Vincennes University
Encyclopedia
Vincennes University is a public university
in Vincennes
, Indiana
, in the United States
. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. Since 1889, VU has been a two-year university, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are available. Unlike most other two-year higher-education institutions, however, VU is a residential campus and has been since its inception over two hundred years ago.. VU was chartered in 1806 as the territory of Indiana's four-year university and remained the State of Indiana's sole publicly-funded four-year university until the establishment of Indiana University
. From 1999 to 2005, Vincennes University was in a state-mandated partnership with what became the Ivy Tech Community College
On October 23, 2009, ground was broken on the new $10 Million Center for Advanced Manufacturing located near Fort Branch, Indiana
. Construction is set to get underway on November 3, 2009. The facility's aim will be to significantly enhance the training facilities currently in existence at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana
Plant in nearby Princeton and at the Gibson Generating Station
, near Mount Carmel, Illinois
, to meet the regional growth of demand with the expanding industry both in Gibson County and in the immediate Evansville area.
Vincennes University is organized into six divisions:
Vincennes University is also the only college in the nation that offers a Bowling Management and Technology program.
and west of the Alleghenies
. This institution was founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy and incorporated as Vincennes University on November 29, 1806. Founded by William Henry Harrison
, VU is one of only two U.S. colleges founded by a President of the United States
; the other is the University of Virginia
, founded by Thomas Jefferson
. For over two-hundred years, VU was historically the only two-year university
in Indiana
, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are now available and were available prior to 1889.
Vincennes University, also known colloquially as Territorial University during the early 19th century, was the first and only land-grant public university established by the Indiana Territory, prior to the formation of the states of Indiana and Illinois. The town of Vincennes
was chosen as the location of both the capital of the Indiana Territory and of VU because Vincennes was centrally located at the approximate population-density
center of the Indiana Territory
. Upon the later formation of the Illinois Territory
in 1809 as Indiana Territory prepared for statehood, Vincennes fell slightly east of the State of Indiana/Illinois Territory
border. As territorial policy progressed through the formation of the Illinois Territory
in 1809 (which drastically reduced the size of the Indiana Territory that VU served), the formation of the State of Indiana in 1816 (which considered itself an entirely new and separate legal entity from Indiana Territory that created VU, where the State of Indiana had little or no financial responsibility for VU), and the formation of the State of Illinois in 1818—, funding for Vincennes University became less and less certain with VU considered to be owned by the now-defunct Indiana Territory that was one legal step removed from the State of Indiana and two legal steps removed from the State of Illinois, immediately to VU’s west.
Because of Vincennes’ status as the capital of the Indiana Territory complete with a federally-recognized territorial land-grant university, the Indiana territorial capital of Vincennes figured prominently in the early Indiana-Illinois territorial and statehood policy. For example, the Tenth U.S. Congress established the Indiana-Illinois border, not with reference to a landmark along Lake Michigan
near Chicago
, but rather via direct reference to Vincennes, when that congress passed legislation establishing the separate Indiana Territory
in preparation for Indiana’s proposed statehood on February 3, 1809 http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/resources/docdivin.html. The Act established the boundaries as follows: “...all that part of the Indiana Territory which lies west of the Wabash river, and a direct line drawn from the said Wabash river and Post Vincennes, due north to the territorial line between the United States and Canada...”
as a separate institution than Territorial University. Until the establishment of Indiana University
as a state-controlled public university, Vincennes University, as a territory-controlled institution, was the sole public
university within the whole territory of Indiana and then more narrowly within the state of Indiana. The State of Indiana and the State of Illinois partially abandoned their financial responsibility for Territorial University once they desired to establish their own separate state-controlled public universities without the legal complications of an institution whose legal control perhaps spanned the borders of at least two states and was established by a then-defunct governmental entity: the Territory of Indiana. These complications set the stage for Trustees for Vincennes University v Indiana. Conversely, these complications also set the stage for VU's rich two-century long history with some of the most architecturally-significant beautiful early 19th-century buildings to be found at any two-year institution in the USA.
