Weber State University

Public university in Ogden, Utah, United States

Weber State University

Former names

| Weber Stake Academy (1889–1902)
Weber Academy (1902–1918)
Weber Normal College (1918–1922)
Weber College (1922–1962)
Weber State College (1962–1990)
Type| Public university
Established| 1889; 134 years ago (1889)
1964 (as four-year), 1991 (as university)

Parent institution

| Utah System of Higher Education
Accreditation| NWCCU

Academic affiliations

| CUMU
Endowment| $219,555,666 (2022)[1]
President| Brad L. Mortensen

Academic staff

| 1,046

Administrative staff

| 820
Students| 29,914 (Fall 2022)[2]
Undergraduates| 28,903 (Fall 2022)
Postgraduates| 1,011 (Fall 2022)
Location|

Ogden

Utah

United States

41°11′35″N 111°56′38″W﻿ / ﻿41.193°N 111.944°W﻿ / 41.193; -111.944
Campus| Urban
Colors| Purple and white[3]

Nickname| Wildcats

Sporting affiliations

| NCAA Division I FCS
Big Sky Conference
Website| weber.edu

Weber State University (pronounced /ˈwiːbər/ WEE-bər) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.[4]

## History[edit]

View of Weber State University campus from Ogden's east bench, July 2009

Weber State University was founded by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Weber Stake Academy in 1889. "Weber" comes from the name of the county where the university is located. Weber County was named after John Henry Weber, an early fur trader. The university opened for students in 1889 with 98 students enrolled for classes on January 7. The first principal of Weber Stake Academy was Louis F. Moench; he served from 1889 to 1892 and again from 1894 to 1902. In the latter year, Moench was succeeded as principal by David O. McKay, who served in that position until 1908. From 1914 to 1917, James L. Barker was the principal of the Weber Stake Academy.[5]

In the early 20th century, the school underwent multiple name changes: Weber Stake Academy from its founding in 1889, Weber Academy in 1902, Weber Normal College in 1918, and Weber College in 1922. By the late 1920s, however, the college was in financial difficulty, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints faced four choices—transfer the college to a partnership of the city of Ogden and Weber County, transfer it to the University of Utah as a branch campus, transfer it to the state of Utah as a junior college, or shut it down. In 1931, the Utah Legislature passed a law providing for the acquisition of Weber College and Snow College from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

In 1933, Weber College became a state-supported junior college.[6][7] In 1954, the college moved from its downtown location in Ogden to a spacious and scenic area in the southeast bench area of the city.[8] The school became Weber State College in 1962, and in 1964 became a four-year college. It was a charter member of the Big Sky Conference in 1963.[9][10] The first graduate program (accounting), was added in 1984,[11] and it gained university status on January 1, 1991.[6][12]

Weber State University has developed into a major state undergraduate institution serving northern Utah and areas beyond, including American and international students.

## Academics[edit]

The Stewart Bell Tower, the most identifiable landmark of the Weber State campus, built in 1972.[13]

Weber State University offers more than 250 certificate and degree programs.[14] They are offered through the following seven colleges:[15]

* College of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology [16]
* Telitha E. Lindquist College of Arts and Humanities
* John B. Goddard School of Business & Economics
* Jerry and Vickie Moyes College of Education[17]
* Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke College of Health Professions
* College of Science[17]
* College of Social & Behavioral Sciences[18]

In addition to these primary colleges, the university offers several structured interdisciplinary programs. These include:

* Honors Program
* Asian Studies
* Environmental Science
* Ethnic Studies
* European Studies
* Latin American Studies
* Legal Studies
* Neuroscience Program
* Urban & Regional Planning
* Women's Studies

Unstructured interdisciplinary degrees are overseen by the Bachelor of Integrated Studies department.

Students pursuing premedical professions are also supported with a structured advising office and other resources.

