| University of Northern Colorado | |
| Image Upright: | 0.8 |
| Former Names: | State Normal School of Colorado (1889-1935) Colorado State College of Education at Greeley (1935-1957) Colorado State College (1957-1970) |
| Motto: | (Latin) |
| Mottoeng: | Wisdom is Eternal |
| Endowment: | $111.9 million (2023)[1] |
| President: | Andy Feinstein |
| Provost: | Kirsten Fleming[2] |
| Faculty: | 686[3] |
| Students: | 7,917[4] |
| Undergrad: | 5,645[5] |
| Postgrad: | 2,272[6] |
| Country: | United States |
| Campus: | Suburban 260acres |
| Mascot: | Klawz the Bear |
The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado.[7] The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education.[8] The institution has officially changed its name three times, first to Colorado State College of Education, at Greeley on February 16, 1935, Colorado State College on February 11, 1957, and its current form since May 1, 1970.[9] Approximately 10,000 students are enrolled in six colleges. Extended campus locations are in Loveland, Denver/Aurora, and Colorado Springs.[10] UNC's 19 athletic teams compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Big Sky Conference.
The campus is divided into two main areas: central and west. UNC's Central Campus includes the areas north of 20th Street and west of 8th Avenue in Greeley, Colorado. The residence halls on Central Campus have been designated a state historic district.[11]
The board of trustees for the university oversees the administration and approves the university annual budget. Several members of the university's administrative team are ex officio members of the Board.[12]
The university has had 13 presidents since its establishment:[13]
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (PVA) is an arts community of practitioners, scholars, and learners representing a range of arts traditions and disciplines.[15]
UNC has a tradition as an arts institution and its main college offices, located in Guggenheim Hall, are one of the oldest buildings on campus.[16]
| Race and ethnicity[17] | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| White | |||
| Hispanic | |||
| Other | |||
| Black | |||
| Asian | |||
| Foreign national | |||
| Economic diversity | |||
| Low-income | |||
| Affluent | |||
See main article: Northern Colorado Bears, Northern Colorado Bears football and Northern Colorado Bears men's basketball.
Sports teams at the school are called Bears. Northern Colorado joined the Big Sky Conference on July 1, 2006. The school mascot is Klawz the Bear and the school colors are navy blue and gold. The Fight Song is the "UNC Fight Song". Northern Colorado's Athletic Director is Darren Dunn.
A number of the university's alumni have gone on to have professional sports careers. Vincent Jackson attended and played football at Northern Colorado from 2001 to 2004 before being drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the 2005 NFL draft. Other football alumni for the school include punter Dirk Johnson, quarterback Kyle Sloter, safety Reed Doughty, and defensive lineman Aaron Smith.
Before upgrading to NCAA Division I in 2006, UNC was a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference from 1923 to 1972 and the Great Plains Athletic Conference (1972–76). Following several years of being conference independent, the university joined the North Central Conference. The Bears have won two Division II Football National Championships in 1996 and 1997. On March 9, 2011, the Bears won the Big Sky Conference tournament championship in men's basketball, clinching a trip to the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the first in the school's history. The Northern Colorado men's baseball program also ranks among the top 15 schools for most all-time NCAA College World Series appearances, tied with the University of Oklahoma at ten appearances apiece. The Northern Colorado women's softball team appeared in the first eleven Women's College World Series ever held in 1969–1979, advancing to but losing the title game in 1974.[18]
The bear became UNC's mascot in 1923. Before the school adopted the bear, athletes used the nickname "the Teachers."[19] The bear was said to be inspired by a bear on top of an Alaskan totem pole donated by an 1897 alumnus in 1914. The totem pole was kept in the University Center, but under the federal Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990, the pole was reclaimed by the Tlingit in 2003.
Klawz is the newest addition to the long line of Bears' mascots.
See main article: List of University of Northern Colorado alumni.