In the mid-19th century, the Indiana state legislature tried to reclaim the original VU land grant, to be used for what would become Indiana University
. The resulting lawsuit (Trustees for Vincennes University v Indiana, 1853) ended up being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court
, who decided in VU's favor, based on its earlier decision in a similar case regarding Dartmouth College
. The legal dispute arose in part because a portion of VU's land-grant public university
status derives from the fact that VU is the inheritor of the land-grant and facilities of Territorial University.http://www2.westminster-mo.edu/wc_users/homepages/staff/brownr/IndianaCC.htm
To clarify the mission of VU vis a vis Indiana's other institutions of higher education at the time—Indiana University
and Purdue University
and the State Normal School
—, the State of Indiana rechartered VU from a four-year university to a two-year university in 1889.
called Tau Phi Delta (ΤΦΔ) was started at VU, which soon after became the founding ("Alpha") chapter of Sigma Pi
(ΣΠ) Fraternity, making that organization the first of its kind to be founded west of the Ohio Valley. A clock tower
on the VU campus commemorates that event and the Fraternity, despite having grown into one of the largest collegiate fraternities and having relocated its headquarters to Tennessee
, recognizes VU as its birthplace. The VU chapter is still active today and counts among its members some of the University's most famous and successful alumni, including three VU Presidents.
and its later period as capital of the Indiana Territory
. When the Trailblazers moniker needs to be personified by a mascot, VU depicts a Trailblazer as minute man or woodsman
-type frontier
settler
, inspired by such as those as George Rogers Clark
who resided in Indiana after his military career.
VU Trailblazers compete in baseball, bowling, golf, basketball, cross country, tennis, volleyball, swimming & diving, and track & field. Its bowling team is particularly well known as it has won 21 NJCAA national championships. The men's bowling team won the 1983 USBC collegiate national championship.
88.5 WROK K-ROCK
87.9 WROL Mix 87.9
Main High-Power Radio Station
91.1 WVUB
"The Blazer"
Television Stations
PBS 22/52 WVUT
MKZ 234/11
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
in Vincennes
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy, VU is the oldest public institution of higher learning in Indiana. Since 1889, VU has been a two-year university, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are available. Unlike most other two-year higher-education institutions, however, VU is a residential campus and has been since its inception over two hundred years ago.. VU was chartered in 1806 as the territory of Indiana's four-year university and remained the State of Indiana's sole publicly-funded four-year university until the establishment of Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
. From 1999 to 2005, Vincennes University was in a state-mandated partnership with what became the Ivy Tech Community College
On October 23, 2009, ground was broken on the new $10 Million Center for Advanced Manufacturing located near Fort Branch, Indiana
Fort Branch, Indiana
Fort Branch is the largest town and second largest community in Gibson County, Indiana, United States after Princeton. The population was 2,320 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Fort Branch is located at ....
. Construction is set to get underway on November 3, 2009. The facility's aim will be to significantly enhance the training facilities currently in existence at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, Inc. is an automobile manufacturing factory located nearly halfway between Princeton, Indiana and Fort Branch, Indiana, USA...
Plant in nearby Princeton and at the Gibson Generating Station
Gibson Generating Station
The Gibson Generating Station is a coal-burning power plant located at the northern end of northern Montgomery Township, Gibson County, Indiana, United States. It is close to the Wabash River, just opposite Mount Carmel, Illinois...
, near Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel, Illinois
Mount Carmel is a city in and the county seat of Wabash County, Illinois, United States. At the time of the 2000 census, the population was 7,982, while the next largest town in Wabash County is Allendale, population 528. Located at the confluence of the Wabash, Patoka, and White Rivers, Mount...
, to meet the regional growth of demand with the expanding industry both in Gibson County and in the immediate Evansville area.
Academics
Vincennes University offers a diverse set of majors that are focused on careers in teaching and industry. Vincennes University has a 24% graduation rate.Vincennes University is organized into six divisions:
- Business / Public Service Division
- Health Sciences / Human Performance Division
- Humanities
- Social Science / Performing Arts
- Department of Science / Mathematics
- Department of Technology
Vincennes University is also the only college in the nation that offers a Bowling Management and Technology program.
