| Northeastern State University | |
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| Established | 1851 |
| Type: | Public university |
| President: | Dr. Larry Williams |
| Acting President: | Kim Cherry[1] |
| Students: | 6,915 |
| Location | Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA ( )) |
| Website: | http://www.nsuok.edu/ |
Northeastern State University (NSU) is located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, at the foot of the Ozark Mountains. Northeastern's home, Tahlequah, is also the capital of The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.
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History
The school was founded on May 7, 1851 as the Cherokee National Female Seminary. On March 6, 1909 the State Legislature of Oklahoma passed an act providing for the creation and location of Northeastern State Normal School at Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and for the purchase form the Cherokee Tribal Government of the building, land, and equipment of the Cherokee Female Seminary. In the 1950's Northeastern emerged as a comprehensive state college, broadening its curriculum at the baccalaureate level to encompass liberal arts subjects and adding a fifth year program designed to prepare master teachers for elementary and secondary schools. In 1974, the Oklahoma Legislature authorized that the name of the institution be changed from Northeastern State Normal School to Northeastern Oklahoma State University and then again in 1985 to Northeastern State University. Northeastern is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of Oklahoma as well as one of the oldest institutions of higher learning west of the Mississippi River. It boasts the only College of Optometry in Oklahoma, and the largest enrollment of Native American students of any public institution of higher education by both percentage and amount[2]. Northeastern also has branches in Broken Arrow and Muskogee. NSU offers 69 undergraduate degrees, 18 graduate degrees, and 13 preprofessional programs in five colleges (Business & Technology, Liberal Arts, Education, Optometry, and Health & Science Professions). The student-to-faculty ratio is 26 to 1. There is also a distance learning program, where students who cannot attend the university due to work or family obligations can complete courses via the Internet or videoconferencing.
Athletics
NSU's athletic teams compete in the NCAA Division II. NSU's athletic teams are known as the Riverhawks, a mascot announced on Nov. 14, 2006 [3]. NSU announced on May 23, 2006 that they would be dropping "Redmen" in favor of a new mascot to represent the school [4]. Although the "Redmen" name was not deemed to be hostile or abusive towards Native Americans by the NCAA, restrictions connected to the use of American Indian nicknames could have affected future NSU athletic competitions, had NSU not taken the initiative to comply before the Redmen name became an issue. NSU offers all the major sports including football, baseball, softball, men and women's basketball, men and women's soccer, golf, and tennis. In 2003 the men's basketball team won the Division II national championship.
Jazz Lab
One of the unique opportunities for students at the Tahlequah campus is the Jazz Lab. Created in 1993, the building serves as a place where talented musicians can practice performing and listeners can enjoy the music, and is the only campus jazz facility of its type in the state of Oklahoma. In addition to a performance venue, the Jazz Lab is also the site of the jazz program offices and classes. The university has one student jazz ensemble, as well as several different combo groups, ranging in style from fusion, to latin, to big band era. Recently the university has been awarded a bachelors in music- jazz studies degree. Every year the NSU Jazz Ensemble performs with 4 guest artist at the Jazz Lab. Many famous musicians have performed at the jazz lab since its creation such as T.S. Monk, Henry Johnson, Diana Krall, Mulgrew Miller, Bobby Watson, Bob Mintzer, Slide Hampton, Robin Eubanks, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Shew, and Shunzo Ohno.
Campus life
Favorite hangouts and restaurants of NSU students include the Iguana Cafe, El Zarape, Sam & Ella's Chicken Palace (Pizza), The Town Branch Eatery & Pub, Flo's Cafe (located on campus in the Florence Willson Hall), and Vidalia's. The night life includes Neds, Club Effx, and Roxy's Roost on the Illinois River (Oklahoma). Campus Organizations such as RHA (Residence Halls Association), NAB (Northeastern Activities Board), and NSGA (Northeastern Student Government Association) provide alternate activities, usually free of charge for students to enjoy on campus. The NSGA is the official organization to represent the students of NSU. The purpose of the NSGA is to establish a representative student government and to provide a forum for student's views and ideas for the purpose of promoting and representing the students of NSU. RHA caters to on-campus residents and hosts such annual events as "Welcome Week Luau," Freshman Move-in Day, Mardi Gras, and "Resident Round-up".
Greek life
Sororities
- Delta Zeta 1923, recolonized 1956
- Sigma Sigma Sigma 1929
- Alpha Sigma Alpha 1937
- Alpha Sigma Tau 1982 (closed)
- Alpha Omicron Pi 1997
- Zeta Theta Omicron 2005
- Alpha Pi Omega 2006
Fraternities
- Lambda Chi Alpha
- Pi Kappa Alpha
- Tau Kappa Epsilon
- Kappa Sigma
- Phi Lambda Chi
- Alpha Phi Alpha
- Phi Sigma Kappa
- Phi Sigma Nu
- Sigma Theta Epsilon
- Rho Epsilon Tau
- Kappa Kappa Psi
- Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia
Notable alumni
Carrie Underwood, American Idol 4 winner and country music superstar, graduated from NSU magna cum laude with a degree in mass communications with a concentration in journalism and was selected as Miss NSU runner-up in 2004. She was a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority. Larry Coker, former head coach at the University of Miami from 2001 to 2006. Muriel Saunders, graduate student, gained national fame for becoming Homecoming queen at 78-years-old as voted on by the student body in fall 2005.
References
External links
- Northeastern State University (Official NSU site)
- NSU Athletics (Official NSU Athletics site)
- Northeastern State University Alumni
- The Northeastern - Online Student Newspaper
- Residence Halls Association
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