WKU early history in brief:

• 1875 - Glasgow Normal Institute
• 1876 - Glasgow Normal School
• 1884 - Southern Normal School & Business College
• 1892 - Bowling Green Business College & Literary Institute
• 1894 - Southern Normal School & Bowling Green Business College
• 1904 - Southern Normal School & Bowling Green Business University
• 1906 - Western Kentucky State Normal School

In 1906, Western Kentucky State Normal School was founded as a state institution. The business faculty and curriculum were split off, and the university became the private Bowling Green Business University.