Northern Arizona University

Northern Arizona University (NAU) is a public university located in Flagstaff, Arizona, United States. It is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, and has 36 satellite campuses in the state of Arizona. The university offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

As of fall 2012, 21,652 students were enrolled, 18,292 at the Flagstaff campus. The average cost of tuition for a full-time, Arizona resident undergraduate student for two semesters is $6,964.

The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education classifies NAU as a research university with high research activity. NAU is governed by the Arizona Board of Regents.

History
Initially named the Northern Arizona Normal School, the institution was established on September 11, 1899. The first graduating class, in 1901, consisted of four women who received credentials to teach in the Arizona Territory. In 1925, the Arizona State Legislature allowed the school, which was now called the Northern Arizona State Teacher's College, to grant Bachelor of Education degrees. The school then became Northern Arizona State Teacher's College.

Enrollment dropped sharply, however, as World War II dawned. ASTC became a Navy V-12 program training site.

Flagstaff campus
Perched at 6950 ft above sea level, the main campus is surrounded by the largest contiguous ponderosa pine forest on the North American continent and enjoys a four-season climate. Snow is common in winter, with accumulations most prevalent in December and January. Winter skiing is accessible at Arizona Snowbowl, an alpine ski resort located on the San Francisco Peaks, 7 mi northwest of Flagstaff.

Extended Campuses
Northern Arizona University maintains campuses throughout Arizona with its Extended Campuses program. The program offers alternatives to the traditional learning experience, including evening, weekend, and accelerated classes, and offers more than 123 degree, certificate, and endorsement programs in person and/or on the web. Extended Campus students may take in-person courses in classrooms across the state at 36 different locations. One-third of Northern Arizona University students are served through the Extended Campuses program.

Academics
Fall Freshman Statistics

NAU is ranked 78th on Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Public Colleges" list and is ranked 460th overall on Forbes "America's Best Colleges 2010" list. It has 93 academic programs; and consists of six colleges.

In the fall of 2010, the top undergraduate degrees by enrollment were elementary education, biology, hotel and restaurant management, nursing, and criminology and criminal justice.

College of Arts and Letters
The College of Arts and Letters (CAL) houses the Asian Studies Program, Cinema Studies, Comparative Cultural Studies (formerly Humanities, Arts, and Religion), English, History, Latin American Studies, Modern Languages, Museum Studies, Philosophy, School of Art, School of Music, and Theatre. The college also oversees the NAU Art Museum, Martin-Springer Institute (promoting lessons of the Holocaust), Northern Arizona Writing Project, Ardrey Memorial Auditorium, and Ashurst Hall. The College of Arts and Letters Film Series has been providing quality classic films to the NAU and Flagstaff community for more than nine years, and the NAU International Film Series has recently been established. Department faculty and students share their scholarly work and artistic achievement through more than 300 performances, lectures, films, and exhibitions a year.

College of Education
The College of Education prepares educators, counselors, school psychologists, and school administrators. Fields of study include teaching and learning (e.g., early childhood, elementary, and secondary), educational leadership, educational psychology, and educational specialties (e.g., bilingual and multicultural education, career and technical education, educational technology, and special education).

College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences
The College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences has eleven departments and a Quaternary Program, thirteen centers, and two institutes. It continues to expand its degree programs. Programs include Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Sciences and Education, Geology, Mathematics and Statistics, Mechanical Engineering, Physics and Astronomy, Quaternary Studies, Master of Engineering, and Master of Science in Engineering. NAUTeach is the secondary-school teacher preparation program for mathematics and the sciences.

College of Health and Human Services
NAU's College of Health and Human Services consists of the School of Nursing, Health Sciences, Dental Hygiene, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Physical Therapy, and a newly formed (as of Fall 2012) Physician Assistant school based out of Phoenix, Arizona.

College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
The College of Social and Behavioral Sciences undergraduate programs include anthropology, applied indigenous studies, criminology and criminal justice, ethnic studies, geography, planning and recreation, political science, psychology, communication, sociology/social work, and women's and gender studies.

The W.A. Franke College of Business
The W.A. Franke College of Business's primary focus is undergraduate education, but it also offers a master’s level education and research opportunities. Businessman Bill Franke's commitment of $25 million resulted in the renaming of the college in his honor. The W.A. Franke College of Business was fully re-accredited in fall 2008 by the national accrediting body AACSB International - The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The NAU program is one of about 400 accredited programs among the more than 1,000 throughout the nation. In 2006, the college moved into a new 111000 sqft, LEED-certified building.

