Eastern Kentucky University
Motto	"Get wisdom, get understanding"
Established	1906[1]
Type	Public
Endowment	$44.4 million[2]
President	Dr. Michael T. Benson
Academic staff	667 full-time[3]
Admin. staff	1672 full-time[3]
Students	15,968 (Fall 2012)
Undergraduates	13,947 (Fall 2012)[3]
Postgraduates	2,021 (Fall 2012) [3]
Location	Richmond, KY, USA
Campus	892 acres (3.61 km2)
Athletics	15 varsity teams, called Colonels and Lady Colonels
Colors	Maroon      and White
Mascot	The Colonel[4]
Affiliations	Ohio Valley Conference
Website	Official Website

Eastern Kentucky University, commonly referred to as Eastern or by the acronym EKU, is an undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution located in Richmond, Kentucky, U.S.A.. EKU is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).^[5] It maintains three regional campuses in Corbin, Danville, and Manchester, and centers in Fort Knox, Lancaster, and Somerset.^[6]

History [edit]

The University Building, EKU's oldest building, was inherited from Central University.

Eastern Kentucky University boasts a rich heritage of outstanding service to the region and Commonwealth of Kentucky. Central University was founded in 1874 on the present site of Eastern Kentucky University. In 1901, beset with financial difficulties and small enrollment, Central University agreed to consolidation with Centre College. The Kentucky General Assembly of 1906 enacted legislation establishing the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School No. 1. The legislation was signed into law by the governor on March 21, 1906. On May 7, 1906, the Normal School Commission selected the site of the former Central University campus to be the location of the new school. In 1922 it became a four-year institution and changed its name to the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College, awarding its first degrees under that name in 1925. The school received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1928; then, two years later, in 1930, it changed its name again to the Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College. Eastern added graduate studies in 1935, and thirteen years later, in 1948, the General Assembly removed the word Teachers from the school's name, and granted it the right to award nonprofessional degrees. It was not until 1966 that the school was officially renamed Eastern Kentucky University. In 2010, the University awarded its first doctoral degree -- in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. ^[7][8]

Academics [edit]

Roark Building, home to EKU's Department of Geography and Geology.

Eastern comprises five academic colleges, The Graduate School, as well as the John Grant Crabbe Library, and offers more than 160 degree programs at the associate, baccalaureate, master's and doctoral levels. ^[3]

Colleges

• College of Arts and Sciences
• College of Business and Technology
• College of Health Sciences
• College of Education
• College of Justice and Safety

Library

• John Grant Crabbe Library
• Justice and Safety Library Branch (Located within the Stratton Building)
• Music Library Branch (Located within the Foster Building)

EKU has achieved national distinction on numerous fronts in recent years.

Several well-known national publications rank EKU among the nation’s best for academic excellence, as a place to work, and for its services to military veterans, among other reasons.

EKU is the only college or university nationwide that can claim all the following "Points of Pride":

• Top tier of regional universities in the South, 2011 and 2012 editions of “Best Colleges,” published by U.S. News Media Group. Criteria include peer assessment, graduation and retention rates, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources, and alumni giving.
• Ranked among “America’s Best Colleges” for four consecutive years by Forbes magazine. Because Forbes recognizes 650 undergraduate institutions among the approximately 6,600 accredited postsecondary institutions nationwide, this ranking essentially places Eastern among the top 10 percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. Forbes bases its rankings on quality of teaching, career prospects, graduation rates and levels of debt.
• No. 1 and No. 2 national rankings in 2010 and 2011, respectively, in “Best for Vets” rankings published by Military Times EDGE magazine.
• Recognition from G.I. Jobs magazine each of the last four years as a Military Friendly School. In 2010, EKU unveiled Operation Veteran Success, a series of initiatives designed to make the university even more veteran-helpful. Also, Eastern is one of only 14 universities nationwide to participate in the Pat Tillman Military Scholars Program.
• Recognition from the Carnegie Foundation for its engagement with the community and region. Only approximately 230 colleges and universities were honored.
• Among 10 large four-year colleges and universities nationwide, and the only large institution in Kentucky, to make the Honor Roll in the Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2011 Great Colleges to Work For program. Among four-year colleges and universities with enrollment of at least 10,000, EKU earned recognition in 11 of 12 possible categories, the most of any large four-year institution. The categories are: Professional/Career Development Programs, Teaching Environment, Tenure Clarity and Process, Facilities/Workspace/Security, Work/Life Balance, Compensation/Benefits, Job Satisfaction, Respect/Appreciation, Collaborative Governance, Confidence in Senior Leadership and Supervisor or Department Chair Relationship. (The previous year, EKU earned Honor Roll distinction with recognition in five categories.) [1]

