Eastern Washington University

Eastern Washington University
Seal of Eastern Washington University
Motto	Start Something Big
Established	April 2, 1882
Type	Public
Endowment	US$52,177,934
President	Dr. Rodolfo Arévalo
Vice-president	Dorothy Zeisler-Vralsted
Provost	Dr. Rex Fuller
Academic staff	684
Students	10,750
Undergraduates	8,548
Postgraduates	1,312
Location	Cheney, Washington, United States
Campus	Rural College Town 300 acres (120 ha)
Former names	Benjamin P. Cheney Academy State Normal School at Cheney Eastern Washington College of Education Eastern Washington State College
Colors	Red & White
Athletics	NCAA Division I
Sports	12 Varsity Teams
Nickname	Eagles
Mascot	Swoop
Affiliations	Big Sky Conference
Website	http://www.ewu.edu

Eastern Washington University is an American public, coeducational university located in Cheney, Washington.

Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: Arts and Letters; Business and Public Administration; Science, Health and Engineering; and Social & Behavioral Sciences and Social Work.

As of the year 2011, Eastern Washington University enrolled over 12,000 graduate and undergraduate students for the fall semester.

History

Eastern Washington University was established in 1882 by a $10,000 grant from expressman Benjamin Pierce Cheney, and was originally known as Benjamin P. Cheney Academy to honor its founder. In 1889 the school was renamed State Normal School and in 1937 to Eastern Washington College of Education. The campus grew quickly in size following World War II. The school became Eastern Washington State College. During this era, 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 Washington State Legislature.

Campus Locations

The main campus of Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney. A branch campus, known as the Riverpoint Campus is located in Spokane, Washington and is shared with Washington State University. EWU also offers degree programs in Bellevue, Everett, Kent, Seattle, Shoreline, Tacoma, Vancouver and Yakima.

Academics

Overview

EWU offers more than 100 fields of study, 10 master's degrees, seven graduate certificates, 55 graduate programs of study and an applied doctoral program of physical therapy. 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.

Admissions

The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classifies the university as Inclusive, since the university admitted eighty-two percent of those who applied to be freshmen in 2010. The average incoming freshman had a combined SAT score of 970 and a high-school weighted grade-point average (GPA) of 3.17 in 2010. 86% of freshmen in 2010 were from Washington.

Rankings

• 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.

Research Institutes & Centers

Eastern Washington University is home to a number of unique research institutes and centers, not limited to but including the following:

• 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.
• Women's Studies Center—Women's Studies programs at EWU empower women to achieve dignity and justice through education, scholarship, and social change.
• 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.
• Fisheries Research Center- Conducts a wide spectrum of fisheries grants in the Columbia River Basin. Headed by Allan Scholz, Ph.D.

Student Life

Pence Union Building (PUB)

The Pence Union Building, or PUB, serves as the community center for Eastern Washington University. Its mission is to provide the student-centered facilities and services required by the University Community. The PUB consists of three floors that house among other things the campus bookstore, student government offices (Associated Students of Eastern Washington University, or ASEWU), Baldy's dining facility, office of student life, numerous conference rooms and the Multipurpose Room (MPR), which is used for large-scale presentations and campus events.

University Recreation Center (URC)

The University Recreation Center, or URC, is a Three-Level 117,699-square-foot (10,934.6 m²) Recreational Facility that was opened on campus in 2008. The state-of-the-art facility boasts a 19,455-square-foot (1,807.4 m²) multi-purpose arena that can operate as an ice rink and general purpose sports floor, 30-foot (9.1 m) Indoor Climbing Wall with 11 routes (1 simulated Ice Climbing) & 2 bouldering walls, Indoor Parking Garage (40 Metered Spaces), 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m²) fitness Center & gymnasium, campus dining facility known as "The Roost" and a 2-Lane 200 Meter Running Track.

The cost to build the URC was $26.3 million dollars, an amount which was jointly funded by the University and by students through a $65 dollar per quarter activity fee. $28.6 million in revenue bonds were issued by the University in order to build the facility and pay the costs of issuance. The University funds the center's annual operating costs as part of its general operating budget.

The URC has been awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold certification for its environmentally friendly construction.

Campus Housing

Eastern Washington University has seven residential halls on or near campus. Each residential hall caters primarily to different student populations and each offers a unique campus living experience. The University does not require that students live on campus, but strongly recommends that students live on campus for least their first year of college.

Louise Anderson Hall, also known as LA Hall is centrally located directly across from the Pence Union Building (PUB) along Elm Street. The building was recently remodeled in 1999 and features a plethora of amenities found no where else on campus. LA Hall is a diverse living environment that typically houses upper class students, however all students are welcome.

