- Missouri Western State University
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Motto Discover Gold Established 1915 Type Public President Dr. Robert A. Vartabedian Academic staff 190 Undergraduates 6,010 Postgraduates 124 Location Saint Joseph, Missouri, USA Campus Urban 744 acres (301.1 ha) Athletics NCAA DII, MIAA Nickname Western, MoWest, MoWo Mascot Griffons Website www.missouriwestern.edu 
Missouri Western grounds from across Interstate 29
Campus clock
Spratt StadiumMissouri Western State University is a public, co-educational university located in Saint Joseph, Missouri. The school enrolls 6,010 undergraduate students and 124 graduate students.
Contents
History
Missouri Western State University was founded in 1915 as a two-year institution called St. Joseph Junior College and held courses in the original location of Central High School (St. Joseph, Missouri) at 13th and Patee. In 1933 when Central High School moved to its current location it relocated to the Robidoux Polytechnic High School building at 10th Street between Edmond and Charles. In 1917 it adopted the Griffon as its mascot.[1]
The establishment of a four-year school was a central campaign issue in the 1964 Missouri Governor's race. Warren Hearnes from southeast Missouri who was challenging Hilary A. Bush who was from western Missouri for governor. Hearnes promised to transform the school into a four-year school despite the presence of another state school (Northwest Missouri State University) less than 50 miles (80 km) away in Maryville, Missouri.
Hearnes narrowly won the primary and then won general election. The college became a four-year school in 1969 during Hearnes second term.[2]
School officials saying the four-college would never have occurred without Hearnes, named the school's library for him.[3]
Shortly after the conversion the school acquired the farm of St. Joseph State Hospital#2 on the east side of Interstate 29 for its campus on the east edge of St. Joseph. The original plan had called for it to be built across from the hospital just west of Bishop LeBlond High School and closer to downtown St. Joseph.[4]
In 1988 Shalia Aery, commissioner of higher education under Governor John Ashcroft recommended Northwest should close and leave Missouri Western as the surviving school.[5] That plan was ultimately dropped.
Legislation in 2005[6] changed the institution's name to Missouri Western State University. That legislation designated Missouri Western as Missouri's Applied Learning Institution and allowed it to grant Master's Degrees. The university hooded its first 12 master's degree recipients in May 2009.[7] In its first six years offering graduate degrees, graduate enrollment at Western has grown by 100% or more each year. As of 2011, Western has graduate programs in 14 areas.[8]
In 2010 the Stephen Craig School of Business was accredited by AACSB.[citation needed]
The school's most visible corporate affiliation is with Hillyard, Inc., a cleaning supplies company. The school's Spratt Memorial Stadium is named for Elliot C. Spratt, an executive at the company. Leah Spratt Hall is named for a sister of Elliot. The school hosts the Hillyard Tip Off Basketball Classic tournament.
Presidents
- M. O. Looney (1969–1983)
- Janet Gorman Murphy (1983–2000)
- James Scanlon (2001–2008)
- Robert Vartabedian (2008–present)
Athletics
Missouri Western is the home of the Griffons, MWSU competes in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association and is in NCAA Division II. Its highest attended football games are in the Northwest Missouri-Missouri Western football rivalry. The university currently fields 10 sports (Men's baseball, basketball, American football, golf; Women's basketball, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, volleyball) as a NCAA Division II school. Missouri Western is a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
The University currently fields teams in 11 sports, including:
Men's Sports
Women's Sports
- Basketball
- Golf
- Soccer
- Softball
- Tennis
- Volleyball
Kansas City Chiefs Summer Training Camp
Kansas City Chiefs training camp.The school has been the summer training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs since 2010. The $15.7 million facility was paid for by $10 million from the Chiefs (from state tax credits) and $1.2 million from student fees at Missouri Western, with the rest coming from the City of St. Joseph, Buchanan County and private donations.[9] It was designed by St. Joseph architect firm Ellison-Auxier architects, Inc., which designed the school's Spratt Hall and clock tower.[10]
A climate-controlled, 120-yard NFL regulation grass indoor field, with a locker room, weight room, training room, classrooms and office space was completed in the summer of 2010.[11] This facility is referred to as the "Griffon Indoor Sports Complex."
Notable alumni
- Roger Allen III, NFL offensive lineman
- Charles Bruffy, Grammy-winning artistic director of the Kansas City Chorale and the Phoenix Chorale and chorus director of the Kansas City Symphony
- Richard Durst, Baldwin-Wallace College president
- Christel Marquardt, judge on the Kansas Court of Appeals
- Paul Rhoads, Iowa State University head football coach
- Gijon Robinson, NFL tight end
- Rob Schaaf, Missouri 28th District State Rep.
References
- ^ http://www.dnr.mo.gov/shpo/nps-nr/83000973.pdf Robidoux School National Register of Historic Places application
- ^ A History Of Missouri: Volume VI, 1953 to 2003 - Lawrence H. Larsen - University of Missouri Press (August 2004) ISBN 0826215467]
- ^ Hearnes instrumental in Western’s BIRTH stjoenews.net - August 18, 2009
- ^ http://www.newspressnow.com/your-letters/25901215/detail.html
- ^ PROPOSALS SHAKE UP COLLEGE CHIEFS COST-CUTTING IDEAS FOR STATE SCHOOLS LAND LIKE 'BOMB' - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - November 21, 1988
- ^ [1]
- ^ Inaugural master's students earn degrees at Western - St. Joseph News-Press - May 10, 2009
- ^ [2]
- ^ Chiefs camp carries heftier price tag St. Joseph News-Press - January 16, 2009
- ^ Western makes familiar firm choice for Chiefs training camp facilities - Griffon News - February 5, 2009
- ^ "Chiefs training camp to return to Missouri beginning in 2010". Kansas City Chiefs. 2009-06-18. http://kcchiefs.com/news/2009/06/18/chiefs_training_camp_to_return_to_missouri_beginning_in_2010/. Retrieved 2009-06-19.[dead link]
External links
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Central Missouri Mules and Jennies • Central Oklahoma Bronchos (2012) • Emporia State Hornets • Fort Hays State University Tigers • Lincoln Blue Tigers • Lindenwood Lions (2012) • Missouri Southern Lions • Missouri Western Griffons • Nebraska–Kearney Lopers (2012) • Northeastern State RiverHawks (2012) • Northwest Missouri Bearcats • Pittsburg State Gorillas • Southwest Baptist Bearcats • Truman Bulldogs • Washburn Ichabods and Lady Blues
Coordinates: 39°45′29″N 94°47′08″W / 39.757946°N 94.785662°W
Categories:- Missouri Western State University
- Educational institutions established in 1915
- American Association of State Colleges and Universities
- Kansas City Chiefs summer camp sites
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- Buildings and structures in St. Joseph, Missouri
- Universities and colleges in Missouri
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