Washburn University

Washburn University

Former names	Lincoln College Washburn College Washburn Municipal University
Motto	Non Nobis Solum
Motto in English	Not for Ourselves Alone
Type	Public
Established	February 6, 1865 (1865-02-06)[1]
Academic affiliation	CNAHEC AASCU
Endowment	$158.02 million (2017)[2]
President	Jerry Farley
Provost	JuliAnn Mazachek
Academic staff	1,000
Students	6,691 (fall 2017)[3]
Location	Topeka, Kansas, U.S. 39°02′02″N 95°41′56″W / 39.033786°N 95.698975°W / 39.033786; -95.698975Coordinates: 39°02′02″N 95°41′56″W / 39.033786°N 95.698975°W / 39.033786; -95.698975
Campus	Urban, 160 acres (0.65 km2)
Colors	Yale Blue and White[4]
Nickname	Ichabods
Sporting affiliations	NCAA Division II – MIAA
Mascot	The Ichabod
Website	www.washburn.edu

Washburn University (WU) is a co-educational, public institution of higher learning in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and business. Washburn has 550 faculty members, who teach more than 6,100 undergraduate students and nearly 800 graduate students. The university's assets include a $158 million endowment.

History

Washburn University was established in February 1865 as Lincoln College by a charter issued by the State of Kansas and the General Association of Congregational Ministers and Churches of Kansas on land donated by abolitionist John Ritchie. The school was renamed Washburn College in 1868 after Ichabod Washburn pledged $25,000 to the school. Washburn was a church deacon, abolitionist and industrialist who resided in Worcester, Massachusetts.^[5]

Washburn College in Topeka, Kansas, adopted a variation of the Washbourne Arms, using creative license to alter the tinctures (colors), to its school's colors, and used it as its own logo. Since becoming "Washburn University", the school has abandoned the Washburn Arms logo. They're now using a stylized "W" in its place. The school mascot "The Ichabods", is still in use.

Washburn University’s mascot, The Ichabods, honors the school’s early benefactor, Ichabod Washburn. The original design of the studious-looking, tailcoat-clad figure was created in 1938 by Bradbury Thompson (B.A. ‘34), who became an internationally acclaimed graphic artist.^[5]

In 1913 the medical department of Washburn College closed. Previously the Kansas Medical School had become infamous on December 10, 1895, when it was discovered that some of the bodies used for anatomical study had been stolen from local cemeteries. As the news was being printed (eventually across the country) the governor called out state troops to protect the school in fear of a riot. Three of the doctors, including the Dean of the school, and a janitor/student from the school were arrested as well as one man not a member of the school. Charges against the doctors were discharged, the janitor was convicted but had his conviction reversed on appeal and the final man was convicted but later pardoned.^[5]

During World War II, Washburn Municipal University was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the V-12 Navy College Training Program which offered students a path to a Navy commission.^[6]

On June 8, 1966, only a few days after classes were dismissed for the summer, much of the campus was demolished by a tornado, and completely denuded of trees.^[7] Three months before the tornado struck, the Washburn Board of Trustees had reinsured every building on campus for the maximum amount. A week after the tornado struck, summer classes began at Topeka West High School. By the fall of 1966, Stoffer Hall was repaired and trailers were in place. It took years to reconstruct the campus, with students attending classes in trailers well into the early 1970s.^[5]

Formerly a municipal university, the university's primary funding was moved from city property tax to county sales tax sources in 1999, with the school retaining status as a municipal subdivision of the state.^[5] Washburn is governed by its own nine-member Board of Regents.^[8]

President and the Board

Aerial view of Washburn campus in 1948

Class of 1900 in front of Rice Hall

The president of Washburn University is Jerry Farley, who has served as president since 1997 and taken an active approach in improving academics and student life. Washburn University is governed by a nine-member Board of Regents. Three, who must be residents of the state of Kansas, are appointed by the Governor. Three residents of the City of Topeka, one from each of the state senatorial districts, are appointed by the Mayor. One is the Mayor or a member of the governing body of the city designated by the Mayor. The Shawnee County Commission appoints one member, who must be a resident of Shawnee County but not of the City of Topeka. The Kansas Board of Regents annually selects one of its members to serve on the Washburn Board. Members of the Board (with the exception of the Kansas Board of Regents' appointee) serve staggered four-year terms.^[8]

Buildings

The main buildings of Washburn University are all dedicated to someone or are an important part of Washburn's history.^[13]

Athletics

The athletic teams are known as the Ichabods. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the women's athletic teams were known as the "Lady Blues". On May 24, 2013, President Farley announced that all athletic teams will be known as the Ichabods for the first time in history.^[14] Washburn is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association and the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II. The current athletics director is Loren Ferré.

Campus attractions

• KTWU, a non-commercial, public television station authorized by the Federal Communications Commission, Washington, D.C. and licensed to Washburn University. KTWU, the first public television station in Kansas, commenced telecasting October 21, 1965.
• Mulvane Art Museum opened in 1924. The museum's permanent collection, though international in scope, emphasizes the work of artists of Kansas and the Midwest.
• Crane Observatory houses an 1898 Warner & Swasey refracting telescope.

Notable alumni

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Washburn University.

Wikisource has the text of the 1920 Encyclopedia Americana article Washburn College.

• Official website
• Washburn Athletics website
• Washburn University at National Center for Education Statistics: College Navigator
•  "Washburn College". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.
• Washburn Mabee Library Website