The story
On May 27, 1903, Michigan governor Aaron T. Bliss signed a bill authorizing the creation of a teacher-training facility. Kalamazoo was chosen as the new school's location on August 28, 1903. Other locations considered included Allegan, Muskegon, Grand Rapids, Decatur, Three Oaks, and Hastings. The first building, then known as the Administration Building, and now known as Heritage Hall, was constructed in 1904.
The university was first officially known as Western State Normal School and offered a two-year training program. The first principal was Dwight B. Waldo, who served from 1904 until 1936. The school was renamed several times throughout its early history, beginning with Western State Teachers College in 1927, Western Michigan College of Education in 1941, and Western Michigan College in 1955. It was renamed Western Michigan University in 1957.
Most of the oldest and original WMU buildings are collectively known as East Campus. Because of the steep grade elevating the campus above the city, the Western State Normal Railroad was established in 1907 to carry students and staff up and down the hill with a funicular. It operated until 1949.
Western Michigan University had a partnership with Cooley Law School for over a decade, that on August 13, 2014, culminated in the adoption of a new name and partnership, the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School. In 2020, the university's Board of Trustees voted to end its affiliation with the Cooley Law School.
Western Michigan University was negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. President Edward B. Montgomery stated "the crisis has already cost WMU well over $45 million, and we expect the tally to rise through the remainder of this fiscal year." To soften the economic toll of the pandemic, WMU instituted a number of cost-cutting measures.
Presidents
Dwight B. Waldo (1904–1936)
Paul V. Sangren (1936–1960)
James W. Miller (1961–1974)
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John T. Bernhard (1974–1985)
Diether H. Haenicke (1985–1998)
Elson S. Floyd (1998–2003)
Judith I. Bailey (2003–2006)
John M. Dunn (2007–2017)
Edward B. Montgomery (2017–2025)
Russ Kavalhuna (2025-)
From Wikipedia’s article on Western Michigan University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4