- Bradley University
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Coordinates: 40°41′40.1″N 89°36′44.1″W / 40.694472°N 89.61225°W
Bradley University Established 1897 Type private, coeducational Endowment $198.5 million[1] President Joanne K. Glasser Provost David Glassman Academic staff 389 Undergraduates 5,301 Postgraduates 800 Location Peoria, Illinois, USA Campus urban, 85 acres (340,000 m2) Colors Red & White Nickname Braves Website http://www.bradley.edu Bradley University is a private, co-educational university located in Peoria, Illinois. It is a small institution with an enrollment of approximately 6,100 undergraduate and postgraduate students.
Contents
History
The Bradley Polytechnic Institute was founded by philanthropist Lydia Moss Bradley in 1897 in memory of her husband Tobias and their six children, all of whom died early and suddenly, making Bradley a childless widow. The Bradleys had discussed establishing an orphanage in memory of their deceased children. After some study and travel to various institutions, Mrs. Bradley decided instead to found a school where young people could learn how to do practical things to prepare them for living in the modern world. As a first step toward her goal, in 1892 she purchased a controlling interest in Parsons Horological School in LaPorte, Indiana, the first school for watchmakers in America, and moved it to Peoria. She specified in her will that the school should be expanded after her death to include a classical education as well as industrial arts and home economics: "...it being the first object of this Institution to furnish its students with the means of living an independent, industrious and useful life by the aid of a practical knowledge of the useful arts and sciences."
In October 1896 Mrs. Bradley was introduced to Dr. William Rainey Harper, president of the University of Chicago. He soon convinced her to move ahead with her plans and establish the school during her lifetime. Bradley Polytechnic Institute was chartered on November 13, 1896. Mrs. Bradley provided 17.5 acres (71,000 m2) of land, $170,000 for buildings, equipment, and a library, and $30,000 per year for operating expenses.
Contracts for Bradley Hall and Horology Hall (now Westlake) were awarded in April and work moved ahead quickly. Fourteen faculty and 150 students began classes in Bradley Hall on October 4—with 500 workers still hammering away. (The Horological Department added another eight faculty and 70 students.) Bradley Polytechnic Institute was formally dedicated on October 8, 1897. Its first graduate, in June 1898, was Cora Unland.
Originally, the institute was organized as a four-year academy as well as a two-year college. There was only one other high school in the city of Peoria at the time. By 1899 the institute had expanded to accommodate nearly 500 pupils, and study fields included biology, chemistry, food work, sewing, English, German, French, Latin, Greek, history, manual arts, drawing, mathematics, and physics. By 1920 the institute dropped the academy orientation and adopted a four-year collegial program. Enrollment continued to grow over the coming decades and the name Bradley University was adopted in 1946.[2]
Academics
Bradley University was recently ranked 6th among Midwestern comprehensive masters-degree-granting universities in the 2011 edition of America's Best Colleges published by U.S. News & World Report.
The Bradley University Department of Teacher Education and College of Education and Health Sciences is NCATE-approved.[3] Additionally, of the nation’s 3623 colleges and universities, Bradley University's Foster College of Business Administration is one of only 160 schools whose business and accounting programs are both accredited by AACSB International.
Bradley University is organized into the following colleges and schools:
Undergraduate school
- College of Education and Health Sciences
- College of Engineering and Technology
- College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Foster College of Business Administration
- Slane College of Communications and Fine Arts
- Academic Exploration Program (AEP), for students without a declared major
Graduate school
Through its Graduate School, Bradley University offers Masters level graduate degrees in 5 of its departments; business, communication and fine arts, education and health sciences, engineering, and liberal arts and sciences. Each has its own hourly requirements and varies in completion time. The program of physical therapy provides a Doctor of Physical therapy degree.
Campus
Bradley's 85-acre (340,000 m2) campus is located on Peoria's west bluff and is minutes from the city's downtown. The campus of Bradley University is relatively compact. There are few places on campus which cannot be reached from any other part of campus in under ten minutes on foot. Bradley's student housing is concentrated on the campus's east side, and the residence halls include: College (all women's), Geisert, Harper, Heitz, University, Williams, and Wyckoff Halls. There is also a complex of singles dormitories and two university-owned apartment complexes: St. James Apartments and the Student Apartment Complex.[4]
Also located on the south side of Bradley's campus is Dingeldine Music Center, which was acquired from the Second Church of Christ, Scientist in 1983. The Center serves as the main performance and practice facility for Bradley's instrumental and choral programs.