Additionally, the Master's Degree program in Occupational Therapy was ranked 24th in the country in the magazine’s recently published “America’s Best Graduate Schools 2009” edition.[2]

Enrollment Statistics [edit]

Enrollment map for EKU, Fall 2010

Top counties for enrollment, Fall 2010 ^[9]

• 1. Madison 2,594
• 2. Fayette 1,357
• 3. Whitley 600*
• 4. Jefferson 555
• 5. Laurel 512
• 6. Pulaski 371*
• 7. Clay 304*
• 8. Boyle 285*
• 9. Clark 281
• 10. Lincoln 277
• (*) Asterisk denotes a county that is home to a regional campus

EKU's service region includes parts of Eastern and South Central Kentucky

Student Body Profile^[10]

• Average Freshman ACT Score: 21.1
• Percent women: 58%
• Percent men: 42%
• Percent White non Hispanic: 77%
• Percent Black: 6%
• Percent Asian or Pacific Islander: 1%
• Percent Hispanic: 2%
• Percent of other or multi races: 5%

Enrollment by campus, Fall 2010

• Total enrollment for all campuses: 16,567
• Main Campus (Richmond): 14,520
• Corbin Campus: 950
• Danville Campus: 553
• Manchester Campus: 294

Athletics [edit]

Eastern Kentucky University Logo and "The Colonel"

Referred to as the "Maroons" until the mid-1960s, Eastern's sports teams are known as the "Colonels." They compete in the NCAA's Division I (Football Championship Subdivision in football) in the Ohio Valley Conference.

The school is best known for its Football Championship Subdivision football team, which has captured 22 OVC conference titles and two Division I-AA National Championships in 1979 and 1982. Much of the success came during the long tenure of head coach Roy Kidd from 1964 to 2002. Kidd, with a career coaching record of 314-124-8, is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Now led by Coach Dean Hood, the Colonels returned to the national FCS playoffs in 2011.

Roy Kidd Stadium - Home of EKU's football team.

The EKU men's basketball team won the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship and its automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament in 2005 and 2007.

Student life [edit]

More than 150 Registered Student Organizations are active on campus, including Greek chapters, political organizations, Student Government Association, and dozens of others. Organizations as diverse as the EKU BassMasters and the EKU Anime Club routinely hold events, programs, and fundraisers.

Keen Johnson Building.

Eastern also has many traditions associated with its student life. Amongst others, "Powell Corner" is a common area bordered by the Powell Student Center, the Keen Johnson Building and Case Residence Hall where students have gathered in between classes for decades. Formerly known as "Horny Corner" and still called so by alumni for the flirtatious conversations that often occur there, The Corner has remained a central gathering spot throughout Eastern's history. Typically, one wishing to get the attention of the student body as a whole will turn towards The Corner to hang a home-made banner from the rails of the Powell Student Center, decorate the area with side walk chalk, or even stand atop one of the many benches or a planter box to exclaim their message.

