Eastern Washington University

Infobox University
name=Eastern Washington University
motto=Start something big
established=1882
type=Public
president=Dr. Rodolfo Arévalo
city=Cheney
state=Washington
country=USA
undergrad=8,309
postgrad=923
staff/faculty=1397
employees=
campus=300+ acres (1,355,696 m²)
free_label=Athletics
free=11 varsity teams
colors=Red and White
mascot=Swoop
website= http://www.ewu.edu/|http://www.ewu.edu]

Eastern Washington University is a public comprehensive state university. The main campus is located in Cheney and has a branch campus in Spokane, Washington. As of fall quarter 2006, it had an enrollment of 10,005.

Eastern offers more than 100 fields of study, 10 master’s degrees, four graduate certificates, 55 graduate programs of study and an applied doctoral program of physical therapy. Eastern is the fastest growing public university in the state of Washington. Enrollment continues to increase, with 19 consecutive quarters of growth since 1997. Eastern offers degree programs in Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Seattle, Shoreline, Tacoma, Vancouver and Yakima. A master's in social work is offered in Everett, Vancouver, and Yakima and a master's in education is available in Kent. A creative writing Master of Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies, Child & Family Outreach Program, Communication Studies, Social Work Program (part-time Master's), Journalism, Alcohol & Drug Studies, and Counseling Education & Developmental Psychology programs are offered in Spokane

History

EWU was established in 1882 by a $10,000 grant from industrialist Benjamin Pierce Cheney, and originally known as Benjamin P. Cheney Academy to honor its founder. In 1889 the school was renamed to State Normal School and once again in 1937 to Eastern Washington College of Education. The campus grew quickly in size following World War II and in 1961, the school became Eastern Washington State College. Around that time period, Eastern added various graduate and undergraduate degree programs. In 1977, the school's name was changed for the final time to Eastern Washington University by the state legislature.

Academics

Rankings

*"Newsweek" magazine has named Eastern as a “Best Value for the Tuition Dollar” school.
*According to "U.S. News and World Report", Eastern ranks among the top ten public masters degree granting universities in the Western United States.
*"Consumers Digest" has ranked Eastern as a national Top 50 Best Value school. Eastern has also made three consecutive appearances in "201 Best Colleges For the Real World". [http://www.ewu.edu/x37134.xml]

Notable attributes

*Eastern is the only university in the country with a state crime lab and digital state archives building located on its campus. Eastern is home to the state-of-the-art Washington State Patrol Regional Crime Lab, and the Washington State Digital Archives building.

*Eastern is the only public university in the state of Washington offering students: an undergraduate forensic science emphasis in chemistry, an entry-level bachelor's degree in dental hygiene, an accredited bachelor's degree in urban and regional planning, a graduate degree in urban and regional planning with an emphasis in tribal planning, an emphasis in filmmaking and a major in interdisciplinary children's studies.

*Eastern is host to a highly respected ROTC program as well and is one of the few colleges in the country to offer Military Science (the academic term for ROTC) as a major. Five brigadier generals in the U.S. military graduated from Eastern – including Brig. Gen. Neal Sealock, who negotiated the release of American naval aviators held captive in China in 2001.

Research institutes and centers

*Institute for Public Policy & Economic Analysis-- created in 2002 to "provide data and analysis about a variety of factors in the region that will be useful for businesses, communities and others as they plan for the future." Headed by Patrick Jones, Ph.D.
*Teaching & Learning Center-- created to "collaborate with educators in the University to invest in themselves as teachers, scholars, artists, and community leaders."
*Women's' Studies Center-- Women's Studies programs at EWU empower women to achieve dignity and justice through education, scholarship, and social change.
*Center for Entrepreneurial Activity--created to "attract and retain an expert faculty member to strengthen and expand the College’s entrepreneurial curriculum and to assist the broader community with better-prepared entrepreneurs to succeed in business."
*Eisenhower Center/International Field Study-- A program designed for students to travel abroad while earning college credit.
*English Language Institute--ELI is committed to enabling qualified international students who have chosen to come to this program to integrate into the mainstream of higher education.
*Center for Farm Health & Safety--Conducts research and demonstration programs involving Health and Safety of Farm based population groups.

