Eastern Washington University

Eastern Washington University (EWU) is a public university in Cheney, Washington, United States. It shares Riverpoint Campus, its satellite campus in Spokane, Washington, with Washington State University. Founded in 1882, the university is academically divided into four colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences; the College of Health Science & Public Health; the College of Professional Programs; and the College of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics. History The city of Cheney, then known as Depot Springs, was surveyed in 1880 along the tracks of the Northern Pacific Railroad; expressman Benjamin Pierce Cheney was a member of that railroad's board of directors. Officials renamed the city for Cheney by October 1880, prompting him to donate $10,000 to establish the Benjamin P. Cheney Academy in 1882 on an 8-acre (3.2 ha) site at present-day Showalter Hall. At the time, the school was a private institution losing pupils to the competing public school district; after Washington was admitted to the union in 1889, the Enabling Act allowed the establishment of normal schools in the new state and in 1890 the school was renamed the State Normal School at Cheney to train future elementary school teachers. The first class of teachers began their studies on October 13, 1890, under the administration of W. W. Gillette (principal) and William J. Sutton (vice principal). The campus was almost totally destroyed twice by fire in 1891 and 1912, but was rebuilt each time. On August 27, 1891, while the original 1882 Cheney Academy building was being expanded, the first fire destroyed the building and unfinished addition, and classes were moved to the Pomeroy building in downtown Cheney temporarily. Sutton took over as principal in 1892 and spearheaded an appropriation of $60,000 in 1895 from the state for a new building, completed in 1896 at the site of the former Academy building. Sutton resigned in 1897, and shortly afterward, Governor John R. Rogers vetoed funding for the fledgling school, forcing it to cancel classes for the 1897–98 school year. Locals provided enough funding to operate the school in 1898, and state funding resumed in 1899. Noah D. Showalter was elected president of the Normal School in 1911, just before the second fire destroyed the 1896 building on April 24, 1912. Like Sutton before him, Showalter urged the state to pass an appropriation of $300,000 to pay for a new building; after Governor Ernest Lister vetoed the appropriation, the veto was overridden by the legislature under the leadership of Sutton, then serving as a State Senator. Julius Zittel was selected to design the new administration building, which was dedicated on May 22, 1915, and later renamed to Showalter Hall in 1940. The Herculean Pillars, at the intersection of 5th and College, were also completed in 1915, using materials salvaged from the 1896 Normal School building, and served as the entrance to the school for those arriving from the downtown train station. Cheney Normal School continued to grow, opening its first dormitories in 1916 (Monroe Hall), 1920 (Senior Hall), and 1923 (Sutton Hall); in 1929, it completed the President's House (now University House), to serve as the residence for the school's president. All were designed by Zittel. A new building to house the Training School for future teachers was opened in 1937 and named Martin Hall to honor Governor and local resident Clarence Martin. That same year, Cheney Normal School was renamed to Eastern Washington College of Education. On June 4, 1940, the new campus library was opened as Hargreaves Hall (designed by Rasque), and the former administration building was formally dedicated to Noah Showalter. The school grew quickly following World War II, and became Eastern Washington State College in 1961. During this era, Eastern added various graduate and undergraduate degree programs. In 1977, the school's name was changed to Eastern Washington University by the Washington State Legislature. In 1992, the core of the campus was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In July 2024, amid a continuing drop in enrollment and inability to differentiate itself with the other regional universities in Washington (Western Washington University and Central Washington University), university president Shari McMahan announced that EWU would rebrand to a polytechnic university, emphasizing applied and experiential learning over theoretical discussions. The change drew criticism from students and faculty in the humanities, fearing that arts-related programs would be reduced or overlooked in the change. The university plans to expand internship opportunities and work with employers to offer more degrees for in-demand fields. Campus locations The main campus of Eastern Washington University is located in Cheney. A branch campus, known as the Riverpoint Campus is located nearby in Spokane and is shared with Washington State University. EWU also offers degree programs located in Bellevue, Everett, Seattle, Longview, and Vancouver (Washington). Academics EWU offers over 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 and Vancouver, 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 Research institutes & centers Eastern Washington University is home to a number of research institutes and centers, including: 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" JLR Multicultural Center PRIDE Center Women's and Gender Education Center — The Women's and Gender Education (WAGE) Center supports the Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies (GWSS) program's efforts in offering students the skills to critically and actively engage with the world. Eisenhower Center/International Field Study — A program designed for students to travel abroad while earning college credit Center for Farm Health & Safety — Conducts research and demonstration programs involving Health and Safety of Farm-based population groups Fisheries Research Center — Performs salmonid restoration studies including diet studies, population modeling, telemetry, bone regressions, bioenergetic modeling, water quality assessment, ecosystem modeling, surgical implantation of radio, acoustic and ultrasonic tags, and tributary sampling Student life Pence Union Building (PUB) The Pence Union Building, or PUB, is the community center for Eastern Washington University. University Recreation Center (URC) The University Recreation Center (URC) is a three-level 117,699-square-foot (10,934.6 m2) recreational facility that was opened on campus in 2008. The facility has 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 (one simulating ice climbing) and two bouldering walls, an indoor parking garage, 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) fitness center and gymnasium, campus dining facility known as "The Roost" and a two-Lane 200-meter running track. The Easterner The Easterner is the student newspaper of Eastern Washington University. The paper is distributed in print form during the fall, winter, and spring quarters on a weekly basis. The Easterner maintains a website and Facebook page, both independent from the university. The first student newspaper, The State Normal School Journal, was first in 1916. The weekly publication changed its name to The Easterner in 1951. Student organizations and Greek life The student body's government, the Associated Students of Eastern Washington University, dates to 1919–1920, and organizes the work of a wide range of student committees. 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. Athletics 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 (2010 – NCAA Div. I FCS), wrestling (1977 – NAIA) and men's cross country (1982 – NCAA Div. II). FIRST Robotics Competition events have been held there, including the Pacific Northwest District regional, since 2014. The venue has since been switched to the Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Portland, Oregon). Notable alumni References Notes External links Official website Athletics website