Bradley University is also the site of Peoria's National Public Radio affiliate, WCBU-FM, located on the second floor of Jobst Hall.
Athletics
Bradley University is a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. Conference-approved sports at Bradley for men are baseball, basketball, cross country running, golf, soccer, and tennis. Women's' sports consist of basketball, cross country running, golf, indoor and outdoor track, softball, tennis, and volleyball. The men's basketball team has appeared eight times in the NCAA Tournament: 1950, 1954, 1955, 1980, 1986, 1988, 1996, and 2006. In 1950 and 1954 they were national runners up in the Final Four, and in 2006 the Braves made their first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 1955, defeating 4th seed Kansas and 5th seed Pittsburgh. However, Bradley's run came to an end in the Sweet Sixteen with a loss to the University of Memphis. Bradley also won the National Invitation Tournament in 1957, 1960, 1964, and 1982. In 2008, the men's basketball team was selected to participate in the inaugural College Basketball Invitational. They reached the Championship game but lost to Tulsa 2-1 in a 3 game series.
In 2006, the Bradley soccer team lost in the MVC Championship. In 2007, the Bradley soccer team returned to the MVC Championship and defeated Creighton 1-0 to claim their first MVC Tournament Championship and fourth appearance in the NCAA postseason soccer tournament. They had never won a game in the NCAA tournament. Following their first ever NCAA tournament game victory over DePaul 2-0, the Braves continued on a magical run to the Elite Eight by defeating seven-time national champion Indiana University on penalty kicks (5-4)and the University of Maryland in overtime, both on the road. During the Maryland game they were down 2-0 with less than 3 minutes left and won. The match has been referred to as "The Miracle in Maryland." Bradley’s coach, Jim DeRose, was named the national Coach of the Year by Soccer America after their great season.
The university does not have a football team. The football program was disbanded in 1970.
Bradley University was a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1910-1937.
Bowl games
Season Bowl Champion Runner-up 1956 Corn Bowl Western Illinois 21 Bradley 3 1959 Corn Bowl Bradley 10 Minnesota State 3 1960 Corn Bowl Bradley 21 North Dakota 17 Controversy
The school's teams are named the "Braves."
In August 2005, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which conducts collegiate athletics, instituted a ban on schools that use "hostile and abusive" American Indian nicknames from hosting postseason games, beginning February 2006. Bradley was initially placed on a list of schools with such names. In April 2006, after a lengthy and contentious appeals process by Bradley officials, the NCAA agreed to remove Bradley from the list but placed it on a 5-year watch list.[5]
Groups and activities
Forensics
Bradley University boasts the nation's most prolific college forensics team, with their American Forensics Association Championship winning streak from 1980 through 2000 only broken in 1994 and 1995.[6][7] Bradley's forensics team hosts the nation's oldest intercollegiate competition, known as the L.E. Norton Invitational. The tournament is named after former forensics director L.E. Norton. The team also hosts an annual tournament for high school speech teams, known as the George Armstrong Invitational.
In April 2010 Bradley's Speech Team regained the American Forensics Association title in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, winning the title after a decade long dry spell. Three senior students set a new record by taking the top three spots in individual sweepstakes (1st - Amanda Voiral, 2nd - Jared Boyer, 3rd - Patrick Campbell).[8]
In April of 2011 Bradley's Speech Team won four individual National Championship Titles at the National Forensic Association National Tournament: Elle Pratt, National Champion Dramatic Interpretation; Blake Longfellow, National Champion Informative Speaking; Jacoby Cochran, National Champion Persuasion Speaking & Individual Sweepstakes Champion. [9]
Greek
With over thirty percent of undergraduate students involved in fraternities and sororities, Greek life is very prevalent at Bradley University. The community currently consists of twenty-seven chapters, representing the North-American Interfraternity Conference, National Panhellenic Conference, and National Pan-Hellenic Council. Twenty of the chapters have houses on campus, which are primarily located on the south side of campus.[10]
Active Chapters of the North American Interfraternity Conference
- Alpha Epsilon Pi
- Delta Tau Delta
- Delta Upsilon
- Lambda Chi Alpha
- Theta Xi
- Theta Chi
- Pi Kappa Alpha
- Pi Kappa Phi
- Sigma Alpha Epsilon
- Sigma Phi Epsilon
- Sigma Nu
- Sigma Chi
- Phi Gamma Delta (FIJI)
- Phi Kappa Tau
Active Chapters of the National Panhellenic Conference
Active Fraternity Chapters of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
Active Sorority Chapters of the National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
Other social and professional organizations
- Alpha Phi Omega (Co-ed Community Service)
- Gamma Iota Sigma
- Sigma Alpha Iota
- Sigma Theta Epsilon
- Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
- Kappa Phi Club
- Chi Alpha Campus Ministries
- Alpha Psi Omega (National Honorary Theatre Fraternity)
- Phi Chi Theta
Broadside
The annual student literary journal, Broadside, publishes student art and writing in a 100-page journal that is released each spring. The publication is staffed and run entirely by students. The organization also holds two readings: an informal "open mic" night in the fall, and a formal reading in the Wyckoff Room of the Cullom-Davis Library in late April which usually features writers published in the journal.
