View source for Washburn University

{{Short description|Public university in Topeka, Kansas, US}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2022}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Washburn University of Topeka
 | image                  = Washburn University seal.svg
 | image_upright          = 0.7
 | former_names           = Lincoln College (1865–1868)<br/>Washburn College (1868–1941)<br/>Washburn Municipal University (1941–1952)<ref>[https://www.washburn.edu/about/images/timeline-poster-2.jpg "The Second Era of Washburn, 1915-1965"] ''washburn.edu''; retrieved August 9, 2023</ref>
 | motto                  = ''Non Nobis Solum'' ([[Latin]])
 | mottoeng               = "Not for Ourselves Alone"
 | established            = {{start date and age|1865|02|06}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://washburn.edu/about/files/washburn-history-chapter.pdf |title=Washburn University History|author=Martha Imparato |access-date=September 9, 2015}}</ref>
 | type                   = [[Public university]]
 | accreditation          = [[Higher Learning Commission|HLC]]
 | parent                 = 
 | academic_affiliation   = 
 | endowment              = $155.3 million (2020)<ref>As of June 30, 2020. {{cite report |url=https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Documents/Research/2020-NTSE-Public-Tables--Endowment-Market-Values--FINAL-FEBRUARY-19-2021.ashx |title=U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 |publisher=National Association of College and University Business Officers and [[TIAA]] |date=February 19, 2021 |access-date=February 20, 2021 |archive-date=February 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210221003510/https://www.nacubo.org/-/media/Documents/Research/2020-NTSE-Public-Tables--Endowment-Market-Values--FINAL-FEBRUARY-19-2021.ashx |url-status=live }}</ref>
 | president              = JuliAnn Mazachek
 | provost                = John Fritch
 | academic_staff         = 1,000
 | students               = 5,663 (fall 2023)<ref name="Enrollment">{{cite web|title=Board of Regents Announces 2023 Fall Semester Enrollment |url=https://www.kansasregents.org/resources/PDF/Press/2023_Fall_Prelimary_Enrollment.pdf |date=September 27, 2023 |access-date=September 30, 2023}}</ref>
 | undergrad              = 4,930 (fall 2023)<ref name="Enrollment"/>
 | postgrad               = 733 (fall 2023)
 | city                   = [[Topeka, Kansas]]
 | country                = United States
 | coor                   = {{Coord|39.033786|N|95.698975|W|source:dewiki_region:US-KS_type:edu|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
 | campus                 = Midsize city<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Washburn&s=all&id=156082|title=IPEDS-Washburn University of Topeka}}</ref>
 | campus_size            = {{convert|160|acre|km2}}
 | colors                 = {{college color list|team=Washburn Ichabods}}
 | athletics_nickname     = [[Washburn Ichabods|Ichabods]]
 | mascot                 = [[Ichabod Washburn#Washburn University|The Ichabod]]
 | sporting_affiliations  = [[NCAA Division II]] – [[Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association|The MIAA]]
 | website                = {{URL|https://www.washburn.edu/|washburn.edu}}
 | logo                   = Washburn University wordmark.svg
 | logo_upright           = 1.0
}}

'''Washburn University''' ('''WU'''), formally '''Washburn University of Topeka''', is a [[public university]] in [[Topeka, Kansas]], United States. It offers [[undergraduate]] and [[Graduate school|graduate]] programs as well as professional programs in [[law]] and [[business]]. The university enrolls approximately 5,000 undergraduate students and 700 graduate students as of 2023. As of 2008, Washburn also took over overseeing the nearby [[Washburn Institute of Technology|Washburn Tech]].

==History==
Washburn University was established at [[Topeka, Kansas]], in February 1865 as "Lincoln College", by a [[charter]] issued by the State of Kansas and the General Association of Congregational Ministers and Churches of Kansas; the land on which the college stood was donated by abolitionist [[John Ritchie (abolitionist)|John Ritchie]]. The institution was renamed "Washburn College" in 1868, after [[Ichabod Washburn]] pledged $25,000 to the school. Washburn was a church [[deacon]], [[wikt:Special:Search/abolition|abolitionist]], and industrialist who lived in [[Worcester, Massachusetts]].<ref name=History>{{cite web|url=http://www.washburn.edu/about/history.html|title=History|work=washburn.edu|access-date=June 11, 2014|archive-date=October 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161031061755/http://www.washburn.edu/about/history.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<span style="float:left; margin-right:10px;">[[Image:Washburn_arms_as_used_by_Washburn_College.png|68px]]</span> Washburn College adopted a variation of the Washbourne arms as its emblem, substituting the school colors for the tinctures of the arms. Since becoming a university, however, Washburn has abandoned use of the family arms. Instead, the university now employs a stylized "W" as the emblem of the institution. The school mascot, "The Ichabod", is still in use.

