The Evolution of Campus Transportation

The academic mission of Western State Normal School, and all the normal schools of the era, was to provide the programs and training required for earning a State of Michigan teaching certificate. Western offered curricula in three areas: Rural School Certificates, Three-Year Certificates, and Life Certificates.

Each of the certificate programs required student-teachers to "practice" or intern at an elementary (grades K through 8) or a secondary school (grades 9 through 12, also called preparatory schools). Western's Training School building was constructed in 1909 and initially housed grades K through 8. The Normal High School started in 1911.

The Rural School programs were different, involving partnerships with area rural schools (one- or two-room schools in outlying townships). In 1923 the Rural Education Department contracted with several rural districts to provide student-teacher "practice sites". Western State Normal school buses provided transportation to the various practice sites.

After Western's campus began expanding westward across the railroad tracks in the 1940s, it was deemed necessary to provide some sort of transportation between the "East" and "West" campuses; a campus shuttle bus was in service well into the 1970s.

Meanwhile, in 1967, the publicly-owned Kalamazoo Metro Transit System replaced the privately-owned Kalamazoo City Lines. Since then, the Metro has provided a variety of transportation options for Western students.

The most recent transit service agreements with Western provide shuttle routes on the Main Campus, the Oakland Drive Campus and the Parkview Campus. In addition, several arterial routes connect the Main Campus with major apartment complexes.