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Former names | West Chester Normal School (1871–1927) West Chester State Teachers College (1927–1960) West Chester State College (1960–1983) |
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| Type | Publicresearch university |
| Established | September 25, 1871; 153 years ago (1871-09-25) |
Parent institution | PASSHE |
Academic affiliation | |
| Endowment | $47.2 million (2019)[1] |
| Budget | $266.2 million (2019) |
| President | R. Lorraine Bernotsky |
| Provost | Jeffery L. Osgood, Jr. |
Academic staff | 695 full-time; 298 part-time |
| Undergraduates | 14,392 (Fall 2022)[2] |
| Postgraduates | 2,883[2] |
| Location | ,, 19383 ,United States 39°57′08″N75°36′00″W / 39.9522°N 75.6001°W /39.9522; -75.6001 |
| Campus | College town, 388 acres (1.57 km2) |
| Colors | Purple and Gold |
| Nickname | Golden Rams |
Sporting affiliations | NCAA Division II –PSAC ECAC |
| Mascot | Rammy |
| Website | www |
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| Official name | West Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District |
| Type | NRHP Historic district |
| Criteria | Architecture |
| Designated | October 8, 1981[3] |
| Reference no. | 81000539 |
| Official name | Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) |
| Type | Roadside |
| Criteria | Location of Frederick Douglass' final public lecture |
| Designated | February 1, 2006[4] |
West Chester University (also known asWest Chester,WCU, orWCUPA, and officially asWest Chester University of Pennsylvania) is apublicresearch university in and aroundWest Chester, Pennsylvania.[5] The university is accredited by theMiddle States Commission on Higher Education andclassified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[6] With 17,275 undergraduate and graduate students as of 2022[update], WCU is the largest of the 10 state-owned universities belonging to thePennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) and the sixth largest university in Pennsylvania.[7][8] It also maintains aCenter City Philadelphia satellite campus onMarket Street.
The university traces its roots to theWest Chester Academy, a private, state-aided school that existed from 1812 to 1869. As the state began to take increasing responsibility for public education, the academy was transformed intoWest Chester Normal School orWest Chester State Normal School, still privately owned and state certified. Thenormal school admitted its first class, consisting of 160 students, on September 25, 1871. In 1913, West Chester became the first of the normal schools to be owned outright by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
West Chester becameWest Chester State Teachers College in 1927 when Pennsylvania initiated a four-year program of teacher education. In 1960, as the Commonwealth paved the way for liberal arts programs in its college system, West Chester was renamedWest Chester State College, and two years later introduced theliberal arts program that turned the one-time academy into a comprehensive college.[9]
The campus quad located on North Campus appears on theNational Register of Historic Places, and is called theWest Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District, featuring WCU's historic buildings. The buildings, with the exception of Anderson Hall andPhilips Memorial Building (named after long-time principalGeorge Morris Philips), were each built with local Chester Countyserpentine stone.[10] They include Ruby Jones Hall,Recitation Hall and theOld Library.[9]
With passage of the State System of Higher Education bill, West Chester became one of the 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education on July 1, 1983. Along with its new name—West Chester University of Pennsylvania—the institution acquired a new system of governance and the opportunity to expand its degree programs.
West Chester is recognized for its formal poetry program. Itsannual conference on form and narrative in poetry began in 1995 and is devoted toNew Formalism. It has established a poetry center that sponsors readings and an annual book competition oriented toward formal poetry. ItsIris N. Spencer Poetry Awards recognize undergraduate achievement in formal poetry.[11]
Nineteen days before his death,Frederick Douglass gave his last public lecture, on February 1, 1895, at West Chester University. The university's Frederick Douglass Institute is named in his honor, and a statue of Douglass appears on its campus.[12][13] It has been named anational historic landmark by theU.S. National Park Service.[14] TheUnderground Railroad Network to Freedom recognized the Frederick Douglass Institute for its work in understanding the history of the underground railroad.[15][16]
| Academic rankings | |
|---|---|
| Regional | |
| U.S. News & World Report[17] | 50 |
| National | |
| Forbes[18] | 307 |
At theundergraduate level, the university offersBachelor of Arts,Bachelor of Science,Bachelor of Fine Arts, andBachelor of Music degrees. Paraprofessional studies are available in law, medicine, and theology. In cooperation with thePennsylvania State University,Columbia University, andThomas Jefferson University, West Chester University offers a 3–2 dual-degree program combining liberal arts, physics, and engineering. Also available are early admission assurance programs withPennsylvania State University College of Medicine,Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine andTemple University School of Medicine. The university provides special admission opportunities and scholarships to the Widener School of Law–Harrisburg Campus. At the graduate level, West Chester University offersmaster's (M.A., M.B.A., M.Ed., M.M., M.P.A., M.P.H., M.S., M.S.W., M.S.N., M.U.R.P.) anddoctoral (DPA, DNP, Ed.D., Psy.D.) degrees.