Residence halls
Northern Arizona University has twenty-one residence halls on its Flagstaff campus.

Freshman residence halls

 * Allen Hall (formerly an upperclassmen hall)
 * Cowden Learning Community
 * McConnell Hall
 * Reilly Hall
 * Wilson Hall
 * Sechrist Hall (an eight-story residence hall, making it the tallest building in Flagstaff)
 * Tinsley Hall (beginning fall 2011, Tinsley will be a Freshman connections hall)

Family housing
These apartment-styled halls are for married couples and students with children.
 * Campus Heights has 63 apartments.
 * South Family Apartments has 145 apartments.

Residents of both family units are within the Flagstaff Unified School District. Residents are zoned to Kinsey Elementary School, Mount Elden Middle School, and Flagstaff High School.

Athletics
Student athletes compete at national, international, and professional levels in football, basketball, baseball, ice hockey, track and field, tennis, and swimming and diving. The university participates in fifteen intercollegiate sports programs. NAU teams compete at the Walkup Skydome, which is a multipurpose building that provides facilities for football, basketball, indoor track and field, soccer, weight lifting, lacrosse, student recreation, major concert events, commencements, intramurals, and a variety of other university and community activities.

The Lumberjacks compete at the NCAA Division I level in all sports. In football, the Lumberjacks compete at the Football Championship Subdivision level (formerly known as Division I-AA). NAU competes in the Big Sky Conference in all sports except swimming and diving, which is part of the Western Athletic Conference.

On campus activities
NAU has more than 200 recognized professional, academic, service and social organizations, an intramural sports program, The Lumberjack student newspaper, and active residence hall organizations.

The Lumberjack
The university's award-winning, weekly newspaper is an independent, student-run publication called ''The Lumberjack." In May 2007, the newspaper won a Society of Professional Journalists national award in the editorial writing category for articles printed during 2006.

KJACK, NAZ Today, and UTV62
KJACK is available in Flagstaff on 1680 AM or online. KJACK reports to the College Music Journal and specializes in new and local music. NAU's televised news program, NAZ Today, airs Monday through Thursday in Flagstaff on NPG cable channels 4, 59 and UTV 62 on campus at 6pm MST; formerly, it also aired on UniversityHouse (Dish Network channel 9411) until it folded. Since the shutdown of Channel 2 news in August 2008, NAZ Today is now the only TV news source for the Flagstaff area. UTV62 is NAU's student run and produced television station. UTV62 runs 24 hours a day and 7 days a week on channel 62 on campus.

Choirs
The Northern Arizona University Choral Union consists of eight ensembles contained within the School of Music: Men's Chorale, Women's Chorale, University Singers, two Vocal Jazz Ensembles (Northern Voices and High Altitude), Vocal Chamber Ensemble, the Harold M. Harter Memorial Handbell Choir, and the Shrine of the Ages Choir, the premier choral ensemble that tours internationally.

Recreation services
The NAU Recreation Center provides facilities for all students, including a fully equipped weight room, two two-court basketball/volleyball/soccer gymnasiums, six glass-back racquetball courts, and three aerobic/dance studios.

In fall 2011, the remodel of the NAU Recreation Center was completed, creating the NAU Health and Learning Center in its place. Features include an indoor jogging track, 38 foot climbing wall, larger weight room, multipurpose gym, and a cardio theatre. The Health and Learning Center also includes all of the on-campus medical services that were previously housed in the Fronske Health Center, a pharmacy, and the offices for Disability Resources on campus.

Intramural sports
Intramural sports are organized for teams and individuals and include flag football, soccer, volleyball, softball, racquetball, and backgammon. Sports clubs include baseball, rugby, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, kendo and judo (martial arts), and water polo.

Movies and other events
Unions and Student Activities offers many services and events for the campus community, such as movies and the popular Friday night AfterHours program produced by SUN Entertainment. SUN also presents several concerts and special events each year and coordinates Welcome Week concerts. The College of Arts and Letters presents classic films every Tuesday night during the school year, and also presents more than 300 music and theatrical performances, lectures, films and art exhibitions yearly.

Alumni
The NAU Alumni Association represents more than 115,000 alumni from the U.S.

Other information
The Arizona Cardinals of the NFL conduct their summer training camp at Northern Arizona University's Flagstaff campus.