Athletics

Eastern's sports mascot is the Eagle, named "Swoop," and its colors are red and white. The former mascot of the school was the "Savages", which was dropped in 1973 when the student body voted to change to the Eagles. (See Native American mascot controversy.) EWU athletic teams participate in the Big Sky Conference at the NCAA Division I (I - FCS for football) level. The club hockey team participates in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, Division II, Western Region. The club baseball team is in its 14th year of participation in the National Collegiate Baseball Association, Western Mountain Conference West. The Division I baseball program was dropped in 1992.

The EWU football team plays at Woodward Field, recently expanded and renovated in 2005 to seat 12,000 with a grass turf. The field was named after one of the university's first head coaches. Quarterback Erik Meyer, who played from 2001-2005, won the Walter Payton Award in 2005 for the best player in Division I-AA football and set the I-AA career passing efficiency record at 166.5. The Eagles basketball and volleyball teams also compete on nearby Reese Court in the Special Events Pavilion, with a capacity of 6,000. The university's most prominent sports have traditionally been its football and men's basketball teams with the women's volleyball team having some good years, finishing the season in the Division 1 top 25 in 2003 (oddly, because they lost the Big Sky Championship game, they were the only top 25 team excluded from the tournament). Originally an NAIA school until joining the Big Sky Conference, the Eagles gained major prominence in the NAIA and Division II winning National and Regional championships, including a National championship in Wrestling (the sport was dropped in the 80's). In 2007, point guard Rodney Stuckey was drafted 15th overall by the Detroit Pistons. The Kentwood High School standout ended up at EWU when he failed to meet NCAA requirements.

The Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League have held the majority of their summer training camps at EWU, 1976-1985 and since 1997, from late July to mid August.

Four women's basketball games were rickrolled in March 2008 by school staff as a joke.

National championships

*1977-Wrestling (NAIA)
*1982-Men's Cross Country (NCAA Division II)

Famous faculty and alumni

*Scott West, United States Army general.
*Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Native American activist and writer.
*Todd McFarlane, creator of the Spawn comic book series and current co-owner of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers.
*Thomas Hampson, Grammy-nominated opera singer.
*Launi Meili, gold medalist in women’s three-position smallbore rifle shooting at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
*Michael Roos, starting offensive tackle for the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
*Colin Cowherd, current host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio
*Lee Watkinson, professional poker player.
*Jess Walter, acclaimed author
*Kurt Schulz, NFL player
*Jesse Chatman, running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League.
*Rodney Stuckey, NBA player for the Detroit Pistons
*Aaron Olson, Australian NBL player for the New Zealand Breakers
*DeNique Ford, Former AFL player for the Spokane Shock
*Isaiah Trufant, AFL player for the Arizona Rattlers

Greek fraternal organizations

Eastern currently has recognized the following nine fraternities and nine sororities on campus:

Fraternities:
*Alpha Phi Alpha
*Beta Theta Pi
*Delta Chi
*Omega Psi Phi
*Phi Delta Theta
*Pi Lambda Phi
*Sigma Lambda Beta
*Sigma Nu
*Sigma Phi Epsilon

Sororities
*Alpha Nu Theta
*Alpha Omicron Pi
*Alpha Phi
*Alpha Xi Delta
*Delta Xi Omega
*Gamma Phi Beta
*Kappa Delta Chi
*Sigma Lambda Gamma
*Zeta Phi Beta

Common nicknames

*EWU
*E-Woo
*Eastern
*Eags
*Eagles
*E-Dub

Trivia

*The oldest piece of wood on campus is the petrified wood on display in the science building.
*The oldest form of writing on campus is the symbols that make up the fountain in front of JFK library.
*The EWU Intramural Department hosts a sprint distance triathlon the beginning of June each year known as the Iron Eagle. The race consists of a 500m pool swim, a 10 mile bike, and 5K run. Some past champions on the men's side are Brian Roberts, Brian Jeffords, John Esch, Michael Bergquist, and Sonny Sellars.

External links

* [http://www.ewu.edu/ Official Site]
* [http://www.ewubeta.org/ EWU Chapter website for Beta Theta Pi fraternity]
* [http://www.ewualphaomicronpi.com/ EWU Chapter website for Alpha Omicron Pi sorority]
* [http://www.startsomethingbig.org/ start something big]