Wayne State College

Wayne State College is a public college in Wayne, Nebraska. It is part of the Nebraska State College System and enrolls 3,571 students.  The college opened as a State Normal School in 1910 after the State purchased the private Nebraska Normal College (established 1891). The State Normal College became State Normal School and Teacher's College in 1921. This was changed to Nebraska State Teachers College at Wayne in 1949 and the present name was adopted in 1963.

Academics

Wayne State offers 130 different programs of study in four Schools:  Arts and Humanities, Business and Technology, Education and Counseling, and Natural and Social Sciences.  Wayne State also offers classes at Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Nebraska and through a satellite college in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Athletics

Wayne State offers 13 NCAA Division II sports and is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) in all sports. The mascot is the Wildcat. Men's sports include Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field. Women's sports include basketball, Cross country running, Indoor and Outdoor Track and Field, Softball, Volleyball, and Soccer.

The college began participating in athletics in 1912, when the football program began. Men's basketball and track and field began around the same time. These were the main sports up to World War II, when Wayne State was a member of the Nebraska Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NIAA) with Kearney, Chadron, Peru, and for a while, Omaha University. After World War II, the NIAA became the Nebraska College Conference (NCC) and Wayne State began to compete in baseball, cross country, golf, swimming, tennis, wrestling, and for a short period, boxing.

Before 1980, cross country, golf, indoor track and field, swimming, tennis, and wrestling were dropped.  In 1997, women's soccer was added to the athletics program.

Notable alumni
 Thomas M. Carsey, Professor of Political Science 
 Byron Chamberlain, NFL and Pro Bowl tight end
 Lamart Cooper, American football player
 Greg L. Adams, state senator and Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature.
 Charlie Janssen, state senator in the Nebraska Legislature.
 James Keogh, journalist and political adviser. Assistant managing editor of Time, Special Assistant to President Richard Nixon, Director, U.S. Information Agency. 
 John H. Kyl, U.S. political figure. Member of the House of Representatives from Iowa's Fourth Congressional District 1959–1965, 1967–1973. Asst. Secretary, Dept. of the Interior, 1973–1977. Father of Arizona Senator Jon Kyl.  
 Hilda Neihardt, history author and daughter of John G. Neihardt
 John Neihardt, writer and poet. Poet Laureate of Nebraska, author of Black Elk Speaks.
 Gale McGee, U.S. political figure. Democratic Senator from Wyoming 1959–1977. U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States.  
 Ruben Mendoza, NFL guard
 Brad Ottis, NFL defensive end/defensive tackle
 Val Peterson, U.S. political figure. Governor of Nebraska 1947–1953, Director of Federal Civil Defense Administration, Ambassador to Denmark and Finland. Wayne State College's Peterson Fine Arts Building is named after him. 
 Brett Salisbury, quarterback and author of The Transform Diet 
 Tom Sherlock, British Basketball League forward
 Kevin Swayne, Arena Football League and NFL wide receiver 
 Brian Wansink, Cornell University professor and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
 DaVarryl Williamson, quarterback and boxer

See also
Wayne State College Arboretum

References

External links
 
 Wayne State Athletics website

Category:Education in Wayne County, Nebraska
 
Category:Nebraska State College System
Category:Buildings and structures in Wayne County, Nebraska
Category:Educational institutions established in 1910
Category:1910 establishments in Nebraska