Baker University

Baker University
Established	1858
Type	Private
Religious affiliation	United Methodist Church
President	Dr. Patricia N. Long
Students	4,000 (900 in Baldwin City)
Location	Baldwin City, Kansas, United States
Campus	10 acres
Website	http://www.bakeru.edu/

Baker University is a private, residential university located in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. Founded in 1858, it is the oldest university in Kansas and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Baker University is made up of four schools. The College of Arts and Sciences and the undergraduate courses in the School of Education (SOE) are located at the campus in Baldwin City, Kansas. The School of Professional and Graduate Studies (SPGS) and the graduate branch of the SOE serve working adults at campuses in Lee's Summit, Missouri and North Kansas City, Missouri Overland Park, Kansas, Topeka, Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, and Wichita, Kansas. The School of Nursing, which is operated in partnership with Stormont-Vail HealthCare in Topeka, offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. Enrollment in all four schools has grown to a total student population of nearly 4,000. There are more than 900 students on the Baldwin City campus, approximately 2,700 in SPGS and SOE programs, and 170 at the School of Nursing. A recent survey by the Kansas City Business Journal listed Baker University's MBA program as the most popular in the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area.^{[citation needed]}

Parmenter Hall, the most recognizable building on Baker's main campus.

History

Baker University was founded in 1858 and named for Osman Cleander Baker a Methodist Episcopal biblical scholar and bishop. The school was first university in Kansas and funds were raised by local donations and donors from the East. Baker's first president, Rev. Werter R. Davis, a minister and Civil War officer, served from 1858 to 1862. The original campus building, now known as Old Castle Museum, houses a museum of the University and Baldwin City.

Ranking

U.S. News and World Report has most recently listed Baker University as the top-ranked Kansas university in the Best Regional Universities (Midwest) category and #26 in the Midwest. The Princeton Review consistently ranks the University as a top school in the Midwest within its peer group. In addition, Baker has been recognized for its value by Money magazine and Barron's Best Buys in College Education.

Athletics

The school's athletic teams, the Wildcats, have only one official color: orange. The 17 sports compete in the NAIA, Region V, and the Heart of America Athletic Conference. Baker University history includes a 22-9 victory against the University of Kansas in the first intercollegiate football game to take place in Kansas. Additionally, Women's sports began at Baker in 1978.

Emil S. Liston, former Baker basketball, football and baseball coach, helped create the NAIA and the first national basketball tournament. Baker's stadium is now named in his honor. Charlie Richard, the late former football coach, is honored in the College Football Hall of Fame for his success at Baker.

Facilities

Located inside the Charlie Richard Outdoor Sports Facility, Liston Stadium, built in the 1930s, is home to football, track, and select soccer matches. The majority of soccer matches are played at North Park. Also in the complex are A.B. Cavaness Field, and Sauder Field, home to the softball and baseball teams.

Volleyball and basketball compete in the George F. Collins Jr. Center, which is also home to the Athletic Hall of Fame. The Cross Country team makes its home at the Baldwin City Municipal Golf Course. The entire Charlie Richard Outdoor Sports Facility underwent dramatic improvements between 2002 and 2006. Training facilities and the weight room are located in Mabee Memorial Hall, as is the old gym.

Notable alumni and teachers

• Phog Allen - Collegiate basketball coach at Baker University, the University of Central Missouri and the University of Kansas.
• Kevin Mahogany - Jazz Singer.
• Joseph Little Bristow - US Senator from Kansas, 1909-1915.
• Don Wendell Holter - American Bishop of the United Methodist Church, elected in 1972.
• Mike McCarthy - Green Bay Packers head coach, appointed in 2006. Winning coach of Super Bowl XLV.
• Homer A. McCrerey - Commissioned US Naval Academy officer and bioneering oceanographer.
• William Alfred Quayle - American bishop of the Methodist Church, elected in 1908.
• John Clark Ridpath - American educator, historian, and editor.
• Bennett J. Sims - Sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta consecrated as Diocesan Bishop in 1972.
• Emil S. Liston - basketball coach (1930–1945) and administrator. Inductee to Basketball Hall of Fame and creator of the NAIA college basketball tournament.
• Mike Gardner - head football coach at Tabor College and Malone University
• William M. Runyan, Christian songwriter who composed Great Is Thy Faithfulness

External links

• Baker University Website