User:SanJuanBlackED45458/Wikipedia/ECU

East Central University (ECU) is a four year public university in Ada, Oklahoma. The interim president is Dr. Duane Anderson.

History
The university was founded as East Central State Normal School in 1909, only two years after Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th state. As a normal school, East Central provided four years of "preparatory" (or high school) study, followed by two years of college work. Graduates of the normal school program received lifetime teaching certification statewide. In 1919, the normal schools were authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature to offer four years of teacher education, to offer bachelor's degrees, and were designated teachers' colleges. In 1939, the mandate expanded beyond education degrees, and the school became East Central State College. In 1974, the state legislature renamed the state colleges, and the school became East Central Oklahoma State University. It retained this name until 1985, when it gained its present name.

Institutional Organization


East Central is divided into 5 degree-granting academic units, with a total of 68 degree programs. Three of the units are designated as colleges while two others are designated as schools. They are:


 * |The School of Business
 * College of Educations and Psychology
 * College of Health and Sciences
 * College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
 * School of Graduate Studies

Other Campuses
East Central is one of four participating institutions of higher education that offer college courses at the Ardmore Higher Education Center. There are also Distance Education sites located in Shawnee, OK through the Gordon Cooper Technology Center and McAlester, OK through the Eastern Oklahoma State College.

ECU also offers online courses for both Graduate and Under Graduate degree programs.

Athletics
East Central's athletic teams (the "Tigers") compete in the NCAA Division II. Most offices for the athletics portion of the university are located within the Kerr Activities Center. In 1993, the Tigers won the NAIA national football championship against Glenville State 49-35, at ECU's Norris Field. On November 20th, the Tigers Men's Basketball team helped Texas Tech set a school record for points scored in a game in a 167-115 loss to the Red Raiders.

Notable Alumni

 * Bill Anoatubby, Chickasaw Nation Governor
 * Lyle Boren, former U.S. Congressman
 * Harry "The Cat" Brecheen, former baseball player
 * Tom Colbert, Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice
 * Hallie Brown Ford, philanthropist
 * Mark Gastineau, professional football player
 * Robert S. Kerr, Former Governor and Senator
 * Gil Morgan, professional golfer
 * George Nigh, former Oklahoma Governor
 * Leon Polk Smith, Artist
 * Harland Stonecipher, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. Founder, Chairman & CEO
 * Kevin Turner,A Senior Executive for the Microsoft Corporation. Former president and chief executive officer of Sam's Club
 * Lloyd Waner, baseball hall of famer
 * Paul Waner, baseball hall of famer
 * Todd Graham, Tulsa Golden Hurricane Head Football Coach