Southwest Missouri State University

Southwest Missouri State University is the largest of Missouri's regional public state university systems, with its main campus located in Springfield. It is Missouri's second largest university and its main campus is second only to the University of Missouri - Columbia campus in student enrollment. In addition to its main campus, SMSU has a two-year branch campus in West Plains and a research campus in Mountain Grove.

History

Southwest Missouri State University was founded in Springfield in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School. During its early years, the institution's primary purpose was the preparation of teachers for the public school systems in the southwest region of Missouri. The first name change came in 1919 when the school became Southwest Missouri State Teachers College, reflecting its regional mission.

By the mid-1940s, the University had expanded its instructional program beyond teacher education to include the liberal arts and sciences. As a consequence, in 1945 the Missouri legislature authorized an official change in the institution's name to Southwest Missouri State College.

In 1963 a residence center offering freshman and sophomore level courses was established at West Plains. Now, as a second campus of the university with its own mission, the West Plains campus offers a two-year general education program which is fully integrated with programs on the main campus as well as other specialty and skills courses.

By 1972, as additional programs were implemented at the undergraduate level and with the development of graduate education, the University had become an educationally diverse institution. Recognition of this further growth and development again resulted in an official name change to Southwest Missouri State University. Today, the institution is a multipurpose metropolitan university providing diverse instructional, research, and service programs.

In 1995, then-Governor Mel Carnahan signed into law a bill establishing the statewide SMSU Public Affairs Mission, which is intended "to produce citizens of enhanced character, more sensitive to the needs of community, more competent and committed in their ability to contribute to society, and more civil in their habits of thought, speech and action."

About the University

Total enrollment is over 19,000. Academic offerings include 43 graduate programs and over 150 undergraduate majors, many of which are the state's strongest and largest of their kind. The university's mascot is the bear, and its athletic teams compete in Division I of the NCAA.

Issues

A movement to change the university's name to Missouri State University has gained widespread support in the community. However, many University of Missouri alumni and supporters are strongly opposed to the change, and Missouri General Assembly representatives from the Columbia area continue to block the legislation necessary to change the university's name.

There is a heated controversy over whether the university should modify its nondiscrimination policy to include "sexual orientation" as an officially protected status. Current university president Dr. John Keiser has firmly opposed the change, and the issue remains deeply divisive.