59-506: East Campus is a collection of buildings and facilities situated on the 60-acre (240,000 m) hilltop campus that is the original site of Western Michigan University . It includes some of WMU's athletic facilities including Waldo Stadium , Hyames Field , Ebert Field and the Donald Seelye Athletic Center. The campus sits on the top of Prospect Hill, which overlooks the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan . Most of
118-589: A Juris Doctor degree from Cooley Law School at Western Michigan University. The university ended its affiliation with the Cooley Law School in 2020. The law school closed its campus in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 2020. The Campus Activities Board is the main student organization responsible for bringing entertainment events for students. The organization sponsors concerts, comedians, films, and special events. The Western Student Association (WSA) along with
177-852: A WMU trustee – the largest cash gift ever given to a college or university in Michigan. At the time it was the 15th largest cash gift ever given to any public university in the nation. In 2001, WMU and the Thomas M. Cooley Law School entered into a partnership where students could obtain a Master in Public Administration from WMU while simultaneously working on a Juris Doctor degree from Cooley. In 2008, WMU and Cooley expanded this partnership so now WMU students enrolled in both MPA and Masters in Business Administration programs at WMU may simultaneously work on obtaining
236-536: A bill authorizing the creation of a teacher-training facility. Kalamazoo was chosen as the new school's location on August 28, 1903. Other locations considered included Allegan , Muskegon , Grand Rapids , Decatur , Three Oaks , and Hastings . The first building, then known as the Administration Building, and now known as Heritage Hall, was constructed in 1904. The university was first officially known as Western State Normal School and offered
295-604: A cafe, student commons, study rooms, and a virtual reality lab. The WMU Student Center opened in 2023 and contains a dining center, restaurants, a bank, the campus bookstore, student organization center and other student services. West Campus is also the site of Miller Auditorium , a large entertainment venue seating nearly 3500 people. It is Michigan's fourth largest auditorium. Miller Auditorium hosts events ranging from popular musicals and concerts to graduation commencements and film screenings. The Gilmore Theater Complex, featuring three performance stages and faculty offices,
354-453: A medical school in 2008, named Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine , which admitted its first class in August 2014. Privately funded and created in partnership with Borgess Medical Center and Bronson Methodist Hospital , the school was seeded by a $ 100 million cash donation from Dr. Homer Stryker's granddaughter, Ronda Stryker, and her husband William Johnston,
413-537: A number of cost-cutting measures. WMU's campuses encompass more than 1,200 acres (4.9 km ) and roughly 150 buildings. Western Michigan University is divided into five campuses in and near Kalamazoo, Michigan : West Campus is the primary and largest WMU campus in Kalamazoo , and is usually referred to as "Main Campus." Most of the university academic and administrative buildings are on West Campus, including
472-531: A research output of more than 1000 research papers over 5 years, and no more than 80% of activity in a single subject area ( Times Higher Education World University Rankings ) . The QS World University Ranking for 2021 included 1002 research universities. The region with the highest number was Europe , with 39.8%, followed by Asia /Pacific with 26.7%, the US and Canada with 15.6%, Latin America with 10.8% and
531-595: A similar distribution, with 185 of their 500 ranked institutions in 2020 coming from Europe, 161 from the Americas, 149 from Asia/Oceania and five from Africa. All regions except Africa are represented in the top 100, although the Americas are represented solely by universities from the United States and Canada. In 2024, the US has the most universities in the top 500 from a single country, 114, followed by China with 103,
590-571: A staff of approximately about 40 students. It is the oldest registered student organization at Western Michigan University. There are 32 Greek Life chapters, each having its own unique values and mission; including the Divine Nine which are the 9 historically black Greek organizations, along with honors, academic, service, and social chapters at WMU. The Western Michigan Broncos are a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision school. They compete in
649-541: A student group involved requesting the financial records of the construction and using chalk to depict the costs of each item on the plaza. The Western Herald is the school's student newspaper . It began printing in 1916 and was known as the Western Normal Herald until 1927. The paper provides news about the students, campus events and activities, as well as sporting events, opinion sections, and local culture and politics. The Western Herald maintains
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#1732797680849708-471: A two-year training program. The first principal was Dwight B. Waldo , who served from 1904 until 1936. The school was renamed several times throughout its early history, beginning with Western State Teachers College in 1927, Western Michigan College of Education in 1941, and Western Michigan College in 1955. It was renamed Western Michigan University in 1957. Most of the oldest and original WMU buildings are collectively known as East Campus . Because of