Mozart's Grave is the tomb of Eastern's unofficial campus mascot from the mid-1960s, and is marked with a gravestone located behind the amphitheater stage in an area of campus known as The Ravine. A mutt who used to roam campus freely, Mozart was a beloved campus pet and could often be found sleeping under the desk of then-president Robert Martin or lying on the edge of the amphitheater stage during musical performances, a tendency that earned him his name.

Campus media [edit]

• EKU's campus newspaper is known as the Eastern Progress. The paper was founded in 1922, after two previous campus newspapers had quit publication. The Progress is published on essentially a weekly schedule during the school year, excluding major holiday breaks, for a total of about thirty issues per academic year.

• EKU's radio station, WEKU broadcasts classical music and NPR news to much of central and southeastern Kentucky.

• EKU's yearbook, The Milestone returned to campus in 2007 after a 10-year absence. A large, typically high-quality volume chronicling campus life over the preceding year, The Milestone is run by students under the auspices of the Department of Communication.

Greek life [edit]

Sororities [edit]

National Panhellenic Conference:

• Alpha Gamma Delta (est. 1968)
• Kappa Delta (est. 1968)
• Chi Omega (est. 1969)
• Alpha Delta Pi (est. 1969)
• Kappa Alpha Theta (est. 1972)
• Pi Beta Phi (est. 1976)
• Delta Zeta (est. 1982)
• Alpha Omicron Pi (est. 1987)
• Phi Mu (est. 1973, currently closed)
• Alpha Chi Omega (est. 1990, currently closed)

National Pan-Hellenic Council:

• Alpha Kappa Alpha
• Delta Sigma Theta
• Zeta Phi Beta

Fraternities [edit]

North-American Interfraternity Conference:

• Kappa Sigma (locally est. 2010)
• Beta Theta Pi (est. 1839, nationally; EKU chapter since 1971)
• Kappa Alpha Order
• Lambda Chi Alpha
• Phi Kappa Tau
• Sigma Alpha Epsilon
• Sigma Chi
• Sigma Nu
• Sigma Pi (est. February 26, 1897 nationally; EKU chapter since April 26, 1978)
• Tau Kappa Epsilon ( est. 1969)
• Theta Chi (est. 1856 nationally, est. locally 1971)

National Pan-Hellenic Council:

• Phi Beta Sigma
• Omega Psi Phi

Service Fraternities:

• Alpha Phi Omega

Local Service Sorority:

• Kappa Delta Tau

Honorary Fraternities and Sororities

• Phi Sigma Pi
• Alpha Psi Omega

Earth Sciences Honor Society

• Sigma Gamma Epsilon

  - Delta Chi chapter

Business Fraternity

• Alpha Kappa Psi

Music Fraternities:

• Sigma Alpha Iota
• Delta Omicron
• Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia

Presidents of Eastern Kentucky University [edit]

• Ruric Nevel Roark 1906-1909
• Mary C. Roark 1909-1910
• John Grant Crabbe 1910-1916
• Thomas Jackson Coates 1916-1928
• Dr. Herman Lee Donovan 1928-1941
• Dr. William Francis O'Donnell 1941-1960
• Dr. Robert R. Martin 1960-1976
• Dr. J.C. Powell 1976-1984
• Dr. Hanley Funderburk 1984-1998
• Dr. Robert W. Kustra 1998-2001
• Joanne K. Glasser, Esq 2001-2007
• Dr. Charles Douglas Whitlock 2007–2013
• Dr. Michael T. Benson 2013-Present

Notable alumni [edit]

