Northwestern Oklahoma State University

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Northwestern Oklahoma State University


Motto	Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow
Established	1897
Type	Public
President	Dr. Janet Cunningham
Students	1,889 [1]
Location	Alva, Oklahoma, USA
Address	709 Oklahoma Blvd., Alva, OK 73717
Telephone	+1 580 327-1700
Colors	Red and black
Mascot	Rangers
Affiliations	Sooner Athletic Conference, NAIA
Website	www.nwosu.edu

Northwestern Oklahoma State University, also known as NWOSU, is a university in Alva, Oklahoma, with satellite campuses in Enid and Woodward. Northwestern is a state university that offers both bachelor's and master's degrees.

1 Establishment
2 History
3 Expansion
4 External links

[edit] Establishment

In 1897, Northwestern was established by an act of the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature. This made Northwestern the second normal school in Oklahoma charged with preparing teachers to serve the many one-room schoolhouses that covered the prairie. Northwestern's first faculty consisted of the school's first President, James E. Ament, and two teachers. Classes were held in the Congregational Church until construction of the first building, "the Castle on the Hill," was complete in 1899.

[edit] History

Northwestern became a four-year teacher college in 1919 and changed its name to Northwestern Oklahoma Teacher's College. The school expanded in 1939 to include degrees in liberal arts as well as education. Also in 1939, Northwestern's name changed again to Northwestern State College. The final name change occurred in 1974 when it was renamed Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Northwestern's greatest tragedy happened on March 1, 1935 when the Castle on the Hill was destroyed by fire. In 1948, a contest was organized to adopt a new school fight song and a new alma mater. The winning submissions were announced in March of 1949. Both submissions were made by Floyd McClain, a 1940 graduate of Northwestern who was then attending the Boston Conservatory of Music. The new fight song was entitled "Ride, Rangers, Ride," and the new alma mater was entitled "Oh Northwestern." Both are still the official fight song and alma mater, although different band directors have altered the arrangements over the years. A contest later was launched to select a motto for the university in 1957. The motto chosen was, "Learn Today, Lead Tomorrow," and was submitted by Kay Hutcheson, a junior student at Northwestern.

[edit] Expansion

In 1951, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education authorized Northwestern to offer courses, transferable to the University of Oklahoma or Oklahoma State University, applying towards a master’s degree in education. Then in 1954, the board approved a program leading to a Master of Education Degree at Northwestern.

In the fall of 1978 Northwestern implemented a program leading to a Master's of Behavioral Science Degree. A nursing degree program was established in the fall of 1981 to respond to the nursing shortage in Northwest Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Legislature passed legislation that created two new branch campuses at Enid and Woodward. Northwestern became one of the first institutions to establish a Bachelor of E-commerce degree in the fall of 2000.

More than 100 years have passed since Northwestern Oklahoma State University opened its doors. Since then, it has progressed from a normal school offering only teaching certificates to an institution offering degrees at the bachelor's and master's levels. The 1897 campus of 40 acres (0.16 km²) without buildings in one town has now become more than 400 acres (1.6 km²) and 36 buildings located in three communities. The three faculty members and 68 students have increased to more than 220 faculty and staff members and more than 2,300 students.