Wayne State College
| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Established | 1910 |
| President | Dr. Richard Collings |
| Students | 3,550 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Rural, 128 acres |
| Mascot | Wildcats |
| Website | www.wsc.edu |
Wayne State College is a four-year public college in the Nebraska State College System in Wayne, Nebraska. The current enrollment is 3,356. The college opened as a State Normal School in 1910 after the State purchased the private Nebraska Normal College (established 1891). The State Normal College became State Normal School and Teacher's College in 1921. This was changed to Nebraska State Teachers College at Wayne in 1949 and the present name was adopted in 1963.[1]
Academics
Wayne State offers 90 different programs of study in four Schools: Arts and Humanities, Business and Technology, Education and Counseling, and Natural and Social Sciences. Wayne State also offers classes at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Athletics
Wayne State offers 15 NCAA Division II sports and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The mascot is the Wildcat. WSC participates in Baseball, Men and Women's Basketball, Men and Women's Cross Country, Football, Men and Women's Golf, Women's Soccer, Softball, Men and Women's Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, and Women's Volleyball. The football team plays at Bob Cunningham Field and is coached by Dan McLaughlin, a former Nebraska graduate assistant. The Wildcats had a 7-5 record in 2007, the first winning record since 1993. The Wildcats also played in the Mineral Water Bowl, their first bowl game since 1970.
Facility Upgrades
In December 2007 the college started what would turn into a $4.5million renovation of numerous athletic facilities, making Wayne State one of the DII leaders in facilities. Included in the renovation were a state of the art weight room inside of Memorial Stadium, new football and soccer locker rooms, basketball (both men's and women's) and volleyball locker rooms. Also included were new, centrally located offices for volleyball, men's and women's basketball and the sports information staff. The athletic department held a grand opening event on April 24th, in conjunction with the Spring football game.
Football
The Wildcats football program has grown steadily under head coach Dan McLaughlin. After the 2007 season in which the Wildcats finished 7-5, they posted a 9-3 record in 2008, earning the school's first ever berth in the DII National Playoffs, where they lost in the first round to Chadron State College (NE). The Wildcats entered the 2009 preseason ranked 25th in the nation by D2Football.com, and climbed as high as 11th in the country at one point. They finished the season at 8-3.
Women's Basketball
The women's basketball program has also seen steady growth over the last half decade. Former Head Coach Ryun Williams (now the head coach at the University of South Dakota) led the Wildcats to national tournament appearances in two of his three final seasons before leaving. Current Head Coach Chris Kielsmeier guided the Wayne State women to an overall 15-13 record in 2008, before guiding the Wildcats to win the 2010 Northern Sun/Sanford Health Conference Basketball Tournament in his second season. They enter this year's national tournament a a #2 seed, with a 26-4 national record.
Points of interest
Notable alumni
- Byron Chamberlain, NFL and Pro Bowl tight end
- James Keogh, Journalist and political adviser. Assistant managing editor of Time Magazine, Special Assistant to President Richard Nixon, Director U.S. Information Agency.
- John H. Kyl, U.S. political figure. Member of the House of Representatives from Iowa's Fourth Congressional District 1959-1965, 1967-1973. Asst. Secretary, Dept. of the Interior, 1973-1977. Father of Arizona Senator John Kyl.
- Hilda Neihardt, History author and daughter of John G. Neihardt
- John Neihardt, Writer and poet. Poet Laureate of Nebraska, author of Black Elk Speaks.
- Gale McGee, U.S. political figure. Democratic Senator from Wyoming 1959-1977. U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States.
- Brad Ottis, Former NFL defensive end/defensive tackle [1] [2]
- Val Peterson, U.S. political figure. Governor of Nebraska 1947-1953, Director of Federal Civil Defense Administration, Ambassador to Denmark and Finland. Wayne State College's Peterson Fine Arts Building is named after him.
- Brett Salisbury, Quarterback and Author of the best selling book The Transform Diet
- Kevin Swayne, AFL and NFL wide receiver
- Brian Wansink, Cornell University Professor and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
- DaVarryl Williamson, Quarterback and boxer[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Wayne State College". The European Education Directory. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
External links
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