## Locations[edit]

WSU Downtown

The university sits along the east bench of the Wasatch Mountains in Ogden; the Dee Events Center for indoor athletics is located about one mile (1.6 km) south of campus. There is an additional campus in Davis County and has a center in Morgan. In addition to its physical locations, Weber State University has been a pioneer in the development of online education for the Utah System of Higher Education. The Ogden campus covers more than 500 acres (2.0 km2), houses 63 buildings and features residence halls that accommodate more than 1,000 students. The Davis campus has three buildings, which host more than 300 classes per semester.[19]

In 2013, Weber State opened WSU Downtown, an 18,000-square-foot (1,670 m2) building on 2314 Washington Blvd., which houses a WSU Wildcat Store, cafe, the WSU Small Business Development Center, Startup Ogden, and an open co-working space.[20]

Weber State also has centers in Farmington, Kaysville, Clearfield, and Morgan, Utah, in addition to the Community Education Center in Ogden.[21]

## Athletics[edit]

Main article: Weber State Wildcats

A 2017 Weber State Wildcats football game at Stewart Stadium

Weber State University's colors are purple and white and their nickname is the Wildcats. (Wildcat is an alternate name for the bobcat, a cat native to the area.)[22] The teams participate in NCAA Division I in the Big Sky Conference; the football team (Football Championship Subdivision) plays at Stewart Stadium. The men's and women's basketball teams both play at the Dee Events Center. Additional athletic programs are men's and women's track and field, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, and women's soccer, cheerleading, dance, volleyball, and softball.

When the University of Idaho and Boise State University left the Big Sky in 1996, Idaho State University in nearby Pocatello became Weber State's main rival in both football and basketball. Southern Utah University (in Cedar City) joined the Big Sky in 2012 and is the main in-state rival.

Weber State also has 18 club sports through Campus Recreation, including ice hockey, men and women's rugby, archery, baseball, billiards, bowling, cycling, fencing, martial arts, rodeo, rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, weightlifting, wrestling, and lacrosse.[23]

## Student media[edit]

Student body composition as of May 2, 2022  Race and ethnicity[24] | Total

|

White | 74%  | 74

Hispanic | 12%  | 12

Other[a] | 7%  | 7

Asian | 2%  | 2

Black | 2%  | 2

Foreign national | 1%  | 1

Native American | 1%  | 1

Pacific Islander | 1%  | 1

Economic diversity
Low-income[b] | 34%  | 34

Affluent[c] | 66%  | 66

Weber State University has an independent, student-run newspaper, The Signpost, which is published every Monday and Thursday, an online radio station, KWCR, Ogden's Radio Station, an undergraduate interdisciplinary literary journal, Metaphor, and a television news program, Weber State News, that broadcasts online. The national literature and culture journal, Weber Studies, is based at Weber State.

## Notable alumni and administrators[edit]

* Nolan D. Archibald – President & CEO of Black & Decker 1986[25] – 2010[26]
* Mark Evans Austad – communications expert
* Davion Berry (born 1991) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Joseph Bishop – past president of Weber State
* Fawn Brodie – author/historian
* Paul W Draper – Anthropologist, Mentalist, Speaker
* H. Tracy Hall – inventor of the industrial diamond
* Ronald L. Holt – professor of anthropology
* Ben Howland – basketball coach, Northern Arizona, Pittsburgh, UCLA, and Mississippi State
* Taron Johnson – professional football player NFL
* Phil Johnson – professional basketball coach
* David M. Kennedy – U.S. Secretary of the Treasury
* Damian Lillard – professional basketball player
* J. Willard Marriott – business magnate
* Jamie Martin – professional football player NFL
* Paul McQuistan – professional football player NFL
* David O. McKay – past president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
* Wataru Misaka – BAA (Basketball Association of America) player in the 1940s
* Dick Motta – professional basketball coach
* Jerry Moyes \- founder of Swift Transportation
* Sean O'Connell (attended) – professional Mixed Martial Artist[27]
* Bob Pollard – professional football player NFL
* Alfred Pupunu – professional football player NFL
* Todd Rose – current President of Populace, former Professor and Director of the Mind, Brain, and Education program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education
* Roger Ruzek – professional football player NFL. 4× All-Big Sky honors
* Sarah Sellers – runner-up, 2018 Boston Marathon
* Richard H. Stallings – U.S. Representative
* Carla Taylor – women's basketball coach at Weber State
* Ernest L. Wilkinson – prominent lawyer and university president
* Terry Lee Williams – first African American to serve in the Utah State Senate[28]

## Gallery[edit]

* Miller Administration Building

* Student Services Center

* Kimball Visual Arts Center

* Elizabeth Hall

* Stewart Library

* Shepherd Student Union

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ Other consists of Multiracial Americans & those who prefer to not say.
2. ^ The percentage of students who received an income-based federal Pell grant intended for low-income students.
3. ^ The percentage of students who are a part of the American middle class at the bare minimum.