767-600: Is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan , United States. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers. It was renamed Western Michigan University in 1957. Western is one of the eight research universities in the state of Michigan and is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university has seven degree-granting colleges, offering 147 undergraduate degree programs, 73 master's degree programs, 30 doctoral programs, and 1 specialist degree program. It
826-486: Is considered "selective" by U.S. News & World Report . For the Class of 2025 (enrolled fall 2021), WMU received 18,853 applications and accepted 15,612 (82.8%). Of those accepted, 2,112 enrolled, a yield rate (the percentage of accepted students who choose to attend the university) of 13.5%. WMU's freshman retention rate is 77.2%, with 56.3% going on to graduate within six years. The enrolled first-year class of 2025 had
885-595: Is directly next to Miller Auditorium. The Dalton Center houses the School of Music and Department of Dance. The Richmond Center for Visual Arts was added to the Fine Arts Complex in 2007, followed by South Kohrman Hall being renovated into faculty offices and upgraded studio spaces in 2008. Both buildings house the Gwen Frostic School of Art. East Campus is the original development dating from
944-822: Is governed by an eight-member board of regents whose members are appointed by the governor of Michigan and confirmed by the Michigan Senate for eight-year terms. The university's athletic teams compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and are known as the Western Michigan Broncos . They compete in the Mid-American Conference for most sports. On May 27, 1903, Michigan Governor Aaron T. Bliss signed
1003-510: Is home to the university's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and is within the Business Technology and Research Park. Erected in 2003, the $ 72.5 million building Floyd Hall is 343,000 square feet (31,900 m ) and features two three-story 600-foot (180 m) wings connected by a middle glass enclosure. The campus is about 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of the main campus. The 265-acre (1.07 km ) campus contains
1062-754: Is home to the university's College of Health and Human Services and the WMU Army ROTC program. It is also home to the Western Michigan University Archives and Regional History Collections, located in the Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center . In 2021, the University Libraries announced that Special Collections would be moving from Waldo Library to the Zhang Center. The Parkview Campus
1121-506: Is the university's business school . One of the largest business schools in the United States, it has some 4,000 undergraduate students and 500 Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Accountancy (MSA) students. The college is in Schneider Hall on the main campus. The College of Business was renamed in honor of alumnus G. W. Haworth after Haworth gave a large donation in the 1980s. Western Michigan began planning
1180-743: The Mid-American Conference in men's basketball , baseball, football , soccer and tennis; and women's basketball, cross-country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, track and field, and volleyball. The men's hockey team competes in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference . The Western Michigan Broncos main rival is the Central Michigan Chippewas who also compete in the Mid-American Conference. The Broncos have won two NCAA national championships. The cross country team won
1239-583: The Middle East and Africa with 7%. All regions except the Middle East and Africa were represented in the top 100. The largest number of new entrants to the rankings were from East Asia and Eastern Europe , followed by Southern Europe . By individual country, the US has the most institutions with 151, followed by the UK with 84, China with 51, and Germany with 45. The top 200 shows a similar pattern with
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#17327976808491298-460: The NCAA title in 1964 and 1965. The current alma mater, Brown and Gold, and the current WMU fight song are the result of a 1959 contest to replace existing songs. Open to the university community, the two-stage contest first solicited lyrics and then music. Alumnus James H. Bull won the lyrics stage with his entry for Brown and Gold. Alumnus Walter Gilbert took the honors for the fight song lyrics and
1357-528: The University of California , have served as models for research universities around the world. Having one or more universities based on the American model (including the use of English as a lingua franca ) is a badge of "social progress and modernity " for the contemporary nation-state . The Americans' continued dominance into the early 21st century has forced their European counterparts to confront
1416-478: The American military–industrial complex and developing artificial intelligence , and Berkeley and Stanford played a central role in the development of Silicon Valley . The "most prestigious group of research universities" in the United States is the Association of American Universities . Since the 1960s, American research universities, especially the leading American public research university system ,
