ECU is approximately 90 miles (140 km) from Oklahoma City, 115 miles (185 km) from Tulsa and 150 miles (240 km) from Dallas. Today the campus consists of 37 buildings on 135 acres (55 ha); the university typically enrolls more than 3,500 students per semester from more than 30 countries and 25 states.
The university was founded as East Central State Normal School in 1909, two years after Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th U.S. state. It was one of the six newly created state funded normal schools that were designed to provide four years of "preparatory" (orhigh school) study, followed by two years of college work towards teacher certification. The school's establishment was the product of the intense lobbying efforts of the 25,000 Club, a local booster group.[6] The club raised funds for faculty salaries so classes could begin that fall in local churches and public school classrooms.[6] Graduates of the normal school program received lifetime teachingcertification statewide.[5] The 1910 Oklahoma Legislature funded faculty salaries and the construction of a building on a 16-acre (65,000 m2) site donated by a Chickasaw allottee.[6] 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.[5]
From 1910 to 1960, East Central operated Horace Mann Training School, a teacher education program designed to equip prospective teachers with classroom skills. From its inception, the training school focused on elementary and junior high students. In 1925, Horace Mann added older students upon achieving a new four-year high school accreditation. In 1953, a new Horace Mann building was completed where the program was housed until Horace Mann Training School was discontinued in 1960.[7]
Expanding beyond education degrees, in 1939 the school became East Central State College.[6] Fifteen years later, the regional colleges were allowed to offer graduate degrees. By 1974, the state legislature renamed the state colleges, and it became East Central Oklahoma State University—a name it retained until 1985 when it gained its present name.[5]
ECU serves around 4,000 students and is perhaps best known for its Environmental Health Science Program, one of only 30 programs nationally accredited by the National Environmental Health Science and Protection Accreditation Council[8]
A full-size tiger statue in the center of Frank R. Crabtree Sr. Honor Plaza, directly in front of the old Science Hall
East Central is divided into 5 academic units (three colleges and two schools) with 70 degree programs.[9] They are:
East Central hosts nearly eighty student organizations. Among them are a local chapter of Alpha Psi Omega and Pi Kappa Delta as well as the Student Government Association and Campus Activity Board. In addition, there are five Greek organizations at ECU divided among the Interfraternity Council (IFC) and Panhellenic Association (PHA):
Chi Omega Phi Theta Chapter Est. December 12, 1964
East Central's athletic teams (the "Tigers") have competed in the NCAA Division II Great American Conference (GAC) since 2011, after competing in the Lone Star Conference of the NCAA from 1997 to 2011. The university hosts 13 sports, 6 men's athletic programs and 7 programs for women. The school's football team won the NAIA national football championship in 1993. Athletics offices are located within the Kerr Activities Center.