• Eula Bingham - noted occupational health scientist
• John "Bam" Carney - Educator/coach; member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 51st District
• Sam Champion - Weather Editor/Anchor for "Good Morning America" and ABC News; former weather forecaster for WABC-TV
• Tom Colbert - first African-American Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice (M.Ed.)
• Jason Epperson Filmmaker, Finalist on the Fox Reality Show On the Lot
• Tony Cruise - host of morning show on WHAS radio in Louisville
• Carl Hurley - Noted humorist and motivational speaker; former EKU professor.
• Andrew Hyde - Contestant on Amazing Race 3.
• James Lambert - former Chief Justice, Kentucky Supreme Court
• Lee Majors - (attended as Harvey Yeary) Six Million Dollar Man (1962, History/Physical Education)
• Bradley Wayne Foster - Kentucky State Auditor for the Central Kentucky Taxpayer Service Center
• Dan Mason - President of CBS Radio
• Dustan McCoy - Chief Executive Officer of Brunswick Corporation
• Steve Pence - former Lieutenant Governor and Justice Secretary of Kentucky
• Thaksin Shinawatra - controversial former Prime Minister of Thailand (1975, M.S. in Criminal Justice)
• Homer Ledford - Bluegrass musician and member of the Cabin Creek Band
• Laura Kirkpatrick - Runner up of America's Next Top Model Cycle 13
• Ken Upchurch - former member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
• Michael Goins - former award winning television news reporter and former spokesman for Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher
• Kim King - member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 55th House District
• Alecia Webb-Edgington - former Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Homeland Security; member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 63rd District
• Danny Ford - House Republican Whip; member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 80th District
• Dwight Butler - member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 18th District
• Jack Barber - 2009 National PGA Professional of the Year and PGA Head Golf Professional at Meridian Hills Country Club in Indianapolis, Indiana

Notable Athletic Alumni [edit]

• Josh Anderson - (Baseball) Center fielder, Cincinnati Reds
• Yeremiah Bell - (Football) Starting Safety, Miami Dolphins
• Elmo Boyd - (Football) Wide Receiver, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers
• Chad Bratzke - (Football) Defensive End, New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts
• Wally Chambers - (Football) Defensive Tackle, Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winner of the 1973 Defensive NFL Rookie of the Year Award
• Earle Combs - (Baseball) Former New York Yankee teammate of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, Member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Rex Ryan - Head coach of the New York Jets
• Danny Copeland - (Football) Defensive Back, Washington Redskins. Starter on the Redskins Super Bowl XXVI champions. Currently a motivational speaker in Meigs, Georgia.^[11]
• Dale Dawson - (Football) Placekicker; Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and Green Bay Packers ^[12]
• Jason Dunn - (Football) Veteran Tight End, Kansas City Chiefs
• George Floyd - (Football) Defensive Back, New York Jets Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• Christian Friedrich - (Baseball) Starting pitcher, Colorado Rockies
• Myron Guyton - (Football) Defensive Back, New York Giants and New England Patriots. Starter on Giants Super Bowl XXV champions. Currently a successful businessman in suburban Atlanta. ^[13]
• Danny Hope - (Football) Head Football Coach, Purdue University
• Jackie Humphrey - (Track and Field) Member of the 1988 U.S Olympic Team
• Chris Isaac - (Football) CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award in 1982
• John Jackson - (Football) Former NFL Tackle (171st person in NFL history to play in at least 200 games)
• Aaron Jones - (Football) Former NFL Defensive End
• Roy Kidd - (Football/Baseball) Eighth winningest coach in college football history, two time NCAA National Champion (1979 and 1982). Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• Antwaun Molden - (Football) 3rd Round (79th Overall) Pick of the Houston Texans in 2008 NFL Draft
• Dan Patrick - gained fame as co-host of ESPN's SportsCenter, attended EKU for two years on a basketball scholarship.
• Andy Richman - Quality Control Coach of the Wisconsin Badgers football team
• Maria Elizabeth Montgomery, Miss Kentucky USA 2009
• Garfield Smith- (Basketball)- Former NBA and ABA player

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Official EKU website
• Official EKU athletics website
• The Eastern Progress website
• The WEKU website
• EKU Student Government Association website
• "EKU Archives" website
• "EKU sports forum"

Coordinates: 37°44′17.31″N 84°17′56.70″W / 37.7381417°N 84.2990833°W / 37.7381417; -84.2990833