The Scout
The student-run weekly newspaper, The Scout, covers student life and issues on campus, Bradley sports, and local Peoria news that concerns students. Dates for local concerts, movie and music reviews can all be found written by students in The Scout’s "Voice" section. Student staff rotates and changes yearly.
Project Springboard
Project Springboard is an annual business plan competition started in 2007 to complement Bradley's Entrepreneurship major. The grand prize is $15,000 in cash and one year of knowledge capital valued at more than $100,000. Project Springboard's inaugural winner, iRepair Squad, announced in February 2008 that their sales had topped $1 million. The competition was brought to Bradley by Peoria businessman Alexis Khazzam, owner of Junction Ventures, who donated $200,000 to the university to fund the competition.[11]
Notable people
Alumni
Government, public service, and public policy
- Jim Ascot — Congressional candidate in Illinois's 7th congressional district and president of Ascot Realty Group.[12]
- David T. Caldwell — former state district court judge in Jonesboro, Louisiana.[13]
- Joseph R. Holzapple — United States Air Force four star general
- Ray LaHood — U.S. Congressman from Illinois' 18th District and Secretary of Transportation in the Obama Administration
- Judge Joe Billy McDade — Federal district court judge for the Central District of Illinois (BS '59, MS '60)
- Robert H. Michel — retired Congressman from Illinois' 18th District and longest serving Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Aaron Schock — Republican and youngest member of the U.S. House of Representatives, represents 18th Congressional District
- Nicholas Scoppetta — New York City Fire Commissioner
- General John M. Shalikashvili — retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO
- David Brant — former director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service
- Ben Porritt — spokesman in the McCain-Palin campaign during the 2008 United States presidential election
- Brad Cohen — Motivational speaker and Teacher with Tourette's Syndrome
- Jerald D. Slack — U.S. Air National Guard Major General, Adjutant General of Wisconsin
Literature, arts, and media
- Jack Brickhouse — former radio and TV announcer for the Chicago Cubs
- Devon Michaels — fitness and adult model
- Jill Bennett — actress
- Philip José Farmer — an American author, principally known for his science fiction and fantasy novels and short stories
- Neil Flynn — actor on Scrubs
- Jerry Hadley — former leading lyric tenor for the New York Metropolitan Opera
- Chick Hearn — former play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers
- David Horowitz — consumer advocate
- Tami Lane — Academy Award winner (makeup, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
- Ralph Lawler — TV play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Clippers
- Charlie Steiner — former host of ESPN's SportsCenter, former radio announcer for the New York Yankees, current announcer for the Los Angeles Dodgers
- Serria Tawan Bishop — Playboy Miss November 2002 Playmate[14][15]
Business and science
- Dr. Lillian Glass — expert in body language, columnist, TV commentator
- Howard Lance — chairman, president, and chief executive officer at Harris Corporation
- Major Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. PhD — became the first African American astronaut in 1967
- J.J. Liu — software engineer; now one of the top women poker players in the world
- Timothy L. Mounts — agricultural chemist specializing in edible oilseed
- George T. Shaheen — former CEO of Siebel Systems, Andersen Consulting, and Webvan
- Louis Skidmore — architect
- David Barnett — Chair of Biomedical Engineering, Saint Louis University
Athletics
- Pat Brady — NCAA Football record holder, professional football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Gavin Glinton — professional soccer player for the Nam Dinh FC and Turks and Caicos Islands national football team
- Hersey Hawkins — professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls, Seattle SuperSonics, Charlotte Hornets, and Philadelphia 76ers; bronze medalist, 1988 Summer Olympics; all time leading scorer for men's basketball at Bradley
- Jim Les — professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Clippers, Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks; assistant coach for the WNBA's Sacramento Monarchs; former men's basketball coach at Bradley
- Marcus Pollard — professional football player for the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts and Seattle Seahawks