Vincennes - Main Campus
(On Eastern Time)- Shircliff Humanities Building
- Davis Hall (Public Service/Broadcasting)
- Governors Hall (Admissions)
- Welsh Administration Building
- Beckes Student Union
- Walthen Business Building
- PE Complex
- Summers Social Science Building
- McCormick Science Center
- Beless Gym
- Green Activities Center
- Dayson Alumni Center
- Young Hall - State-wide Services
- Health Occupations Building
- Tecumseh Dining Center
- Red SkeltonRed SkeltonRichard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
Performing Arts Center / Red Skelton Museum - Shake Learning Resource Center / Lewis Historical Library
- Automotive Technology Building
- Residence Halls
- Clark Hall
- Godare Hall
- Harrison Hall
- Morris Hall
- Vanderburgh Hall
- Vigo Hall
- Outlying Main Facilities
- Indiana (On Eastern Time)
- John Deere Agriculture Tech Building (Immediately north of Vincennes on Hwy 41)
- Illinois (On Central Time)
- O'neill Airfield; Westport, IL
- Mid America Intn'l Airport; Lawrenceville, IL
- Indiana (On Eastern Time)
- State historic buildings
- Jefferson Academy building
- Indiana Territory Capitol Building
- Elihu Stout Print Shop
Jasper Campus
(On Eastern Time)- Ruxer Student Center
- Halbig Technology Center
- Administrative Classroom Building
- New Classroom Building
Indianapolis Campus
(On Eastern Time)- Facilities part of the Indianapolis International AirportIndianapolis International AirportIndianapolis International Airport is a public airport located seven miles southwest of the central business district of Indianapolis, a city in Marion County, Indiana, United States. It is owned and operated by the Indianapolis Airport Authority...
- American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
program at the Indiana School for the DeafIndiana School for the DeafIndiana School for the Deaf is a fully accredited school for the deaf and hearing impaired, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.-History:When the first school for the Deaf was established in Indiana, it was not called Indiana School for the Deaf...
Fort Branch / Gibson County Campus
(On Central Time)- Advanced Manufacturing Building (Groundbreaking on October 23, 2009)
History
| Jefferson Academy | Established | 1801 |
| Type | four-year private | |
| Vincennes University | Renamed | 1806 |
| Type | four-year territorial land-grant | |
| Rechartered | 1889 | |
| Type | two-year state-funded | |
Founding as Indiana Territory’s University
Vincennes University is the oldest university north of the Ohio RiverOhio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
and west of the Alleghenies
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
. This institution was founded in 1801 as Jefferson Academy and incorporated as Vincennes University on November 29, 1806. Founded by William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison was the ninth President of the United States , an American military officer and politician, and the first president to die in office. He was 68 years, 23 days old when elected, the oldest president elected until Ronald Reagan in 1980, and last President to be born before the...
, VU is one of only two U.S. colleges founded by a President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
; the other is the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, founded by Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
. For over two-hundred years, VU was historically the only two-year university
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
in Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, although baccalaureate degrees in seven select areas are now available and were available prior to 1889.
Vincennes University, also known colloquially as Territorial University during the early 19th century, was the first and only land-grant public university established by the Indiana Territory, prior to the formation of the states of Indiana and Illinois. The town of Vincennes
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
was chosen as the location of both the capital of the Indiana Territory and of VU because Vincennes was centrally located at the approximate population-density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
center of the Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
. Upon the later formation of the Illinois Territory
Illinois Territory
The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. The area was earlier known as "Illinois Country" while under...
in 1809 as Indiana Territory prepared for statehood, Vincennes fell slightly east of the State of Indiana/Illinois Territory
Illinois Territory
The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. The area was earlier known as "Illinois Country" while under...
border. As territorial policy progressed through the formation of the Illinois Territory
Illinois Territory
The Territory of Illinois was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 1, 1809, until December 3, 1818, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Illinois. The area was earlier known as "Illinois Country" while under...
in 1809 (which drastically reduced the size of the Indiana Territory that VU served), the formation of the State of Indiana in 1816 (which considered itself an entirely new and separate legal entity from Indiana Territory that created VU, where the State of Indiana had little or no financial responsibility for VU), and the formation of the State of Illinois in 1818—, funding for Vincennes University became less and less certain with VU considered to be owned by the now-defunct Indiana Territory that was one legal step removed from the State of Indiana and two legal steps removed from the State of Illinois, immediately to VU’s west.
Because of Vincennes’ status as the capital of the Indiana Territory complete with a federally-recognized territorial land-grant university, the Indiana territorial capital of Vincennes figured prominently in the early Indiana-Illinois territorial and statehood policy. For example, the Tenth U.S. Congress established the Indiana-Illinois border, not with reference to a landmark along Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
near Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, but rather via direct reference to Vincennes, when that congress passed legislation establishing the separate Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
in preparation for Indiana’s proposed statehood on February 3, 1809 http://www.statelib.lib.in.us/www/ihb/resources/docdivin.html. The Act established the boundaries as follows: “...all that part of the Indiana Territory which lies west of the Wabash river, and a direct line drawn from the said Wabash river and Post Vincennes, due north to the territorial line between the United States and Canada...”
