The Institution
Wright State University was founded in 1967 as a metropolitan university to serve and improve the quality of life for the citizens of greater Dayton and the Miami Valley. From its beginning it has been an institution created by and for the people of the Greater Miami Valley and the Celina-St. Mary’s area served by the Lake Campus. The university first opened its doors on September 8, 1964, as the Dayton Campus of Miami University and Ohio State University. Enrollment at that time numbered 3.203 and 55 faculty within the academic units which consisted of the general college, science and engineering, the Dayton Academic Center of Miami University and the Graduate Center of Ohio State University. A year later (1965), the Ohio General Assembly, through Section 3352.01 of Senate Bill 210, officially chartered Wright State as an independent state university with a governance board of nine trustees to be appointed by the governor of Ohio. The Senate Bill named the university Wright State in honor of Dayton’s Wright Brothers, Wilbur and Orville, and stipulated that the growth must grow to 5,000 to officially activate its charter as a “university.” This was accomplished on Oct. 1, 1967, when the enrollment reached 5,704. The Lake Campus, created originally in 1962, as the Western Ohio Program at Ohio Northern University, opened it doors in Celina, Ohio, as the Wright State University LakeCampus, in June of 1969.
Allyn Hall, home of the College of Education and Human Services, was named for Stanley C Allyn from National Cash Register (NCR) who along with Robert S. Oelman, also from NCR, in collaboration with Novice G. Fawcett and John D Millett, presidents, respectively, of The Ohio State University and Miami University, opened the “Dayton Campus” officially in 1964, with a successful $3 million community fundraising drive. In recognition of the efforts of these pioneer leaders, four buildings that form the university’s “Founders Quadrangle” (affectionately known as the “Quad”) are now named.
Six presidents have led Wright State from 1966 to the present time: Brage Golding (1966-72), Frederick White served as acting president until 1973. Then, Robert J. Kegerreis was appointed from 1973-1985, followed by the third president, Paige E. Mulhollan (1985-1994). Harley E. Flack was the university’s fourth president and served until 1998. Our fifth president was Kim Goldenberg who served until 2007, and then our former Provost, David Hopkins, became the current and sixth president of WSU.
Wright State University’s Vision is inspired by the pioneering spirit of the Wright Brothers, is to be
Ohio’s most innovative university, known and admired for our diversity and for the transformational impact we have on the lives of our students and the communities we serve.
Our institutional mission is to transform the lives of our students and communities we serve. We are
committed to: achieving learning outcomes through innovative, high quality programs for all students: undergraduate, graduate and professional; conducting scholarly research and creative endeavors; and engaging in significant community service.
Wright State University is proud to be at the nexus of discovery and innovation. At our core is a set of values that daily drive our priorities and decision-making:
People – we are committed to the success of every student, faculty and staff. We provide an inclusive academic environment for people with a diverse range of abilities and educational backgrounds; ethnic and cultural heritages; family experiences and economic means; physical and learning differences; geographically mobile and place bound circumstances; and career and life aspirations.
Learning – we are responsible for sharing a wealth of knowledge, enabling the process discovery,
fostering the spirit of innovation and supporting scholarship in its disparate forms to better serve our
regional, national and global communities. As a learning-centered environment, we fulfill
responsibilities most effectively when students are engaged throughout the process of discovery. The
freedom of academic inquiry and free expression are the foundations of knowledge and discovery.
Partnerships – we are catalysts for transforming lives and the communities we serve. Through
collaborations and partnerships with businesses, educators, agencies and organizations we will achieve our goals of regional development, cross-cultural cooperation, entrepreneurial advancement and improved global relations.
Relationships – the success of each individual strengthens our community. We promise to maintain high ethical standards in all of our relationships and operations through open communication, trust,
professionalism, and a collaborative spirit. We recognize the inherent value and promise of each
individual and welcome all who seek to improve their lives.
Sustainability – the necessity of preserving our planet compels us to weigh the impact our decisions,
both short-term and the long-term. Additionally, prudent financial management supports the
sustainability of our operations. Furthermore, the pursuit of knowledge is sustainable, and our programs will maintain their relevance, only if we invest in the infrastructure to support research and creative endeavors.
Wright State University is a nationally accredited, comprehensive state-assisted, public university
located 12 miles northeast of Dayton, Ohio, a metropolis with a population of over 843,000. Named for Dayton’s native sons and inventors of powered flight, Orville and Wilbur Wright, the University carries on this tradition of innovation in its dedication to excellence in teaching, research, and service.
It is adjacent to Wright Patterson Air Force Base and is one of an elite group of institutions conducting research in the cutting-edge fields of aerospace medicine, artificial intelligence and virtual reality. The university has the longest-running civilian aerospace medicine resident program in the nation; is home to the world’s largest and longest continuously running study of human growth and development – the Fels Longitudinal Study – called “a national treasure” by the National Institutes of Health. WSU is also home to the nationally known Theatre Arts programs (A Lion in the House, an award-winning film created by a current WSU film professor and WSU alum). Earlier this year, Wright State was awarded a grant to begin a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) school, which will ultimately serve students in grades 6-12 from the Dayton region, which includes Montgomery, Greene, and Clark counties.
Wright State has a variety of undergraduate (http://www.wright.edu/academics/catalog/ugrad2007/) and graduate (http://www.wright.edu/academics/catalog/grad/)program offerings. WSU offers undergraduate programs in the Raj Soin College of Business and the Colleges of Education and Human Services, Engineering and Computer Science, Liberal Arts, Nursing and Health, and Science and Mathematics, and through the Wright State University-Lake Campus. The University College offers programs and advising for virtually all Dayton campus undergraduate students, including transfer students. Graduate programs are offered through the School of Graduate Studies. The Schools of Medicine and Professional Psychology offer professional and other postbaccalaureate programs.