Emporia State University

Emporia State University, often referred to as Emporia State or ESU, is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States, east of the Flint Hills. Established in March 1863 and originally known as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third oldest public university in the state of Kansas.Emporia State is one of six public universities governed by the Kansas Board of Regents.

The university offers degrees in more than 80 courses of study through four colleges and/or schools: the School of Business, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Library and Information Management, and The Teachers College. The Teachers College is one of only four post-secondary institutions in the nation to be identified as an Exemplary Model Teacher Education program by Arthur Levine in his 2006 national study of teacher education programs.

Emporia State's intercollegiate athletic teams are known as the Hornets with the exception of the women's teams, which are known as the Lady Hornets. Emporia State competes in NCAA Division II and is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA). Since joining the NCAA Division II in 1991, the Lady Hornets basketball team is the only team to win a NCAA championship.


> History

The university was founded on March 7, 1863 when the Kansas Legislature passed the enabling act to establish the Kansas State Normal School. Although Emporia State was established in 1863, it was not until February 15, 1865 that classes began.

The first president of the Kansas Normal School, who was also the school's only teacher, Lyman Beecher Kellogg, taught nearly 20 students in the district school house. The school's first class graduated on June 28, 1867, the same year the first permanent building was completed, consisted of two women, Mary Jane Watson and Ellen Plumb. The two women were daughters of two notable persons in Kansas; the first being Judge Watson, a local judge, and the second being Senator Preston B. Plumb.

The name "Normal" originated in France during the 17th century and was given to schools that had "model" classrooms or schools designed to educate teachers-in-training in the proper practices of teaching students. The United States had many Normal schools in the 19th century and most changed their names to "Teachers College". Many later became "State Universities."

In 1876, the Kansas Legislature passed the "Miscellaneous appropriations bill of 1876". The end result was that Leavenworth Normal and Concordia Normal were closed so the state funding for normal schools could be directed to Emporia.

KSN branched out with locations in Pittsburg and Hays, Kansas. The western branch in Hays opened June 3, 1902 and is today known as Fort Hays State University. The Pittsburg branch was opened as the Manual Training Auxiliary School in 1904 and became a four-year school named Kansas State Teachers College of Pittsburg in 1913. Today it is Pittsburg State University.

In February 1923, the name of the school was changed to the Kansas State Teachers College. In July 1974, the name was changed to Emporia Kansas State College. On April 21, 1977, the college became Emporia State University. Even before any of the name changes were made official by the Kansas Legislature and Board of Regents, though, the school was called Emporia State unofficially by some in the public and in many news reports.

Dr. Michael Shonrock became the 16th president of Emporia State University on January 3, 2012. On April 9, 2015, it was announced that Michael Shonrock was stepping down to become president at Lindenwood University, effective June 1. Former Butler Community College president Dr. Jacqueline Vietti became interim president. On October 22, 2015, Allison Garrett, Executive Vice President at Abilene Christian University, was selected as Emporia State University's 17th president, effective January 2016.

> Academic organization

By enrollment, Emporia State is the seventh-largest university in Kansas. In the Fall 2014 semester, Emporia State set a record enrollment with 6,114 students. Emporia State University comprises four colleges: the School of Business, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, School of Library and Information Management, and the Teachers College.

In July 2013, Emporia State University was named a "Great College to Work For"  by The Chronicle of Higher Education and Princeton Review included ESU among its "Best of the Midwest" institutions of higher education. Emporia State University was again named a "Great College to Work For" in 2014  by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Emporia State University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.  The university offers degrees in more than 80 courses of study.  Emporia State has a satellite campus in Kansas City, which is mostly online classes, but some classes are held in the building.

>> School of Business

The Emporia State University School of Business is a public business school located on the main campus of Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. The School of Business was founded in 1868 and currently has more than 30 faculty members and approximately 300 students.

The School is an Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB International) accredited school. The programs have been thoroughly reviewed and found to be of the highest quality. This distinction is found with less than 5% of business schools worldwide.

>> Koch Center for Leadership and Ethics

The School of Business opened the Koch Center for Leadership and Ethics, which is a center made up of classes that focuses on entrepreneurial management. The Center was funded through grants of $750,000 from the Fred Koch Foundation, as well as Koch Industries.

>> College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in numerous fields, with an emphasis on health professions and related programs, biological and biomedical sciences, and social sciences. Courses are offered at the main campus, online, and at satellite campuses.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Emporia State consists of:

Art
  Biological Sciences(general biology, botany, ecology and biodiversity, zoology, microbial and  cellular biology, physiology, aquatic biology, wildlife biology, genetics, pre- agriculture, pre-medical, pre-medical technology, pre-dentistry, pre-optometry, pre-physical therapy, pre-     veterinary, pre-physician assistant, pre-mortuary, biochemistry and molecular biology, and  secondary teaching)

Communications and Theatre (communication, debate, theatre, speech education)
English, Modern Languages, and Journalism[39] (English, creative writing, French, German, Spanish, Arabic, East Asian Studies, Latin American Studies, ESL, TESOL)
Math, Computer Science, and Economics
Music
Nursing
Physical Sciences (chemistry, earth science, physics, physical science teaching, geospatial analysis, pre-engineering, pre-medical, pre-pharmacy)
Social Sciences
Sociology, Anthropology, and Crime and Delinquency Studies