Western Washington University

History

In 1886, WWU was established as the Northwest Normal School, a teachers' school predominantly for women although men also enrolled, by Phoebe Judson in Lynden, Washington. The school later moved to Bellingham (then "New Whatcom"). Governor John McGraw signed legislation establishing the New Whatcom Normal School on February 24, 1893. In 1895, construction began on a permanent school building, now known as Old Main, the current administration building. Designed by prominent Seattle architects Warren Skillings and James Corner, it was completed by early 1897 but could not open to students until funds were secured to install heating, lighting, and do general grounds maintenance, which were not included in the original contract. The first official class entered in 1899, composed of 88 students.

The institution that is now Western Washington University underwent several name changes. The name changed to State Normal School at Whatcom in 1901 to reflect New Whatcom's name change; in 1904 to Washington State Normal School at Bellingham, when the townships of Whatcom and Fairhaven joined; and in 1937 to Western Washington College of Education, when it became a four-year college. In 1961 it became Western Washington State College and in 1977 the school gained university status and adopted its present name.

The 1960s was a period of especially rapid growth for Western, as its enrollment increased from 3,000 students to over 10,000 during the decade. In 1967, the Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies was founded, with non-traditional education methods that served as a model for Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. In 1969, the College of the Environment, the nation's first dedicated environmental science college, was founded, continuing Western's trend toward "cluster" colleges. That same year, on a spring afternoon, students gained headlines by blocking Interstate 5 to protest the Vietnam War. Also in 1969, the College of Ethnic Studies was established. After being met with significant resistance, it was dismantled in 1978.

Since this period, the College of Arts and Sciences was founded (1973) and divided into the College of Humanities & Social Sciences and the College of Science & Engineering (2003); the College of Fine and Performing Arts was formed from several art departments (1975); and the College of Business and Economics was established (1976).

Today, WWU has a student body of over 16,000 students. The university is Washington's third largest, after Washington State University and the University of Washington.

Main campus

WWU's main campus is in Bellingham, a city of about 95,000 people, overlooking Bellingham Bay and many of the San Juan Islands. It is 90 mi north of Seattle, 55 mi south of Vancouver, British Columbia, and an hour's drive from 10778 ft Mount Baker. The university is close to Interstate 5.

The Bellingham campus is 215 acre, including the 38 acre Sehome Hill Arboretum, operated jointly with the City of Bellingham. Campus facilities include an electronic music studio, an air pollution lab, a motor vehicle research lab, a marine research lab, a wind tunnel, and two electron microscopes. Automobile Magazine has called Western "very possibly the best school in the country for total car design".

Western also has off-campus facilities at Shannon Point Marine Center in Anacortes, Washington; Lakewood, a 15 acre student-university facility at nearby Lake Whatcom; and Whatcom County property used for environmental and aquatic analyses.

Public sculpture collection

Main article: Western Washington University Public Sculpture Collection

WWU's collection of outdoor and indoor public sculptures is a major presence on campus. Founded in 1960 and funded by the Washington State Arts Commission, the National Endowment for the Arts, and private donations, it includes 36 works by James FitzGerald, Isamu Noguchi, Robert Morris, Mark di Suvero, Anthony Caro, Nancy Holt, Beverly Pepper, Richard Serra, Donald Judd, Bruce Nauman, and others.

Academics

Academic organization

Western offers multiple bachelor's degrees, as well as the degrees of Master of Arts, Master of Science, Master of Education, Master in Teaching, Master of Business Administration, Master of Professional Accounting, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music, Clinical Doctorate in Audiology, and Doctor of Education. The university is organized into the following colleges and departments:

Source: [[File:Chemistry Building.JPG|thumb|Chemistry Building]]

Accreditations and approvals

The university is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Specific programs or academic units are accredited or approved by specialized organization:

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
• American Chemical Society
• American Speech and Hearing Association
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
• Computing Sciences Accreditation Board
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
• National Association of Schools of Music
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• National Recreation and Park Association
• Planning Accreditation Board

Rankings

In the 2025 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings, Western is ranked 18th in Regional Universities West and 9th of the region's public schools. After the Bothell and Tacoma campuses of the University of Washington, Western is ranked third among this category's universities in the Pacific Northwest. The university is also ranked 13th in the region's Best Colleges for Veterans. Washington Monthly ranked Western number 52 nationally in their 2024 college guide.