"The Ichabod" honors the namesake and early benefactor of the institution, Ichabod Washburn. "The Ichabod" existed only in name until 1938, when alumnus (and later prominent graphic artist) [[Bradbury Thompson]] (B.A., 1934) created the studious-looking, tailcoat-wearing figure the university uses today. The athletic teams are nicknamed "Ichabods", although women's teams did not use that nickname until the 2013–14 school year.<ref name=History/>

In 1913, the medical department of Washburn College closed. The medical school had become infamous on December 10, 1895, when the public discovered that some of the bodies used for anatomical study had been stolen from local cemeteries.<ref>{{Cite news |date=December 13, 1895 |title=WILL PUNISH THE BODY STEALERS; Kansas Medical College Officials Make a Public Announcement. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1895/12/13/103377530.html |access-date=2025-05-31 |work=The New York Times |pages=9 |language=en |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As the news was being printed (eventually across the country), the governor, fearing riots, called out state troops to protect the school. Three of the doctors, including the dean of the school, and a student-janitor from the school were arrested, as was one man who was not a member of the school. Charges against the doctors were discharged, the janitor was convicted but had his conviction reversed on appeal, and the fifth man was convicted but later pardoned.<ref name=History/>

During [[World War II]], Washburn Municipal University was one of 131 colleges and universities in the nation taking part in the [[V-12 Navy College Training Program]], which offered students a path to a Navy commission.<ref name="washburn-v-12">{{cite web |url=http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/kiosk/detail.cfm?id=210 |title=McDonald, Billy Ray "B.R." |publisher=The Dwight D. Eisenhower Foundation |access-date=September 29, 2011 |year=2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224021640/http://www.dwightdeisenhower.com/kiosk/detail.cfm?id=210 |archive-date=December 24, 2011 |url-status=dead  }}</ref>

On June 8, 1966, only a few days after classes were dismissed for the summer, much of the campus was demolished by a [[1966 Topeka tornado|tornado]], and completely denuded of trees.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ktwu.washburn.edu/productions/tornado/wuDevistation.htm|title=Stories of the 1966 Topeka Tornado|work=washburn.edu|access-date=March 26, 2014|archive-date=December 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205105413/http://ktwu.washburn.edu/productions/tornado/wuDevistation.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Three months before the tornado struck, the Washburn board of trustees had reinsured every building on campus for the maximum amount. A week after the tornado struck, summer classes began at Topeka West High School. By the fall of 1966, Stoffer Hall was repaired. It took years to reconstruct the campus, with students attending classes in trailers well into the early 1970s.<ref name=History/>

Formerly a [[municipal college|municipal university]], the university's primary funding was moved from city property tax to county sales tax sources in 1999, with the school retaining status as a municipal subdivision of the state.<ref name=History/> Washburn is governed by its own nine-member Board of Regents.<ref name="Regents"/>

==Organization and administration==
[[File:Washburn, Topeka, Kansas, 1948.jpg|thumb|right|Aerial view of Washburn campus in 1948]]
[[File:Washburn (Topeka, Kansas) Class of 1900, Rice Hall.jpg|thumb|right|Class of 1900 in front of Rice Hall]]
Washburn University is governed by a nine-member board of regents. Three, who must be residents of the state of Kansas, are appointed by the governor. Three residents of the City of Topeka, one from each of the state senatorial districts, are appointed by the mayor. One is the mayor or a member of the governing body of the city designated by the mayor. The Shawnee County Commission appoints one member, who must be a resident of Shawnee County but not of the City of Topeka. The [[Kansas Board of Regents]] annually selects one of its members to serve on the Washburn Board. Members of the board (with the exception of the Kansas Board of Regents' appointee) serve staggered four-year terms.<ref name="Regents">[https://www.washburn.edu/about/leadership/board-regents/ Board of Regents, Washburn University]</ref>

===Presidents===
These persons have served as presidents or interim presidents of Washburn College (1869–1940), Washburn Municipal University of Topeka (1941–1952), and Washburn University (1952–present).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washburn.edu/about/meet-president.html|title=Meet the President|work=washburn.edu|access-date=November 8, 2013|archive-date=July 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711224905/http://www.washburn.edu/about/meet-president.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-style="text-align:center;"
{{CollegePrimaryHeader|team=Washburn Ichabods|Title|Name|Years}}
|-
| Horatio Q. Butterfield<ref>{{cite web|title=Welcome to Washburn|url=http://www.washburn.edu/about/meet-president.html|website=Washburn University website|access-date=May 3, 2016|quote="Past Presidents 1869 – 1870: Horatio Q. Butterfield"|archive-date=July 11, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711224905/http://www.washburn.edu/about/meet-president.html|url-status=live}}</ref> || 1869–1870
|-
| Peter McVicar || 1871–1895
|-
| George M. Herrick || 1896–1901
|-
| Norman Plass || 1902–1908
|-
| [[Frank Knight Sanders]] || 1908–1914
|-
| Parley P. Womer || 1915–1931
|-
| Philip C. King || 1931–1941
|-
| Arthur G. Sellen || 1941–1942
|-
| Bryan S. Stoffer || 1942–1961
|-
| Harold E. Sponberg || 1961–1965
|-
| John W. Henderson || 1965–1980
|-
| [[John L. Green Jr.]] || 1981–1988
|-
| John Duggan || 1988
|-
| Robert L. Burns || 1988–1990
|-
| Hugh L. Thompson || 1990–1997
|-
| [[Jerry Farley]] || 1997–2022
|-
| Marshall Meek || 2022–2023
|-
| JuliAnn Mazachek || 2023–present
|-style="text-align:center; {{NCAA color cell|Washburn Ichabods}}"
| colspan="2"| '''15 presidents; 3 interims'''
| '''154 years'''
|}