Brewster Hall, built in 2002, houses students 19 years of age and older. Brewster is located squarely in downtown Cheney offering students increased accessibility to community resources and businesses. Located on the main floor of Brewster Hall is a Tully's Coffee.

Dressler Hall was built in 1966. It is conveniently located behind the Pence Union Building (PUB) and is the closest hall to the Phase and Athletic Center. The majority of residents are freshmen. Dressler's most popular residential program is an annual 3 on 3 basketball tournament.

Dryden Hall was built in 1965 and is located one block from the Pence Union Building. This hall caters to a more mature population of residents 21 and over.

Morrison Hall, Built in 1970, is located about one block from the center of campus and is the second largest residence hall on campus. This hall houses the Living Learning Communities of: Explore the World, Experience the Arts, Leadership, Impressions, and Computing and Engineering Sciences.

Pearce Hall was built in 1964 and is the largest residence hall on campus. Pearce Hall is a community which is composed primarily of first year students.

Streeter Hall, opened in 1968, is located on the north side of campus, near three other residence halls and approximately one block from the Pence Union Building. Streeter Hall houses the popular Morris Street Market, which is a late night grocery stop on campus.

The Easterner

The Easterner is the student newspaper of Eastern Washington University. The Easterner provides the latest campus news, sports and opinions to students, faculty, alumni and the surrounding community. All content in The Easterner is either produced or chosen by students from the University. The Easterner is distributed in print form on a weekly basis throughout the Cheney campus, Cheney business district, The Spokane Center, Riverpoint Campus and at various Spokane businesses. An online version of the paper is available at easterneronline.com.

Student Organizations & Greek Life

The Office of Student Activities oversees more than 100 student clubs and organizations on campus that cater to a wide variety of interests and activities.

EWU is the only regional university in Washington that has an active Greek system on campus. As of the 2010-2011 school year, there are eight IFC Fraternities, four NPC Sororities, six NPHC Chapters and three NALFO Chapters that are currently active.

Athletics

Main article: Eastern Washington Eagles

Eastern Eagles athletic logo.

Roos Field

Eastern Washington University offers club, intramural, and varsity sports. Its twelve varsity men's and women's sports teams compete in the Big Sky Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as the Eastern Washington Eagles. The most-prominent athletics facilities on campus are Roos Field, Reese Court and the Jim Thorpe Fieldhouse. EWU has three national championships, including football (2011 - NCAA Div. I FCS), wrestling (1977 - NAIA) and men's cross country (1982 - NCAA Div. II).

The Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League held the majority of their summer training camps at EWU, from 1976–1985 and from 1997–2006, from late July to mid August.

Famous Alumni & Faculty

• Ernie Afaganis, Canadian sportscaster, particularly for CBC Television
• Damon Andrews, United States Sportscaster, formerly anchored at KTLA-TV Los Angeles, Fox Sports Net Chicago, FSN Bay Area, FSN Ohio, WBAL -TV Baltimore, currently anchors on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area main anchor on Sportsnet Central
• Jesse Chatman, running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League.
• Dave Christensen, head football coach for University of Wyoming.
• Elizabeth Cook-Lynn, Native American activist and writer.
• Colin Cowherd, current host of The Herd with Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio and SportsNation on ESPN2.
• DeNique Ford, Former AFL2 player for the Spokane Shock
• Thomas Hampson, Grammy-nominated opera singer.
• Todd McFarlane, creator of the Spawn comic book series and current co-owner of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers.
• Launi Meili, gold medalist in women’s three-position smallbore rifle shooting at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
• Aaron Olson, Australian NBL player for the New Zealand Breakers
• Jeff Ogden, Former NFL Wide Receiver
• Michael Roos, starting offensive tackle for the NFL's Tennessee Titans.
• Kurt Schulz, NFL player
• Rodney Stuckey, NBA player for the Detroit Pistons
• Isaiah Trufant, NFL player for the New York Jets, younger brother of Seattle Seahawks cornerback, Marcus Trufant.
• Raul Vijil, AFL player for the Spokane Shock
• Jess Walter, acclaimed author
• Lee Watkinson, professional poker player.
• Scott West, United States Army general.
• Chris Crutcher, acclaimed author of several young adult novels
• Ed Simmons, NFL 11 yrs Washington Redskins one of the 'Hogs'.
• Edward Kienholz, American installation artist
• Taiwan Jones, NFL running back for the Oakland Raiders.
• Jim McElwain, Colorado State University Head Football Coach

External links

• Official Site
• Eastern on Linkedin
• EWU Photo on Flickr
• EWU Video on YouTube
• EWU Sustainability Project
• Just South of North: Unofficial blog of EWU