In 2024, the Peace Corps ranked Western the top all-time producer of Peace Corps volunteers among medium colleges and universities. Western is also a Fulbright Program Top Producing Institution, and is ranked third among master's universities for the number of research doctorate recipients among its baccalaureate graduates.

Western was ranked 155th among 328 participating institutions in the Sierra Club's 2021 Cool Schools ranking of sustainable colleges and universities. Additionally, from 2020 through 2022, the university was recognized by the Great Colleges to Work For program, published by ModernThink and The Chronicle of Higher Education. Western remains a member of the FirstGen Forward Network.

Notable degree programs

• According to the Philosophical Gourmet Report, Western has one of the nation's best philosophy departments among colleges and universities that offer only a B.A. in the discipline. Western was among only seven public universities so honored.
• The Center for Canadian American Studies at Western Washington University is one of only two U.S. Department of Education–designated National Resource Centers for the study of Canada in the United States.
• The university offers an undergraduate program in Urban Planning and Sustainable Development, one of 16 programs in North America that offers a Bachelor's Degree accredited by the Planning Accreditation Board.

Athletics

Main article: Western Washington Vikings

WWU is an official member of NCAA Division II, having joined in September 1998. In 2011–12, approximately 350 students are participating in 15 varsity sports at Western, six for men and nine for women. In 2010–11, WWU placed seventh among 310 NCAA Division II schools in the Sports Director's Cup national all-sports standings, the second-highest finish in school history. The Vikings were sixth in 2009–10 and tenth in 2008–09. WWU has had eight straight Top 50 finishes and been among the Top 100 in each of its first 13 seasons as an NCAA II member.

In 2010–11, Western won its third straight and seventh overall Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Sports championship, taking league titles in volleyball, men's golf and women's golf, and the regular-season crown in women's basketball. The Vikings, who won the Northwest Collegiate Rowing Conference championship, placed second in men's and women's cross country, men's and women's outdoor track, men's indoor track and softball.

The Vikings have won an NAIA national championship in softball (1998), two National Collegiate Rowing Championships in women's rowing (1984, 1996), and NCAA Division II national championships in women's rowing (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017, 2024), men's basketball (2012) and women's soccer (2016). WWU athletes have also won individual national championships in track and field.

Varsity sports

The Vikings field varsity teams for men and women in cross country, soccer, golf, basketball, and track & field. Women's teams compete in volleyball, softball, and rowing. Between 1903 and 2008 WWU fielded a football team but folded it in hopes of saving money to keep other WWU teams competitive.

Students

In the 2024–25 academic year, 14,651 students were enrolled, of whom 86% were in-state Washington residents.

Many WWU students participate in organized student government. The Associated Students of Western Washington University (ASWWU) is "an organization designed and run by Western students, the Associated Students (AS) seeks to ensure a fulfilling college and academic experience for all university students through the many services, facilities and programs it offers." ASWWU has five main areas of focus: clubs, activities, programs, facilities & services, and governance.

ASWWU aims to provide "funding, space and services" to students "uniting around common interests". Its staff assist student development of clubs and provide advising, "continuity, referral and record keeping" throughout the process. There are more than 200 student clubs in the following categories: Arts and Music, Cultural, Political, Special Interest, Gaming, Social Issues, Departmental, Limited Membership, Service, Religious, and Recreational.

Students who wish to set up a table in Red Square to promote their club must sign up for a space through the university. A blue board on the west side of Red Square has general university policy on freedom of speech and guidelines for using chalk on the bricks.