1475-518: The American context, as having values of intellectual freedom, initiative and creativity, excellence, and openness, with such additional characteristics as: Global university rankings use metrics that primarily measure research to rank universities. Some also have criteria for inclusion based on the concept of a research university such as teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level and conducting work in multiple faculties ( QS World University Rankings ), or teaching undergraduates, having
1534-777: The College of Arts and Sciences, Haworth College of Business, College of Education and Human Development, College of Fine Arts, the Lee Honors College and Waldo Library. Many of the residence halls are found scattered throughout West Campus, while other dormitories (affectionately referred to as "The Valleys") are adjacent to West Campus in Goldsworth Valley. Waldo Library is the fourth largest university library system in Michigan, where it houses millions of various resources such as books, audio/visual materials, maps, electronic resources and more. The library also has
1593-505: The College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Aviation, the Haworth College of Business, the College of Education and Human Development, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the College of Fine Arts and the College of Health and Human Services. In addition, the university has a Graduate College and the Lee Honors College. Its most popular undergraduate majors, by 2021 graduates, were: The Haworth College of Business
1652-538: The College of Aviation has a fleet of Piper PA-44 Seminole , one Piper PA-18 Super Cub , and one American Champion Super Decathlon used for flight training. The facility is in Battle Creek, Michigan at W. K. Kellogg Airport . Because the demand for training was high, the city of Battle Creek and the Air National Guard, in conjunction with the College of Aviation, constructed a new runway just to
1711-622: The Graduate Student Association (GSA) are the "primary" body of student government at Western Michigan University. WMU sponsors or recognizes several groups aimed towards personal and social development. This includes faith and spiritual development, the Office of LBGT Student Services, Greek Life , services for International Students, Multicultural Affairs, Off-Campus Life, and Sponsored Student Organizations. WMU also has around 400 student organizations registered through
1770-530: The Speech and Hearing building on WMU's East Campus were demolished. The original portion of East Hall was retained, but North Hall and the two side wings of East Hall came down. East Hall reopened in 2015 as Heritage Hall, home to the WMU Alumni Center. In addition to the renovation of East Hall, the portico of North Hall was preserved and positioned just north of East Hall. The Oakland Drive campus
1829-411: The Speech and Hearing building on WMU's East Campus were demolished. The original portion of East Hall was retained, but North Hall and the two side wings of East Hall came down. East Hall reopened in 2015 as Heritage Hall, home to the WMU Alumni Center. In addition to the renovation of East Hall, the portico of North Hall was preserved and positioned just north of East Hall. The campus currently includes
East Campus (Western Michigan University) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1888-690: The UK with 35 and Germany with 35. The top 200 shows the similar pattern: the US with 59 followed by China with 37 and the UK with 20. The 2024 Times Higher Education only gives a breakdown by country and only for its top 200; this again has the U.S. at the top with 56, followed by the UK with 25, Germany with 21, and China with 13. The top 200 features one university from Africa, the University of Cape Town in South Africa , but none from Latin America . The U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking 2021 gives numbers by country for
1947-526: The US having 45 universities, the UK 26 and Germany 12. By comparison, the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (2015) identifies 115 US universities as "Doctoral Universities: Highest Research Activity" and a further 107 as "Doctoral Universities: Higher Research Activity", while Altbach estimated that there were around 220 research universities in the US in 2013. The Academic Ranking of World Universities shows
2006-438: The United States and Japan also have well-known private research institutions. Institutions of higher education that are not research universities or do not aspire to that designation, such as liberal arts colleges , instead place more emphasis on student instruction or other aspects of tertiary education, whereas research university faculty members, in contrast, are under more pressure to publish or perish . The concept of
2065-636: The University's archives collection located in East Hall until moving to the new Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center in 2013. In December 2012, WMU announced plans to demolish several of the historic buildings in Summer 2013. Demolition included the following buildings: A new parking lot and green space areas was planned to replace the razed buildings. The Friends of Historical East Campus and Students For East Campus attempted to save
2124-611: The WMU Office of Research and Innovation, the Southwest Michigan Small Business Development Center, and several other academic and administrative offices. In December 2012, WMU announced plans to renovate its birthplace, historic East Hall, for use as an alumni center. It also announced plans to demolish several of the university's original historic buildings and utilize the hilltop as green space. In August 2013 West Hall and