- Bobby Joe Mason — professional basketball player for the Harlem Globetrotters
- Gene Melchiorre — basketball player: first overall pick in the 1951 NBA Draft
- Bryan Namoff — soccer player: defensive starter for Major League Soccer team D.C. United
- Patrick O'Bryant — professional basketball player drafted ninth overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors
- Anthony Parker — professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers
- Kirby Puckett — was a professional baseball player for the Minnesota Twins and inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
- Bryan Rekar — was a professional baseball player the Colorado Rockies, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Kansas City Royals
- Matt Savoie — figure skater: U.S. bronze medalist, member of 2006 Winter Olympics U.S. team
- Leo Schrall – Baseball headcoach from 1949 through 1972, who led the Bradley Braves squad to seven titles in the College World Series (two) and the Missouri Valley Conference (five)
- Brian Shouse — professional baseball player for the Tampa Bay Rays
- Bill Stone — American football player: former halfback Baltimore Colts, Chicago Bears ('51–'54), former Bradley Football head coach
- David Thirdkill — professional basketball player and a member of the 1985-86 Boston Celtics championship team who also played for the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns
- Bill Tuttle — professional baseball player for the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Athletics, and Minnesota Twins
- Chet Walker — professional basketball player for the Syracuse Nationals, Philadelphia 76ers, and Chicago Bulls
Infamous
- Matthew F. Hale — white supremacist and founder of the Creativity Movement, currently in prison for soliciting an undercover FBI agent to kill a federal judge
- Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri — unlawful combatant designee: arrested in December 2001; claimed as an unlawful combatant in 2003[16]
Faculty
People who did not attend Bradley as a student but were on the Bradley staff or faculty.
- Ernst Ising — German physicist: developed the Ising model in statistical mechanics
- Jane Ising — wife of the above physicist, taught economics
- Kevin Stein — Poet Laureate of Illinois (2003–present)
- Charles E. Tucker, Jr. — Retired U.S. Air Major General
See also
- Carver Arena — home court of Bradley men's basketball games
Nearby colleges
- Illinois Central College — community college for Bradley's local college district
- Midstate College — private college
- Robert Morris University Illinois (Peoria Campus) — state-wide college with Peoria campus
- Methodist College of Nursing
References
- ^ http://www.nacubo.org/Documents/research/2010NCSE_Public_Tables_Endowment_Market_Values_Final.pdf
- ^ The Founding of Bradley
- ^ NCATE Accredited Schools - Bradley University
- ^ Center for Residential Living and Leadership
- ^ NCAA - NCAA Executive Committee Announces Native American Mascot Appeals Decisions
- ^ Champions of the National Individual Events Tournament
- ^ The Bradley University Speech Team
- ^ AFA Tab Sheets
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://bugreeklife.com/community-statistics
- ^ Project Springboard
- ^ "Campaign website". http://ascotforcongress.com/.
- ^ ""Judge David T. Caldwell" in J. Cleveland Fruge, Biographies of Louisiana Judges". files.usgwarchives.org, Louisiana District Judges Association, 1971. http://files.usgwarchives.org/la/jackson/bios/caldwelldt.txt. Retrieved May 28, 2010.
- ^ Alum is Miss November
- ^ Biography for Serria Tawan on IMDb
- ^ "US 'cannot hold enemy combatant'". BBC. June 11, 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6742535.stm. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
External links
- Bradley University — official website
- University — U.S. News and World Report
Missouri Valley Conference Members Bradley Braves • Creighton Bluejays • Drake Bulldogs • Evansville Purple Aces • Illinois State Redbirds • Indiana State Sycamores • Missouri State Bears • Northern Iowa Panthers • Southern Illinois Salukis • Wichita State Shockers
Championships & awards Categories:- Universities and colleges in Illinois
- Education in Peoria, Illinois
- Bradley University
- Educational institutions established in 1897
- Engineering universities and colleges in Illinois
- National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities members
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
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