Central Washington University history

Growth was interrupted only with the opening of a Pacific coast competitor, New Whatcom (Bellingham) Normal School, in 1899.

In 1909, the state permitted admission to those who did not plan to teach, but wished to begin an education they would complete elsewhere.

In 1915, the first dorms were built for women.

With the two other normal schools in Washington state, Cheney and Bellingham, he welcomed inspection by the national accreditation team for teacher’s colleges, which granted new status in 1937, meeting the standards to become a College of Education.

He led the school for close to 30 years, guiding it through the World War II, the depression and then the great expansion of students due to the G.I. Bill granting soldiers that returned home free admission in 1949. (Updated veterans information, here.)

McConnell resigned in October 1959 for a federal job in San Francisco, thereby closing the longest presidency in campus history.

In 1961, reflecting that the curriculum had expanded into new areas of study in addition to teacher education, the school's name was changed to Central Washington State College.

Mattis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1969 and attended Central Washington University as part of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1971 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant the following year.

A geographer, President Brooks retired from the presidency to join the faculty in 1974 while a new president oversaw the transition to the school’s fourth name change, to Central Washington University.

Barge Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.

Did you know that Central Washington University has actually gone through four name changes? It’s only been CWU since 1977.

The division returned to the United States in late 2003 but redeployed to Iraq the following year, and Mattis led the marine assault on Al-Fallūjah.

In May 2004 Mattis received his third star, and he was assigned to the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Virginia.

Although known for blunt, sometimes provocative speech (in 2005 he described members of the Taliban as “fun to shoot”), Mattis was described by his peers as a “warrior monk” who embraced the Clausewitzian view of war as a political instrument.

In 2006 the campus, still under McIntyre, signed its first union contract.

In 2007 Mattis was promoted to general and was chosen to lead Joint Forces Command, a training and planning unit that oversees the integration of the various branches of military service into a cohesive fighting force.

James Gaudino assumed the presidency in January 2009.

Stanley McChrystal was relieved as head of United States and NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2010, a command shuffle ensued with Petraeus assuming McChrystal’s role and Mattis replacing Petraeus as head of Centcom.

CWU also serves more students on-line than any other comprehensive university in Washington. "Finish Line" is an online campus launched in fall 2011 to enable people to complete degrees online.

Mattis held that position until his retirement from the Marine Corps in 2013.

Now it is filled with over 11,000 students annually, and was ranked “Top-rated four-year University in Washington,” by The Economist in 2015.

In December 2016 Mattis was chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to serve as secretary of defense.

Nevertheless, Congress approved the waiver, and on January 20, 2017, Mattis was confirmed by the Senate by a 98–1 vote.

Although Tillerson was fired in March 2018, Mattis and Mnuchin remained in their positions.