Eastern Washington University

Eastern Washington University is a regional, comprehensive university located in Cheney, Washington. Eastern’s campus is just 17 miles from Washington’s second largest city - Spokane. Benjamin P. Cheney - a wealthy transportation industrialist - fulfilled the dreams of the city of Cheney citizens by a generous contribution of $10,000 for the creation of an institute for higher learning in their community. Thus the Benjamin P. Cheney Academy, in 1882, opened the doors of the precursor of Eastern Washington University, on 335 acres. The academy became the State Normal School at Cheney, in 1889. By the time it became Eastern Washington College of Education in 1937, Eastern was already a fully accredited four-year, degree-granting institution, offering majors in numerous subjects. Following World War II, the campus grew rapidly in size and thus changing the name again to Eastern Washington State College, in 1961. Eastern then added a wide range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Finally, in 1977, the state Legislature rechristened the school's name as Eastern Washington University. Eastern Washington University offers nearly 200 fields of study on campus, as well as distance education and online courses. The university offers a wide variety of academic resources for students, and provides programs, services and facilities of exceptional quality to the EWU community in the form of housing, student activities, student resources, health care, and dining area. In addition, Eastern Washington University is the only regional university in the state to offer a doctorate in physical therapy. EWU has a well equipped library - the John F. Kennedy Library - which contains a large collection of books and periodicals.