Western State College of Colorado
Encyclopedia
Western State College of Colorado is a four-year public liberal arts college
located in Gunnison, Colorado
. The enrollment stands at about 2400 students with a high percentage, one-fourth, from out of state. The far flung appeal for some students is found in the idyllic mountains and ski slopes. The most popular majors at Western are business, art, recreation, biology, environmental studies, and outdoor leadership. Within the advanced science department, 78% of the staff have a doctorate degree. Western also offers a state of the art petroleum geology
program, founded and funded by Western State College alumni donations. The college's home town of Gunnison is located 30 minutes south of Crested Butte
. The college also has one of the oldest collegiate radio stations in the state with 91.1 KWSB
, which has been on the air since 1968.
at the NCAA Division II level, and competes in 11 sports with football, volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's basketball, women's basketball, wrestling, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field. The men's and women's indoor/outdoor track and field program in addition to the cross country program has been particularly successful, producing numerous team national championships including many individual national champions and All-Americans. The athletic department has combined for 15 national championships and 89 RMAC championships since 1911. The Mountaineers have had 88 individuals win national championships between skiing, swimming, track and field, cross country and wrestling.
Facilities include Mountaineer Bowl (elevation 7,769 feet) and Paul Wright Gym (elevation 7,723), which are both the highest collegiate facilities in the world.
to create a new work for the campus. The result was Pathfinder, a six-foot-tall bronze bull elk, which students had a custom of kissing for good luck during exams.
Liberal arts college
A liberal arts college is one with a primary emphasis on undergraduate study in the liberal arts and sciences.Students in the liberal arts generally major in a particular discipline while receiving exposure to a wide range of academic subjects, including sciences as well as the traditional...
located in Gunnison, Colorado
Gunnison, Colorado
The historic City of Gunnison, a Home Rule Municipality, is the county seat and the most populous city of Gunnison County, Colorado, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 5,854. It was named in honor of John W...
. The enrollment stands at about 2400 students with a high percentage, one-fourth, from out of state. The far flung appeal for some students is found in the idyllic mountains and ski slopes. The most popular majors at Western are business, art, recreation, biology, environmental studies, and outdoor leadership. Within the advanced science department, 78% of the staff have a doctorate degree. Western also offers a state of the art petroleum geology
Petroleum geology
Petroleum geology refers to the specific set of geological disciplines that are applied to the search for hydrocarbons .-Sedimentary basin analysis:...
program, founded and funded by Western State College alumni donations. The college's home town of Gunnison is located 30 minutes south of Crested Butte
Crested Butte
Crested Butte is a mountain peak butte of the Elk Mountains in the U.S. State of Colorado. It is also a town with a population of about 2000 people. The greater area includes Crested Butte, Mt. Crested Butte, Riverland, Riverbend, and Crested Butte South....
. The college also has one of the oldest collegiate radio stations in the state with 91.1 KWSB
KWSB-FM
KWSB-FM is college radio station based at Western State College of Colorado in Gunnison. The station has been in continuous operation since January 1968 and recently celebrated its 40th anniversary with alumni and former staff. For a long period throughout the 1970s, it was the only station in the...
, which has been on the air since 1968.
History
The college was originally founded as The Colorado State Normal School for Children by a bill signed on April 16, 1901 by Governor James B. Orman. In 1923, the college's name was changed to Western State College because its role expanded from a teaching institution to a liberal arts college. Western State College was the first public college west of the Mississippi River to be designated a liberal arts college.Athletics
Western State College competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceRocky Mountain Athletic Conference
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the western United States, mostly in Colorado with some members in Nebraska and New Mexico...
at the NCAA Division II level, and competes in 11 sports with football, volleyball, men's cross country, women's cross country, men's basketball, women's basketball, wrestling, men's indoor track and field, women's indoor track and field, men's outdoor track and field and women's outdoor track and field. The men's and women's indoor/outdoor track and field program in addition to the cross country program has been particularly successful, producing numerous team national championships including many individual national champions and All-Americans. The athletic department has combined for 15 national championships and 89 RMAC championships since 1911. The Mountaineers have had 88 individuals win national championships between skiing, swimming, track and field, cross country and wrestling.
Facilities include Mountaineer Bowl (elevation 7,769 feet) and Paul Wright Gym (elevation 7,723), which are both the highest collegiate facilities in the world.
Culture
In 1994, the school commissioned Santa Fe sculptors Gene and Rebecca TobeyRebecca Tobey
- Early years :Rebecca was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent most of her childhood in Oak Ridge, Tennessee as one of three children of Elizabeth and Arthur Upton. Her mother was a painter and her father spent his professional life working as a scientist who would later chair the National Cancer...
to create a new work for the campus. The result was Pathfinder, a six-foot-tall bronze bull elk, which students had a custom of kissing for good luck during exams.