West Chester was ranked 50th in the "Regional Universities North" category byU.S. News & World Report for 2020.
The university is accredited by theMiddle States Commission on Higher Education andclassified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[19]
WCU'sInternational Programs office helps send students abroad.[20][21] The university participates in the National Student Exchange Program, in which students spend up to a year at any one of more than 170 member schools across the United States. Transfer of credit is a part of this program.[22]
The university's North Campus is partially inWest Chester borough and partially inWest Goshen Township.[23] The South Campus is partially in West Goshen Township and partially inEast Bradford Township. The campus is located in a suburban area approximately 20 miles (32 km) from the city ofPhiladelphia. West Chester's downtown center is less than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) away from the main campus.[24][25] The university also operates an urban satellite campus inCenter City, Philadelphia.[26]
On campus, there is the Recreation Center, the Business and Public Management Center, The Dr. Sandra F. Prichard-Mather Planetarium, The Hollinger Field House, many buildings (built in the 1800s and early 1900s) in theWest Chester State College Quadrangle Historic District registered into theNational Register of Historic Places, and the Sciences & Engineering Center that has been recently completed,[when?] just to name a few buildings. There are also many outdoor activity areas such as: basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball courts, and the nearly 100-acre (40 ha) Robert B. Gordon Natural Area for Environmental Studies.[27]
West Chester University has the second largest universitygeothermal system in the United States. The system drastically reducescarbon emissions on the campus.[28]
The athletic teams at West Chester University are named theGolden Rams. Students participate inNCAADivision II athletics in thePSAC and theECAC. West Chester University has won national championships in women's basketball, women's lacrosse, women's swimming (the team was theDGWS champion in 1972), women's field hockey (including fourAIAW titles from 1975 to 1978), and men's soccer. West Chester won the first ever women's basketball nationalchampionship in 1969 and was on the losing end in the final game each of the following three years.[29][30]
In 1961, the men's soccer team won theNCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.[31]Jerry Yeagley was a player on WCU's championship team before going on to win sixNCAA Championships and six National Coach of the Year Awards as the men's soccer coach atIndiana University. In addition, prior to the NCAA instituting a tournament format to decide the champion in 1959, the Golden Rams were voted the National Soccer Champions in 1950 by theIntercollegiate Soccer Football Association.[32]
In 1977, 1979, and 1982 the boxing team won theNational Collegiate Boxing Association national championship. In 1976, Edward Skalamera claimed the national title for his 147 lb. weight class while Joe Gery took the top position in the nation for his 180 lb. class.[33]
In 2008, West Chester defeatedC.W. Post College 13–12 to win the Division II women's lacrosse title. It was the second national title in the women's program history. WCUPA played in the NCAA tournament in 2010 (2nd place), 2011 (4th place), and 2012 (2nd place). The 2013 team was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Champions. Ginny Martino's winning percentage is 80% over the last 17 years as head coach (250–60).[34]
In 2012, the Men's Baseball Team claimed West Chester's firstNCAA Division II College Baseball National Championship.[35] The Golden Rams shut-outDelta State 9–0 inCary, North Carolina. West Chester becomes the first team from thePennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) to win the national championship and just the third northern school to walk away with the title.
West Chester'sWomen's Field Hockey team won the NCAA Division II championship in 2011, 2012, and 2019. The varsityWomen's Rugby program also won the National Intercollegiate Rugby Association (NIRA) rugby national championship in 2019.
Campus Recreation: The Women'sIce Hockey Club won the Division II national championship in 2013.The Men'sLacrosse Club won the Division II national championship in 2013 and 2015.
 | This article's list of alumnimay not follow Wikipedia'sverifiability policy. Pleaseimprove this article by removing names that do not have independentreliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND are alumni, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriatecitations.(April 2024) |
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