Profile of Emporia State University

Profile of EmporiaStateUniversity

History of the University

In 1863, two years after Kansas became a state, the Kansas Legislature established the StateNormal School at Emporia to prepare teachers for the state. During its long history, the university’s name has changed three times, indicative of the changes occurring at the institution. In 1923, KansasStateNormal School became KansasStateTeachers College, and in 1974, the institution became Emporia Kansas State College. The broadened academic offerings, increased services to students, and involvement in research and in-service activities contributed to a name which recognized that KansasStateTeachers College had evolved into a multipurpose institution. In 1977, the Kansas Legislature changed the name to EmporiaStateUniversity.

Today, Emporia State University (ESU) is a comprehensive Regents university primarilyserving residents of Kansas by providing leadership in quality instruction, related scholarship, and service. A student-centered institution, its mission is to develop lifelong learning skills, impart society’s cultural heritage, and educate students for both the professions and advanced study. Faculty, staff, and students interact in a collegial atmosphere that fosters freedom of inquiry and expression.

University Characteristics

EmporiaStateUniversity is located in the heart of the Bluestem Region of the Flinthills, with easy access via Interstate 35 to Wichita, Topeka, and Kansas City. Its 200-acre campus is located in Emporia, a city of 26,760. The largest city in a seven-county area, Emporia serves as a trade area for 35,935 people. The fall 2003 teaching faculty at EmporiaStateUniversity consisted of 248 full-time professors highly qualified in their respective fields, of which eighty-one percent possess terminal degrees and all have considerable teaching experience. The faculty are organized into twenty departments that are grouped into four schools and colleges: The Teachers College (six departments), the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (eleven departments), the School of Business (two departments), and the School of Library and Information Management (no departments).

In the fall of 2003, the student body was comprised of 4,434 undergraduate students and

1,844 graduate students. The student population consisted of 4,065 females (64.7percent) and 2,213 males (35.3 percent). Of the total university enrollment, 82 percent were white, 3.1 percent African American, 3.0 percent Hispanic, 0.8 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, .5 percent American Indian/Alaskan Native, 2.6 percent Non-Resident Alien, and 8 percent other.

The Kansas Board of Regents has defined ESU’s service area as the counties of Chase,Coffey, Greenwood, Lyon, Morris, Osage, Wabaunsee, and Woodson.