Western Washington University (WWU or Western) is one of six public universities in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham. WWU was founded as the state-funded New Whatcom Normal School in 1893, succeeding a private school of teaching for women. WWU offers a variety of bachelor's and master's degrees. In 2014, there were 15,060 students, 14,407 of whom were undergraduate students, and 764 faculty. Its athletic teams are known as the Vikings and the school colors are Western blue, bay blue, and white.