Washburn University (WU), formally Washburn University of Topeka, is a public university in Topeka, Kansas, United States. It offers undergraduate and graduate programs as well as professional programs in law and business. The university enrolls approximately 5,000 undergraduate students and 700 graduate students as of 2023. As of 2008, Washburn also took over overseeing the nearby Washburn Tech.
History
Washburn University was established at Topeka, Kansas, in February 1865 as "Lincoln College", by a charter issued by the State of Kansas and the General Association of Congregational Ministers and Churches of Kansas; the land on which the college stood was donated by abolitionist John Ritchie. The institution was renamed "Washburn College" in 1868, after Ichabod Washburn pledged $25,000 to the school. Washburn was a church deacon, abolitionist, and industrialist who lived in Worcester, Massachusetts.
<span style="float:left; margin-right:10px;">68px</span> Washburn College adopted a variation of the Washbourne arms as its emblem, substituting the school colors for the tinctures of the arms. Since becoming a university, however, Washburn has abandoned use of the family arms. Instead, the university now employs a stylized "W" as the emblem of the institution. The school mascot, "The Ichabod", is still in use.
"The Ichabod" honors the namesake and early benefactor of the institution, Ichabod Washburn. "The Ichabod" existed only in name until 1938, when alumnus (and later prominent graphic artist) Bradbury Thompson (B.A., 1934) created the studious-looking, tailcoat-wearing figure the university uses today. The athletic teams are nicknamed "Ichabods", although women's teams did not use that nickname until the 2013–14 school year. As the news was being printed (eventually across the country), the governor, fearing riots, called out state troops to protect the school. Three of the doctors, including the dean of the school, and a student-janitor from the school were arrested, as was one man who was not a member of the school. Charges against the doctors were discharged, the janitor was convicted but had his conviction reversed on appeal, and the fifth man was convicted but later pardoned.
On June 8, 1966, only a few days after classes were dismissed for the summer, much of the campus was demolished by a tornado, and completely denuded of trees. Three months before the tornado struck, the Washburn board of trustees had reinsured every building on campus for the maximum amount. A week after the tornado struck, summer classes began at Topeka West High School. By the fall of 1966, Stoffer Hall was repaired. It took years to reconstruct the campus, with students attending classes in trailers well into the early 1970s.
Presidents
These persons have served as presidents or interim presidents of Washburn College (1869–1940), Washburn Municipal University of Topeka (1941–1952), and Washburn University (1952–present).
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-style="text-align:center;"
|-
| Horatio Q. Butterfield || 1869–1870
|-
| Peter McVicar || 1871–1895
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| George M. Herrick || 1896–1901
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| Norman Plass || 1902–1908
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| Frank Knight Sanders || 1908–1914
|-
| Parley P. Womer || 1915–1931
|-
| Philip C. King || 1931–1941
|-
| Arthur G. Sellen || 1941–1942
|-
| Bryan S. Stoffer || 1942–1961
|-
| Harold E. Sponberg || 1961–1965
|-
| John W. Henderson || 1965–1980
|-
| John L. Green Jr. || 1981–1988
|-
| John Duggan || 1988
|-
| Robert L. Burns || 1988–1990
|-
| Hugh L. Thompson || 1990–1997
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| Jerry Farley || 1997–2022
|-
| Marshall Meek || 2022–2023
|-
| JuliAnn Mazachek || 2023–present
|-style="text-align:center; "
| colspan="2"| 15 presidents; 3 interims
| 154 years
|}
Law school
Formed in 1903, the Washburn School of Law was one of the first in the country to have a legal clinic where students are able to actively practice the legal profession. The Washburn Law Library houses over 113,000 titles. Notable alumni include Bob Dole, Roy Wilford Riegle, Dennis Moore, Kay McFarland, Bill Kurtis, and Fred Phelps.
Athletics
The Washburn athletic teams are called the Ichabods. The university is a member of the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) since the 1989–90 academic year. The Ichabods previously competed in the Central States Intercollegiate Conference (CSIC) of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) from 1976–77 to 1988–89; in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) from 1972–73 to 1975–76; in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from 1968–69 to 1971–72; in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (CIC) from 1940–41 to 1967–68 (which they were a member on a previous stint from 1923–24 to 1932–33); as an Independent from 1933–34 to 1939–40; and in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) from 1902–03 to 1922–23.
Washburn competes in 16 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, tennis and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball.
Nickname
The "Ichabods" nickname is named after the university's contributor Ichabod Washburn, who was also the founder of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Prior to the 2013–14 season, the women's athletic teams were known as the "Lady Blues". On May 24, 2013, President Farley announced that all athletic teams will be known as the Ichabods for the first time in history.
Student life
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023
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! Race and ethnicity
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| White
|align=right|
|-
| Hispanic
|align=right|
|-
| Black
|align=right|
|-
| Two or more races
|align=right|
|-
| International student
|align=right|
|-
| Unknown
|align=right|
|-
| American Indian/Alaska Native
|align=right|
|-
| Asian
|align=right|
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |Economic diversity
|-
| Low-income
|align=right|
|-
| Affluent
|align=right|
|}
Greek life
Greek Life at Washburn University has existed since 1909. As of 2026, there are three active sororities from the National Panhellenic Council on campus: Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, and Zeta Tau Alpha, with the former two having formal sorority houses. Additionally, there are four fraternities on Washburn's campus as of 2026: Alpha Delta, Kappa Sigma, Phi Delta Theta, and Sigma Phi Epsilon, with all but Kappa Sigma having formal fraternity housing.
Multicultural sororities and fraternities also exist on campus. As of 2026, there are three multicultural sororities at Washburn: Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sigma Lambda Gamma, and Zeta Phi Beta.
Campus attractions
- Crane Observatory houses an 1898 Warner & Swasey refracting telescope.
- Mulvane Art Museum opened in 1924. The museum's permanent collection emphasizes the work of artists of Kansas and the Midwest.
- Walking Bods, seven steel sculptures crafted by Barrett DeBusk.
Notable alumni
Notes
References
External links
- Washburn Athletics website