state-supported institution located on more than 220 acres (89 hectares) in Bellingham, Wash., 55 miles (89 kilometers) south of Vancouver, B.C. Founded in 1893, it was known as Western Washington State College until 1978. Enrollment consists of more than 9,000 undergraduates and 1,000 graduate students, most of whom are state residents. About a third of the undergraduates live in campus housing. The academic calendar is divided into quarters. About 80 percent of Western Washington's full-time faculty hold terminal degrees in their field. The university grants bachelor's or master's degrees in such disciplines as business, liberal arts and sciences, area and ethnic studies, communications, computer and information sciences, education, library sciences, environmental studies, recreation and leisure services, visual and performing arts, engineering technologies, industrial design, and human services. The university offers a cooperative program in engineering with the University of Washington and in forestry with Washington State University. More than 300 undergraduates, many of them older than traditional-age, enroll in the university's Fairhaven College, which is set apart from the main campus in a wooded grove. Students can select a major from the university's offerings, but most design their own programs. All Fairhaven students take eight core courses. Classes are small, and narrative evaluations replace grades. The university conducts some 70 extracurricular activities covering a wide range of interests. Varsity sports teams, nicknamed the Vikings, compete in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. School colors are blue and white. |