Central Washington University



Central Washington University, or CWU, is a publicly assisted university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States. The university's three chief divisions include the Office of the President, Business and Financial Affairs, and Academic and Student Life (ASL). Within ASL are four colleges: the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Business (Ellensburg campus and centers in the Puget Sound and central regions), the College of Education and Professional Studies, and College of the Sciences.

CWU is located about 110 mi east of Seattle, Washington on Interstate 90 in Kittitas Valley.

History
In 1890, the state Legislature established the Washington State Normal School (WSNS) in Ellensburg for “the training and education of teachers in the art of instructing and governing in the public schools of this state.” WSNS originally opened on September 6, 1891, with classes held at the Washington Public School in Ellensburg. In 1893, the school's first building was constructed and named Barge Hall, in honor of the first WSNS principal, Benjamin Franklin Barge. Barge Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

The school became Central Washington College of Education in 1937, Central Washington State College in 1961, and, finally, Central Washington University in 1977. It continues to be one of the fastest growing universities in the State of Washington.

Research

 * The Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array (PANGA) uses real-time GPS measurements to research and measure crustal deformation and mitigate natural hazards throughout the Pacific Northwest. These hazards arise from earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and coastal sea-level encroachment. In addition, PANGA GPS measurements are used to monitor man-made structures such as Seattle's sagging Alaska Way Viaduct, 520 and I-90 floating bridges and power-generation / drinking-supply dams throughout the Cascadia subduction zone, including the megadams along the Columbia River. GPS data are telemetered in real-time back to CWU, where they are processed in real-time using both JPL's RTG software as well as Trimble's RTKNet Integrity Manager software to provide relative positioning of several mm resolution.


 * Wine Quality Research Initiative has identified the nature of wine faults in some wines and how to prevent them. Currently the initiative is directed at detecting and preventing wine fraud, a lucrative and growing crime in the wine import/export business.


 * The Science Honors Research Program offers undergraduate students an opportunity to conduct high level research on projects that they design, develop, and implement. The Science Honors Research experience provides CWU undergraduate students an unparalleled opportunity to prepare for graduate school and successful scientific careers.

Athletics
CWU students, alumni, and varsity athletes are known as the "Wildcats" and their colors are crimson and black. CWU is part of NCAA Division II and is part of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Notable alumni
The following are some notable former Wildcats:

Sports

 * NFL quarterback Jon Kitna &mdash; Seattle Seahawks, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, and Dallas Cowboys. Led the team to an NAIA Div. II championship in 1995
 * CFL quarterback Mike Reilly &mdash; Edmonton Eskimos, Formerly of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
 * CFL linebacker Adam Bighill &mdash; BC Lions
 * NFL tight end Jared Bronson &mdash; Miami Dolphins
 * MLB pitcher Dave Heaverlo &mdash; San Francisco Giants, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners
 * MLB outfielder Billy North &mdash; Chicago Cubs, Oakland Athletics, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants
 * Basketball coach Dean Nicholson [609 victories] who combined with his father, Leo [505 victories], to win 1,114 games at CWU, which is the most ever by a father-son duo in college basketball history
 * NCAA football coach Keith Gilbertson &mdash; University of Idaho, University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington. Played football for the Wildcats for one season in 1967, later graduating in 1971
 * Joe Callero Head men's basketball coach at California Polytechnic State University and former head coach of Seattle University
 * Miesha Tate - contender in the women's bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Bryan Caraway - UFC bantamweight fighter, current boyfriend of Miesha Tate
 * Matt Hume (business) - retired mixed martial artist; founder and head trainer at AMC Pankration in Seattle

Government or Military

 * USMC General James N. Mattis &mdash; United States Marine Corps. Commander of the United States Central Command 2010–2013.  Class of 1972.
 * Ron Sims &mdash; Current Deputy Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and former King County Executive.
 * Astronaut Dorothy M. Metcalf-Lindenburger Currently, she is assigned to the crew of STS-131, her first expedition.
 * United States Coast Guard Douglas Albert Munro (October 11, 1919 – September 27, 1942) is the only member of the United States Coast Guard to have received the Medal of Honor, the U.S. military's highest decoration.
 * U.S. Air National Guard Brigadier General John R. Croft &mdash; Chief of Staff of the Wisconsin Air National Guard
 * U.S. Air National Guard Brigadier General Myron N. Dobashi &mdash; Commander of the Hawaii Air National Guard
 * Lieutenant Commander Craig Olson, Navy Blue Angels Demonstration #5 Lead Solo Pilot. A Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet instructor pilot at Naval Air Station Lemoore,. Decorations include:  Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, and various personal and unit awards.

Business

 * Ray Conner, chief executive officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes
 * Christine M. Day, CEO of Lululemon Athletica an athletic sportswear company.
 * Stephen L. Nelson, author of "Quicken for Dummies" and 150 other books in the series, over 5 million copies sold worldwide. Named "most prolific computer book writer" by Wall Street Journal.''
 * Shelley Powers, computer book author and technology architect
 * Roland "Sandy" Wheeler, inventor of Bowflex exercise equipment in the 1980s he later went on to acquire Nautilus, Stairmaster and Schwinn Fitness.
 * Douglas B. Wood, president of Tommy Bahama Group Inc.

Other

 * W. Hudson Kensel, historian of the American West.
 * David L Boushey American Stuntman and the founder of the United Stuntmen's Association, the International Stunt School, the Society of American Fight Directors, and is a member of The Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall Of Fame.
 * Daniel D. McCracken a prominent computer scientist. He was a Professor of Computer Sciences at the City College of New York, and the author of over two dozen textbooks on computer programming.
 * Actor Craig T. Nelson &mdash; star of sitcom Coach
 * Actor Brian Thompson – known for his work in action films and television series
 * Allan Byron Swift an Emmy award–winning broadcaster, served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1995. He represented the Second Congressional District of Washington as a Democrat.
 * Singer Wanz - featured singer on Macklemore and Ryan Lewis hit song "Thrift Shop (song)"

Student Union and Recreation Center
On April 26, 2006, the school opened a $58-million Student Union and Recreation Center. The Student Union and Recreation Center is home to a full-sized rock-climbing wall, fully equipped gymnasium, and an outdoor recreation office, which rents everything from rafts, to snowshoes and ice axes.