2183-566: The academic and administrative functions of the university have moved to West Campus. Walwood Union was renovated in 1992 and converted into administrative offices. WMU has found limited uses for East Hall and the rest of historic East Campus. The original tract of land on which the Western State Normal School was built was donated by the City of Kalamazoo. It consisted of 20 acres (81,000 m) on Prospect Hill, overlooking
2242-679: The airfield. WMU planned to build a new building on the north side of the airport to consolidate the aviation classes at the airport. Western Michigan University offered aviation and music therapy programs in Punta Gorda and used Florida SouthWestern State College 's campus. It was announced in February 2019 that WMU Punta Gorda would close due to low enrollment numbers. Western Michigan University also has several regional sites that offer education to more than 6,000 students each year. These regional sites are in cities throughout Michigan : WMU
2301-766: The ceiling. East Hall was listed with the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and the East Campus was placed on the register in 1990 as the Western State Normal School Historic District . Both of these historic places were delisted by NRHP on March 7, 2017. With the construction of the Richmond Center for the Visual Arts, artist's studios were no longer located in East Hall, leaving only
2360-606: The certification of new knowledge" through the awarding of doctoral degrees , and continue to be "the very center of scientific productivity". They can be public or private , and often have well-known brand names. Undergraduate courses at many research universities are often academic rather than vocational and may not prepare students for particular careers, but many employers value degrees from research universities because they teach fundamental life skills such as critical thinking . Globally, research universities are overwhelmingly public institutions , while some countries like
2419-499: The city, accessible either by walking up from Davis Street on the east or via Asylum Road (now known as Oakland Drive). The first building, the Administration Building (East Hall), was completed and occupied on September 1, 1905. John Charles Olmsted of the renowned Olmsted Brothers landscape firm had devised a landscape and planting plan for the new campus. The plan was well received, but financial considerations prevented it from being implemented. By 1909 two wings had been added to
East Campus (Western Michigan University) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2478-617: The establishment of American hegemony by the end of the 20th century. Most importantly, Berkeley, Chicago, Columbia, and Princeton (along with Birmingham and Cambridge in the UK) directly participated in the creation of the first nuclear weapons (the Manhattan Project ). Besides that, Columbia and Harvard were instrumental in the early development of the American film industry (Hollywood), MIT and Stanford were leaders in building
2537-580: The first building. Further buildings were erected on the Prospect Hill until the university began to construct its West Campus in the late 1940s. Many aspects of East Campus were left "as is" during the move to the West Campus, with many undesirable items simply left behind. This includes anything from old announcements and bulletins left hanging on the walls to old audio/visual equipment. The 1970 campus plan's only defined plan for East Campus
2596-404: The following buildings and facilities (erection date in parentheses): Former buildings and facilities: From the beginning, access to the Prospect Hill site was an issue because of the steep grade elevating it above the city. In 1907, funds were appropriated for an electric railway. "Normal's Railroad", or the "Western Trolley", carried people up and down the hill from its base on Davis Street to
2655-451: The following standardized test scores: the middle 50% range (25th percentile-75th percentile) of SAT scores was 1000-1200, while the middle 50% range of ACT scores was 21-27. WMU is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". It has 147 undergraduate degree programs, 73 master's degree programs, 30 doctoral programs, and 1 specialist degree program. The university has seven degree-granting colleges:
2714-589: The late 19th century, when these fifteen institutions began to graft graduate programs derived from the German model onto undergraduate programs derived from the British model. At Johns Hopkins, president Daniel Coit Gilman led the development of the American research university by setting high standards for recruiting faculty and admitting students, and insisting that faculty members had to commit to both teaching and research. Research universities were essential to
2773-420: The music for both the fight song and alma mater. Western Michigan University has had a number of notable alumni. Among them are: Research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of knowledge production ", along with "intergenerational knowledge transfer and
2832-438: The original buildings on Prospect Hill which were not used to capacity and required renovations suitable for the next projected use of the buildings. This site on Prospect Hill is an historically significant site to the City of Kalamazoo as well as a well placed landmark visible from many parts of the city. Neglect of vegetation near the apex of Prospect Hill obscured the view of the majestic buildings. In August 2013 West Hall and