===Law school===
{{Main|Washburn University School of Law}}

Formed in 1903,<ref name="Law History">{{Cite web |url=http://www.washburn.edu/crest/history.html |title=Law School History |access-date=December 14, 2008 |archive-date=February 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225022659/http://www.washburn.edu/crest/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> the Washburn School of Law was one of the first in the country to have a legal clinic where students are able to actively practice the legal profession. The Washburn Law Library houses over 380,000 volumes and is the largest in the state.<ref name="Library">{{Cite web |url=http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/law/items/03061 |title=Washburn Law Library |access-date=December 14, 2008 |archive-date=January 14, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114002509/http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/grad/law/items/03061 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Notable alumni include [[Bob Dole]], [[Roy Wilford Riegle]], [[Dennis Moore (politician)|Dennis Moore]], [[Kay McFarland]], [[Bill Kurtis]], and [[Fred Phelps]].

== Athletics ==
{{Main|Washburn Ichabods}}

{{see also|Washburn Ichabods football|Washburn Ichabods men's basketball}}

The Washburn athletic teams are called the Ichabods. The university is a member of the [[NCAA Division II]] ranks, primarily competing in the [[Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association]] (MIAA) since the 1989–90 academic year. The Ichabods previously competed in the [[Central States Intercollegiate Conference]] (CSIC) of the [[National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics]] (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the [[Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–1976)|Great Plains Athletic Conference]] (GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the [[Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference]] (RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the [[Central Intercollegiate Conference|Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]] (CIC) from 1940–41 to 1967–68 (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1923–24 to 1932–33); as an Independent from 1933–34 to 1939–40; and in the [[Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference]] (KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23.

Washburn competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.

=== Nickname ===
The "Ichabods" nickname is named after the university's contributor Ichabod Washburn, who was also the founder of [[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]]. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the women's athletic teams were known as the "Lady Blues". On May 24, 2013, President Farley announced that all athletic teams will be known as the Ichabods for the first time in history.<ref name="Ichabods">{{cite web|url=http://www.wusports.com/news/2013/5/24/General_0524131355.aspx|title=Washburn Athletics|access-date=November 25, 2013|archive-date=January 14, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240114125144/https://wusports.com/news/2013/5/24/General_0524131355.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Student life==
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023<ref>{{cite web |title= College Scorecard: Washburn University|url=https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?156082-Washburn-University|website=College Scorecard |publisher=[[United States Department of Education]] |access-date=June 23, 2025 }}</ref>
|-
! Race and ethnicity
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
|align=right| {{bartable|62|%|2||background:cyan}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]
|align=right| {{bartable|15|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
|align=right| {{bartable|8|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]]
|align=right| {{bartable|7|%|2||background:violet}}
|-
| [[International student]]
|align=right| {{bartable|5|%|2||background:#008080}}
|-
| Unknown
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:grey}} 
|-
| [[Native Americans in the United States|American Indian]]/[[Alaska Native]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1|%|2||background:yellow}}
|-
| [[Asian Americans|Asian]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1|%|2||background:orange}}
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |[[Economic diversity]]
|-
| [[American lower class|Low-income]]{{efn|The percentage of students who received an income-based federal [[Pell grant]] intended for low-income students.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|37|%|2||background:red}}
|-
| [[Affluence in the United States|Affluent]]{{efn|The percentage of students who are a part of the [[American middle class]] at the bare minimum.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|63|%|2||background:black}}
|}
===Greek life===
Greek Life at Washburn University has existed since 1909. There are several fraternities and sororities on campus.

== Campus attractions ==
* [[Crane Observatory]] houses an 1898 [[Warner & Swasey Company|Warner & Swasey]] refracting telescope.
* Mulvane Art Museum opened in 1924. The museum's permanent collection emphasizes the work of artists of Kansas and the Midwest.
*''[[Walking Bods]]'', seven steel sculptures crafted by Barrett DeBusk.

== Notable alumni ==
{{Main|List of Washburn University alumni}}

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Washburn University}}
{{Americana Poster|year=1920|Washburn College}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://wusports.com Washburn Athletics website]
* {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Washburn College |short=x}}

{{Washburn University}}
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|list =
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[[Category:Washburn University| ]]
[[Category:1865 establishments in Kansas]]
[[Category:Public universities and colleges in Kansas]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1865]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Topeka, Kansas]]