## References[edit]

1. ^ As of June 30, 2022. Annual Financial Report 2022 (Report). Weber State University. June 30, 2022. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
2. ^ "Weber State University". Retrieved August 4, 2023.
3. ^ "Color Palette". Retrieved December 21, 2015.
4. ^ "NWCCU Institutions of Utah". Nwccu.org. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
5. ^ Andrew Jenson. Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1941) p. 931
6. ^ a b "Timeline". www.weber.edu. Retrieved September 27, 2018.
7. ^ "History". Weber State University. Archived from the original on September 28, 2012. Retrieved January 28, 2013.
8. ^ Roberts, Richard C. (1994), "Weber State University", in Powell, Allan Kent (ed.), Utah History Encyclopedia, Salt Lake City, Utah: University of Utah Press, ISBN 0-87480-425-6, OCLC 30473917, archived from the original on October 10, 2013, retrieved November 6, 2013
9. ^ Missildine, Harry (February 26, 1963). "Six western schools create Big Sky athletic conference". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 12.
10. ^ "Big Sky is ready for league action". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). February 26, 1963. p. 13.
11. ^ Varela, Vicki (August 23, 1984). " 'University' not part of WSC's high goals". Deseret News. (Salt Lake City, Utah). p. B1.
12. ^ "Out with the old – New Year's Eve bash will usher in 'new' Weber State University". Deseret News. Salt Lake City. December 25, 1990. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
13. ^ "Weber State University: Bell Tower". Weber.edu. Retrieved May 1, 2012.
14. ^ "Majors, Minors, Certificates & Degrees". Retrieved July 16, 2011.
15. ^ "weber.edu". Retrieved July 16, 2011.
16. ^ "The College of Engineering, Applied Science and Technology". Weber.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
17. ^ a b "College of Education". Weber.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
18. ^ "College of Social & Behavioral Sciences". Weber.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
19. ^ "Fast Facts". Weber.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
20. ^ "WSU Downtown". Weber.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
21. ^ "Campuses & Locations". Weber.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
22. ^ "Why Wildcats?". weber.edu. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
23. ^ "Lists of Clubs & Organizations". Weber.edu. Retrieved December 21, 2015.
24. ^ "College Scorecard: Weber State University". United States Department of Education. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
25. ^ "Nolan Archibald". Brunswick Company-Board of Directors.
26. ^ Lee, Mara (March 20, 2012). "Archibald, Stanley Black & Decker's chairman, was paid $64.4 million last year". Baltimore Sun. Tribune Newspapers. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
27. ^ "UFC: For onetime Utah walk-on Sean O'Connell, the hard way has been worth it". Retrieved September 27, 2018.
28. ^ Harris, Matthew L.; Harris S., Madison (2020). "The Last State to Honor MLK: Utah and the Quest for Racial Justice". Utah Historical Quarterly. 88 (1): 45. Retrieved November 22, 2023.

## External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Weber State University.

* Official website
* Weber State Athletics website

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Weber State University

Academics|

* Business & Economics
* Health Professions

Facilities|

* Dee Events Center
* Ice Sheet at Ogden
* Ott Planetarium
* Stewart Stadium
* Swenson Gym

Athletics|

* Football
* Men's basketball
* Women's basketball

Media|

* KUEN
* KWCR
* Weber

Related|

* List of Weber State University people
* Old Oquirrh Bucket

Links to related articles

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Ogden, Utah

Areas|

* Historic 25th Street
* Eccles Avenue Historic District
* Jefferson Avenue Historic District

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* Ogden City School District
* Ben Lomond HS
* Ogden HS
* Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind
* DaVinci Academy of Science and the Arts
* St. Joseph Catholic HS
* Weber State University

Landmarks|

* American Can Company of Utah Building Complex
* Dee Events Center
* Defense Depot Ogden
* The Junction
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* Peery's Egyptian Theater
* Union Station
* United States Forest Service Building

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* Ogden-Hinckley Airport
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* Standard-Examiner

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