Western Washington University Awards 100,000th Degree in Fall 2010

Western Washington University passed the 100,000 mark in the number of degrees awarded since 1933 at the Fall Commencement ceremony on December 11, 2010.

"This milestone reminds us that Western Washington University alumni make up a vast community of leaders in business, education, the arts, philanthropy and public service," said Western President Bruce Shepard. "This year's graduates join a group notable for their accomplishments and service to their communities as well as their number."

The 100,000th degree is an important accomplishment in the history of Western as it has evolved into what has become known as the best master's-granting public university in the Pacific Northwest. Western traces its history to 1893, four years after Washington became a state, when Gov. John H. McGraw signed legislation creating New Whatcom Normal School on 10 donated acres on Sehome Hill. The first 88 students enrolled in September 1899. The first 24 degrees, Bachelors of Arts in Education, were awarded in 1933. The Normal School became Western Washington College of Education in 1937, Western Washington State College in 1961 and Western Washington University in 1977. Today, Western offers bachelor's degrees in about 200 different majors, in addition to more than 60 master's degrees, 10 certificate programs and dozens of minor areas of study. With nearly 15,000 students, Western now draws students from throughout Washington state and around the globe and is consistently ranked among the best public master's-granting universities in the western United States.

Western officials awarded the 100,000th degree to a Fall 2010 graduate. This graduating senior, selected at random from those who signed up for a drawing, received the representational honor of being the 100,000th degree recipient at the Dec. 11 ceremony. And the entire 2010-11 graduating class was recognized with a commemorative brick paver installed in the sidewalk in front of Old Main.

In addition to a celebration at the Fall Commencement ceremony Dec. 11, Western is celebrating the milestone with a redesigned diploma. The new diploma certificate incorporates Western's blue and marks the first redesign of the document in more than a decade. Fall 2010 graduates will be the first to receive the new diploma. Alumni may also order a replacement diploma in the new design for $40 by contacting the Registrar's Office at (360) 650-3701 or emailing Jana.Schueler@wwu.edu.

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