Media

Multiple news outlets are associated with WWU.

Official publications

WWU's Office of University Communications operates several publications, including:

• WWU News, Western Washington University's main news site.
• Western Today, a campus newsletter published several times a week.
• Window, a twice-annual publication distributed to WWU alumni, donors, faculty and staff.

A livestream of Red Square is filmed from atop Bond Hall.

Student publications

Student-run publications at WWU include:

• The Front (formerly The Western Front) is Western's official student newspaper covering city-wide and greater county-wide news. It operates independently of the university itself, though articles are written, edited, and published by students of the university. The Front was awarded as the "Best All-Around Non-Daily Student Newspaper" by the Society of Professional Journalists' Region 10 in 2017. The newspaper's first edition as the Western Front was published on October 10, 1967.
• Klipsun Magazine is a quarterly student magazine. Each issue of the magazine has a specific theme, and the periodical as a whole is intended to be an example of multimedia journalism.
• Occam's Razor, as well as Jeopardy, are formatted as academic journals, and aim to publish academic research done by Western undergraduates.
• The Planet is published as part of the university's environmental studies program. The magazine promotes environmental awareness.
• Window: The Magazine of Western Washington University (often referred to as Window Magazine), a magazine published two to three times a year by the university. It won multiple silver and bronze Council for Advancement and Support of Education Circle of Excellence awards in 2019.

The Student Publications Office of the university publishes the Front, Klipsun, Occam's Razor, and the Planet, as well as Jeopardy. The Associated Students of Western Washington University also operates media services, including Wavelength, a weekly online and printed alternative news source.

The KUGS radio station accepts albums from students to air. KUGS also has a large library of vinyl records that can be listened to in the studio.

Police

The Western Washington University Police Department (abbreviated WWUPD) are a university police force at the university. The police chief of the department is Katryne "Katy" Potts, who was sworn into the position in January 2023. The department also has a staff of "Green Coats" under their public safety branch, who offer "safety escorts on campus, event security staffing and building access services for current students."

People

Notable faculty

• James Bertolino, English
• Jeff Carroll, psychology
• Catherine T. Montgomery, education
• Suzanne Paola, English
• Richard Purtill, philosophy (emeritus)
• Ada Swineford, geology
• Edward Vajda, languages
• Christopher Wise, English
• Grace Wang, environmental studies
• Jane Wong, English
• Annie Dillard, former Writer in Residence

Notable alumni

• Robert Angel, creator of Pictionary
• Richard Barlow, intelligence analyst
• Tori Black, adult film actress
• Carrie Brownstein, musician and actress
• Ryan Couture (2004), professional mixed martial artist
• Sarah Crouch, long-distance runner
• William Dietrich, author and journalist
• Ben Dragavon, professional soccer coach
• Mike Duncan (2002), podcaster and author
• Dan Erickson, creator of Severance
• Brian Fairbrother, high school soccer coach
• Michael Farris, lawyer
• Darril Fosty (1992), author and documentarian
• Ben Gibbard (1998), musician
• John Michael Greer, author and druid
• Julie Larson-Green, former CXO of Office Experience Organization at Microsoft
• Brian Holsinger, college basketball coach
• Daulton Hommes, professional basketball player
• Peter Kalivas, neuroscientist, author, and academic
• Kelli Linville, politician
• TJ Martin, film director
• Agnes Martin, abstract painter
• Douglas Massey (1974), sociologist
• Ralph Munro, Secretary of State of Washington
• Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight (2012), musicians
• Heidi Grant Murphy, operatic soprano
• Sarah Myhre, climate scientist
• Ijeoma Oluo, author and writer
• Matt Overton, professional football player
• Elizabeth Peratrovich, civil rights activist
• Heather Purser, LGBT rights activist and Native American advocate
• Bob Robertson, college sports broadcaster
• Zoa Sherburne, author
• Larry Springer, politician
• Erin Wall, operatic soprano
• Hiro Yamamoto, musician

Notes

References

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