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History of Western Oregon University

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Western Oregon University recently celebrated its 150 year anniversary in 2006. This marks a historic trail of continuity from its founding by American pilgrims to its present place as a comprehensive liberal arts institution, one of the strongest in the state in its commitment to educational excellence.
Western Oregon University was founded only a few short years after the Monmouth town site was established by settlers moving west from Illinois. Land was selected for the city and the school in 1854, and after the board of trustees was elected in 1855, the first building for what they called Monmouth University was constructed—a 20 foot by 30 foot structure at the corner of Main Street and Monmouth Avenue.
In 1865 Monmouth University was changed to Christian College as it merged with Bethel College, which was near the town of Monmouth. Both colleges at been founded by the Disciples of Christ, and in the years to come they would adopt many moral prohibitions including a bar on gambling, card playing, drinking, and off-campus visits. They would also entertain historical celebrities, including Susan B. Anthony and Abigail Scott Duniway.
1880 saw a sharp decline in funding for the university, and so—in 1881—the Christian College established its first “normal” department. During these years, “normal” was the name for a teacher education program; this “normal” department would pave the way for Western Oregon University’s reputation as an excellent institution for teacher training. It also assured public funding, opening the door to its eventual inclusion in the public Oregon University System in 1882—it would come to be called the Oregon State Normal School.
WOU faced much adversity in the years following its entrance into the public domain. Facing a dire lack of state funding, the OSNS instituted major cutbacks and relied on the generosity of private donations to keep it afloat for several years. This generation would see a college president who worked for free, a faculty that would voluntarily reduce their salary by $5,000, and a student body that would donate $1,500 of their own funds; these efforts, and the selfless toil of all parties involved, kept the school in business. New legislation adopted by the state would eventually force the school’s closure at the end of the 1909 academic school year (along with the other two normal schools in Oregon).
Thanks to the work of an Oregon native—Ira C. Powell—and Oregon’s initiative system, a prospective law was placed on the state ballot which would guarantee permanent funding for the Oregon State Normal School and permit its re-opening—which it did, that same year, under the name Oregon Normal School.
The history following these first tumultuous decades is as exciting as it is unique: students established their first student council, professors spoke out against the college’s rigid and outdated moral code, and the college elected a president despite his “progressive education” training for teachers. In 1928 the school adapted its team name and mascot, the Wolves. In 1939 Oregon Normal School became Oregon College of Education and expanded its curriculum. Over the next forty years, the school had new academic halls built, a new stadium constructed, and a theatre established; all of this culminated in the 1981 renaming of the school to Western Oregon State College. Although the college still specialized in teacher education, it had grown to include many departments and programs, all of which had representation under the new title.
More history is made in the years following the 1981 name change, including excellence in athletics, the first female president, and the addition of the Oregon Police Academy on the university grounds. Although the Academy is no longer a part of Western, it was a groundbreaking occasion, being the first Police Academy ever to take part in a four-year university. At the conclusion of over 140 years as a higher education facility (in 1997), Western took its sixth and final name: Western Oregon University.
For the last three decades, Western has advanced and grown rapidly. It has adapted new departments and new programs, and has remained progressive both in education and atmosphere. However, there is one thing that Western Oregon University has not changed in the 150 years of its existence: the commitment to one-on-one education and the importance of a small and nurturing community. Looking back as it moves forward, that is one thing that Western will never forget.


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