2891-484: The paper coating plant. The school offers 17 undergraduate engineering, technology and applied sciences programs, while the graduate level, the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences offers 9 master programs, and 6 doctoral programs. The College of Aviation offers three undergraduate aviation majors in Battle Creek, Michigan . The College of Aviation runs a Cirrus SR-20 fleet, turbine engine testing sites, and aviation maintenance training facilities. Additionally
2950-481: The research university first arose in early 19th-century Prussia in Germany, where Wilhelm von Humboldt championed his vision of Einheit von Lehre und Forschung (the unity of teaching and research), as a means of producing an education that focused on the main areas of knowledge, including the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities , rather than on the previous goals of the university education, which
3009-630: The steep grade elevating the campus above the city, the Western State Normal Railroad was established in 1907 to carry students and staff up and down the hill with a funicular . It operated until 1949. Western Michigan University had a partnership with Cooley Law School for over a decade, that on August 13, 2014, culminated in the adoption of a new name and partnership, the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. In 2020,
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#17327976808493068-440: The summit at the grassy lawn between East and North Halls. It operated until 1949, by which time the campus was moving in new directions and the automobile was making inroads as the preferred method of travel. 42°17′12″N 85°35′51″W / 42.286643°N 85.597531°W / 42.286643; -85.597531 Western Michigan University Western Michigan University ( Western Michigan , Western or WMU )
3127-535: The university that are available to any student. Placement of the Chemistry Building generated much controversy from student groups because it displaced a large portion of greenery in the center of West Campus. A temporary outdoor plaza was constructed outside of Sangren Hall in 2007 to replace the greenery. However, this also generated controversy and protests among students and faculty because of its aesthetic characteristics and costs. One such protest by
3186-461: The university's Board of Trustees voted to end its affiliation with the Cooley Law School. Western Michigan University was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic . President Edward B. Montgomery stated "the crisis has already cost WMU well over $ 45 million, and we expect the tally to rise through the remainder of this fiscal year." To soften the economic toll of the pandemic, WMU instituted
3245-641: The university's founding in 1903. It contains many of the university's historical buildings including, East Hall, West Hall, North Hall, Walwood Hall, Spindler Hall, Vandercook Hall, and The Little Theater. Many of these buildings are on a hill overlooking the city of Kalamazoo . Walwood Hall, renovated in 1992, is home to the Graduate College, the Graduate Student Advisory Committee, the Medieval Institute,
3304-540: The urgent need for reform to avoid "declining into an advanced form of feeder colleges for the best American universities." John Taylor, Professor of Higher Education Management at the University of Liverpool , defines the key characteristics of successful research universities as: Philip Altbach defines a different, although similar, set of key characteristics for what research universities need to become successful: A 2012 National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report defined research universities, in
3363-590: The west of the original runway 23 and parallel to it. This caused Battle Creek's main runway to be renamed runway 23R and the new runway 23L. The project's cost was around $ 7 million, 95% of the money coming from the government. The runway is now fully "operational". From August 2017 to August 2019, Western Michigan University operated a satellite campus in Punta Gorda, Florida near the Punta Gorda Airport with additional facilities being located on
3422-439: Was for the maintenance and athletics facilities along Stadium Drive and for "park areas" along Davis Street. Some of the space was used by university's Art Department for studio use and occasional faculty office space. East Hall housed the Western Michigan University Archives in the old school gymnasium . There was little to no renovation to the original gym, as the original floor was intact, along with fitness ropes that hung from
3481-746: Was to develop an understanding of truth, beauty, and goodness . Roger L. Geiger , "the leading historian of the American research university," has argued that "the model for the American research university was established by five of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the American Revolution ( Harvard , Yale , Pennsylvania , Princeton , and Columbia ); five state universities ( Michigan , Wisconsin , Minnesota , Illinois , and California ); and five private institutions conceived from their inception as research universities ( MIT , Cornell , Johns Hopkins , Stanford , and Chicago )." The American research university first emerged in
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