PEORIA MAGAZINE November 2022

grow, transitioning into a four-year college offering bachelor’s degrees in 1920 and a full university offering graduate programs in 1946, when it was renamed Bradley University. Today, BUhas grown to 77 buildings on an 84-acre campus. It has an enrollment of approximately 4,600 undergraduate students and 1,300 graduate students from across the United States and 43 countries. Undergraduates can choose from more than 185 programs in five colleges, while graduate students can select from more than 30 available programs. Students can earn degrees in fields including engineering, business, biology, chemistry, nursing, education, communications, art, music and theater. In addition, the university offers unique academic services such as the Turner Center for Entrepreneurship and the Smith Career Center, which assists with résumés, cover letters and interviews. Somethingmust be working, as BU brags a 93% placement rate – at a job or graduate school – within six months of graduation. BUalsohas beena leader in game design and development, offering top-ranked undergraduate and master’s programs in that discipline. The Center for Cybersecurity provides cutting-edge education, collaborates with local companies, and facilitates research in this growing high-tech field. BRADLEY UNIVERSITY FREQUENTLY RANKS AMONG THE TOP SCHOOLS IN THE MIDWEST

Meanwhile, Bradley’s Charley Steiner School of Sports Communications was the first named sports communications school in the country. Opportunities abound for students outside the classroom, as well, both in athletics and academics. Students can participate in Greek life, among approximately 250 other campus organizations. The Bradley University speech team has won more than 40 national championships, making it the most successful speech team in the nation. Meanwhile, 15 Bradley Braves varsity sports teams participate in the NCAA Division I Missouri Valley Conference. The men’s basketball team has played in the NCAA Championships nine times, advancing twice to the Sweet Sixteen. The Braves baseball team made it to the College World Series twice. The university’s sales team also is wildly successful, having defeated 66 other colleges this year and becoming the first back-to-back national champion of the National Collegiate Sales Competition. BU frequently ranks among the top schools in the Midwest, according to major publications suchas thePrinceton Review and Wall Street Journal. In the 2022-2023 rankings by U.S. News & World Report, Bradley came in at 166 out of 443 national universities. Peoria’s university has produced some very notable alumni over the years. They include former U.S. Secretary of TransportationRay LaHood;Maj. Robert H.Lawrence, Jr., thefirstAfricanAmerican astronaut; Gen. JohnShalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff;

Academy Award-winningmakeup artist Tami Lane; and retired Congressman Robert Michel, who was the longest serving Republican leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. THE BRADLEY SPEECH TEAM HAS WON MORE THAN 40 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS Bradley University President Stephen Standifird leads an academic staff of more than340full-time facultymembers, while overseeing an endowment of some $310 million. Standifird became the university’s 12th president in 2020, following the retirement of Gary R. Roberts. Joanne K. Glasser served as Bradley’s 10th president and the first woman to hold the position. Its first president – then known as a director – was Edward O. Sisson, who oversaw the school from 1897-1904. The school’s longest serving president was Dr. Martin Abegg at 22 years (1970-92). Over the years, the university has been guided by other leaders who navigated the Depression, worldwars, campus unrest, and financial difficulties. The footprint of the campus has expanded and its facilities have grown to include the Caterpillar Global CommunicationsCenter, theRenaissance Coliseum, the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center, and theBusiness andEngineering Convergence Center (BECC). "One-hundred twenty-five years ago, LydiaMossBradleycreatedan institution focused on uniquely serving the needs and interests of students at that time,” said Standifird. “We’re continuing Lydia’s

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