State of Indiana’s State University
Further complicating the question of funding for VU was the State of Indiana's desire to establish its own state-controlled public university in Bloomington, IndianaBloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
as a separate institution than Territorial University. Until the establishment of Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
as a state-controlled public university, Vincennes University, as a territory-controlled institution, was the sole public
Public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
university within the whole territory of Indiana and then more narrowly within the state of Indiana. The State of Indiana and the State of Illinois partially abandoned their financial responsibility for Territorial University once they desired to establish their own separate state-controlled public universities without the legal complications of an institution whose legal control perhaps spanned the borders of at least two states and was established by a then-defunct governmental entity: the Territory of Indiana. These complications set the stage for Trustees for Vincennes University v Indiana. Conversely, these complications also set the stage for VU's rich two-century long history with some of the most architecturally-significant beautiful early 19th-century buildings to be found at any two-year institution in the USA.
In the mid-19th century, the Indiana state legislature tried to reclaim the original VU land grant, to be used for what would become Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
. The resulting lawsuit (Trustees for Vincennes University v Indiana, 1853) ended up being heard by the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, who decided in VU's favor, based on its earlier decision in a similar case regarding Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
. The legal dispute arose in part because a portion of VU's land-grant public university
Public university
A public university is a university that is predominantly funded by public means through a national or subnational government, as opposed to private universities. A national university may or may not be considered a public university, depending on regions...
status derives from the fact that VU is the inheritor of the land-grant and facilities of Territorial University.http://www2.westminster-mo.edu/wc_users/homepages/staff/brownr/IndianaCC.htm
To clarify the mission of VU vis a vis Indiana's other institutions of higher education at the time—Indiana University
Indiana University Bloomington
Indiana University Bloomington is a public research university located in Bloomington, Indiana, in the United States. IU Bloomington is the flagship campus of the Indiana University system. Being the flagship campus, IU Bloomington is often referred to simply as IU or Indiana...
and Purdue University
Purdue University
Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
and the State Normal School
Indiana State University
Indiana State University is a public university located in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States.The Princeton Review has named Indiana State as one of the "Best in the Midwest" seven years running, and the College of Education's Graduate Program was recently named as a 'Top 100' by U.S...
—, the State of Indiana rechartered VU from a four-year university to a two-year university in 1889.
Tau Phi Delta and the Sigma Pi Fraternity
In 1897, a small literary societyLiterary society
A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
called Tau Phi Delta (ΤΦΔ) was started at VU, which soon after became the founding ("Alpha") chapter of Sigma Pi
Sigma Pi
Sigma Pi is an international college secret and social fraternity founded in 1897 at Vincennes University. Sigma Pi International fraternity currently has 127 chapters and 4 colonies in the United States and Canada and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee...
(ΣΠ) Fraternity, making that organization the first of its kind to be founded west of the Ohio Valley. A clock tower
Clock tower
A clock tower is a tower specifically built with one or more clock faces. Clock towers can be either freestanding or part of a church or municipal building such as a town hall. Some clock towers are not true clock towers having had their clock faces added to an already existing building...
on the VU campus commemorates that event and the Fraternity, despite having grown into one of the largest collegiate fraternities and having relocated its headquarters to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, recognizes VU as its birthplace. The VU chapter is still active today and counts among its members some of the University's most famous and successful alumni, including three VU Presidents.
Relationship with Ivy Tech Community College
In 1999, Indiana Governor Frank O'Bannon and Stan Jones, commissioner for higher education, convinced the Indiana state legislature to mandate a "coordinated partnership" between Vincennes University and what was then called Ivy Tech State College (1). Writing for a national publication, reporter William Trombley characterized the "shotgun marriage" as something that was spoken of cautiously by officials at both institutions: "It was not our initiative," Vincennes President Phillip M. Summers said in an interview. "We were asked if we would participate and we agreed" (3). Thomas Cooke, dean of instruction at the Ivy Tech Indianapolis campus, said "We have everything except the liberal arts degree . . . And that could be easily accommodated within our present structure" (4). http://www.highereducation.org/crosstalk/ct0100/news0100-indiana.shtml This tenuous arrangement dissolved during the 2005 rechartering of Ivy Tech State College as a statewide system of comprehensive community colleges named Ivy Tech Community College.Athletics
VU is a member of the NJCAA. In honor of its heritage, the VU team moniker is the Trailblazers. Trailblazers refers to the early years of Vincennes as outpost in the frontier of the Northwest TerritoryNorthwest Territory
The Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, more commonly known as the Northwest Territory, was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 13, 1787, until March 1, 1803, when the southeastern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Ohio...
and its later period as capital of the Indiana Territory
Indiana Territory
The Territory of Indiana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 4, 1800, until November 7, 1816, when the southern portion of the territory was admitted to the Union as the state of Indiana....
