scores of new academic programs and the
completion of 37 construction projects during
"the Miller years."
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How about a little sports history?
Athletic Logos 1940 - 2000The current logo has
several variations, but the key features are a
stylized horse with text set in a complimentary
typeface. Adopted in 1998, it was part of a new
athletics image program designed to better
communicate the speed, aggressiveness and
determination of the Broncos. Some versions of
the logo, which was developed by a New York
sports marketing firm, depict a horse's head
while others show a full horse. There also are
versions with and without text.The logo now
being used replaced a more traditional looking
mark that featured a block "W" behind a horse
rearing up on its hind legs. That logo was
extensively used during much of the 1980s and
1990s, with the original version featuring a
bucking rather than rearing horse. But it was in
1940 that WMU adopted its first official Bronco
emblema sketch from a photograph of the Wyoming
license plate bronco
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How about a little sports history?
LOGO cir. 1940
LOGO cir. 1982 -1988
LOGO cir. 1988 - 1998
LOGO cir. 1998 - Present
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Time for a little tradition
 Traditions SongsEarly in WMU's history,
numerous songs were written and sung in honor of
the institution. Many of these needed to be
updated as the years progressed and WMU changed
its name or broadened its mission.The current
"Alma Mater" and "WMU Fight Song" are the result
of a 1959 contest to replace existing songs. Open
to the University community, the two-stage
contest solicited first lyrics and then music.
Alumnus James H. Bull won in the lyrics category
for the "Alma Mater." Alumnus Walter Gilbert took
the remaining honors for fight song lyrics and
music for both the fight song and "Alma Mater."
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Time for a little tradition
Alma MaterWestern we sing to you, Brown and
Gold,Western we bring to you, faith untold.You
challenge and inspire your hope is our
desire.We sing to you our Alma Mater, Brown and
Gold. WMU Fight SongFight on, fight on for
WesternTake the ball, make a score, win the
game.Onward for the Brown and GoldPush 'em
back, push 'em back, bring us fame.Fight on,
fight on for WesternOver one, over all, we will
reign.Fight, Broncos fight!Fight with all your
might.Western win this game!
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Traditions School Nicknames

• Hilltoppers ORIGINAL NICKNAMEWMU's athletic
  teams initially went by the nickname
  "Hilltoppers," reflecting the institution's
  original Prospect Hill campus. The moniker often
  led to confusion with other schools that had a
  similar nickname and became outdated when the
  University expanded beyond its hilltop confines.
  The nickname "Hilltoppers" was resurrected in
  2001 to identify a new volunteer group that is
  clearing and cleaning up Prospect Hill.

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Traditions School Nicknames
Broncos 1939The name "Broncos" was the winning
entry in a 1939 contest to select a new nickname
for WMU. It was submitted by John W. Gill, an
outstanding student-athlete who went on to become
a successful WMU coach and administrator. He
earned a 10 check for his efforts and promptly
turned it over to the Waldo Stadium building fund
Do you think your WMU knowledge is up for a
little quiz????
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WMU Trivia!!!

• Western Michigan University recently made a list
  of the top _____ national public universities,
  according to U.S. News World Report.

A) 10B) 50C) 100D) 500
A
B
C
D
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WRONG!
Click here to return to Quiz
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CORRECT!
WMU also has been named one of the nation's top
100 public universities in U.S. News World
Report's annual ranking of American colleges and
universities.
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Thank you for viewing my Slide-Show Presentation
for EDT 347 Online. This was my first full
attempt at PowerPoint and I think it turned out
OK. This is the end of the show. Please feel
free to view the next and final slide for
bibliography information regarding the content of
this show. Thank You, Jason Valade
The end of the line
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Bibliography

• Factual information regarding WMU was obtained
  from the following website
• http//www.ur.wmich.edu/centennial/
• WMU logos and campus snapshots were obtained from
  the following website
• http//www.wmich.edu/wmu/
• This Slide-Show was created by Jason D. Valade to
  give a brief history of WMU for EDT 347.
• Questions? Email Jason _at_ jdvalade_at_yahoo.com