Editing Western Washington University (section)

==History==
[[File:2009-0604-OldMain-WWU.jpg|thumb|right|Old Main]]

Western was established as the '''Northwest Normal School''', a [[Normal school|teachers' school]] predominantly for women although men also enrolled, by [[Phoebe Judson]] in [[Lynden, Washington|Lynden]], Washington, in 1886.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lynden.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=27&Itemid=54|title=Lynden Chamber of Commerce - Lynden, Washington|work=Lynden Chamber of Commerce|access-date=July 3, 2015}}</ref> Eventually the school moved to Bellingham (then "New Whatcom"), and through the efforts of [[William R. Moultray]] and George Judson (Phoebe's son).<ref>{{cite book |last=Judson |first=Phoebe Goodell |title=A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home: A Book of Personal Memoirs |orig-year=1925 |year=1984 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |location=Lincoln, Nebraska |isbn=0-8032-2563-6 |page=289|title-link=A Pioneer's Search for an Ideal Home }}</ref> Governor [[John McGraw (governor)|John McGraw]] signed legislation establishing the '''New Whatcom Normal School''' on February 24, 1893. In November 1895, construction began on a permanent school building, now known as [[Old Main (Western Washington University)|Old Main]], the current administration building. Designed by prominent [[Seattle]] architects Warren Skillings & James Corner, it was completed by early 1897 but could not be opened to students until funds could be secured to install heating, lighting, and to do general grounds maintenance, which were not included in the original contract.<ref name="whatcom">{{cite news |title=Whatcom Normal School |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045604/1897-01-03/ed-1/seq-12/#date1=1889&sort=relevance&date2=1963&searchType=advanced&language=&sequence=0&index=11&words=Skillings&proxdistance=5&state=Washington&rows=20&ortext=&proxtext=&phrasetext=&andtext=skillings&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=3 |access-date=5 January 2021 |work=The Seattle Post-Intelligencer |agency=Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers |date=3 January 1897 |page=12}}</ref> The first official class entered in 1899, composed of 88 students.

The institution that is now Western Washington University underwent several name changes. In 1901, the school's name was changed to '''State Normal School at Whatcom''' to reflect New Whatcom's name change. In 1904, the name was changed to '''Washington State Normal School at Bellingham''' when the townships of Whatcom and [[Fairhaven, Washington|Fairhaven]] joined, and again in 1937, to '''Western Washington College of Education''' when it became a four-year college. Twenty-four years later it became '''Western Washington State College''' and finally, in 1977, the institution gained university status and changed to its present name.<ref>{{Cite web |title=History of WWU {{!}} Western Washington University |url=https://www.wwu.edu/history-of-wwu |access-date=2024-10-11 |website=www.wwu.edu |language=en}}</ref>

The 1960s was a period of especially rapid growth for Western, as its enrollment increased from 3,000 students to over 10,000 during the decade. Also during this time, the [[Fairhaven College|Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies]] was founded (1967), with non-traditional education methods that would serve as a model for [[Evergreen State College]] in [[Olympia, Washington]]. Two years later, the [[College of the Environment (Western Washington University)|College of the Environment]], the nation's first dedicated environmental science college, was founded, continuing Western's trend toward "cluster" colleges. That same year, on a spring afternoon, students gained headlines by blocking [[Interstate 5]] to protest the [[Vietnam War]]. Also in 1969, the College of Ethnic Studies was established; however, after being met with significant resistance, it was dismantled in 1975.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bryan |first=Maurice |date=1993-01-01 |title=The College of Ethnic Studies at Western Washington University: A Case Study |url=https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwuet/825 |journal=WWU Graduate School Collection}}</ref>

Since this period, the College of Arts and Sciences was founded (1973) and divided into the College of Humanities & Social Sciences and the College of Science & Engineering (2003); the College of Fine and Performing Arts was formed from several art departments (1975); and the College of Business and Economics was established (1976).

Today, WWU has a student body that currently consists of over 16,000 students. The university is the third largest in Washington after [[Washington State University]] and the [[University of Washington]].