. When the Trailblazers moniker needs to be personified by a mascot, VU depicts a Trailblazer as minute man or woodsman
Woodsman
-History:Woodsmen or lumberjack competitions have their roots in competitions that took place in logging camps among loggers. As loggers were paid for piece work, the ability to perform a specific task more quickly, or with a degree of showmanship, was something to be admired...
-type frontier
Frontier
A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. 'Frontier' was absorbed into English from French in the 15th century, with the meaning "borderland"--the region of a country that fronts on another country .The use of "frontier" to mean "a region at the...
settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
, inspired by such as those as George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark
George Rogers Clark was a soldier from Virginia and the highest ranking American military officer on the northwestern frontier during the American Revolutionary War. He served as leader of the Kentucky militia throughout much of the war...
who resided in Indiana after his military career.
VU Trailblazers compete in baseball, bowling, golf, basketball, cross country, tennis, volleyball, swimming & diving, and track & field. Its bowling team is particularly well known as it has won 21 NJCAA national championships. The men's bowling team won the 1983 USBC collegiate national championship.
Broadcasting Facilities - Public Service Division
Low-Power Radio Stations88.5 WROK K-ROCK
87.9 WROL Mix 87.9
Main High-Power Radio Station
91.1 WVUB
WVUB
WVUB , is a college station in Vincennes, Indiana. It primarily features college radio content. It operates out of Davis Hall on the Vincennes University Main Campus. Its calls stand for Vincennes University Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located approximately 2 miles southeast of Vincennes near...
"The Blazer"
Television Stations
PBS 22/52 WVUT
WVUT
WVUT is a television station and member of the Public Broadcasting Service , located in Vincennes, Indiana. It operates on digital channel 22 and is located at Vincennes University. The station's signal covers much of the Wabash Valley of southwestern Indiana and southeastern Illinois.The station...
MKZ 234/11
Notable alumni
- Bob McAdoo - former NBA player, NBA Hall of Fame
- Carl LandryCarl LandryCarl Christopher Landry is an American professional basketball player who last played for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets. He played collegiate basketball for the Purdue Boilermakers from 2004 to 2007. The 6'9", 248 lb power forward is the older brother of Marcus Landry...
- NBA, currently with the New Orleans Hornets - Curtis ShakeCurtis ShakeCurtis Grover Shake was a noted Indiana jurist, politician, and 72nd Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, serving from 1938 to 1946...
- jurist and politician -Sigma Pi - David GoodnowDavid GoodnowDavid Clay Goodnow was born in Vincennes, Indiana. He is a 1957 graduate of Vincennes Lincoln High School. Goodnow is a former CNN Headline News anchor. In the early 1990s, he anchored from 11pm to 3am ET. He is a member of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity...
- CNN news anchor, retired - Eric Williams (basketball) - NBA, Charlotte Bobcats
- John MellencampJohn MellencampJohn Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
- Musician 1973 - Mario JoynerMario JoynerMario Joyner is an American stand-up comedian best known as the host of MTV's Half Hour Comedy Hour from 1988–1992....
- stand-up comedian & actor - Rickey GreenRickey GreenRickey Green is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. The 6'0" and 170 lb point guard from the University of Michigan and Vincennes University was selected with the 16th pick in the 1977 NBA Draft, and competed in 14 seasons, playing for the Golden State Warriors, Detroit...
- NJCAA basketball hall of fame - Shawn MarionShawn MarionShawn Dwayne Marion is an American professional basketball player currently with the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Marion attended high school in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before transferring to the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Marion...
- NBA, Dallas Mavericks - William GaineyWilliam GaineyWilliam J. Gainey was the first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff . He retired April 25, 2008 with the rank of Command Sergeant Major....
- first Senior Enlisted Advisor to the ChairmanSenior Enlisted Advisor to the ChairmanSenior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman is a military position within the United States Department of Defense and is the most senior noncommissioned or petty officer overall in the United States Armed Forces...
of the Joint Chiefs of StaffJoint Chiefs of StaffThe Joint Chiefs of Staff is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the United States Department of Defense who advise the Secretary of Defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the President on military matters...
(SEAC)