Truman State University is a university in Missouri.
It is located in the city of Kirksville, Missouri in the state's northeast part, and is named after President Harry Truman, the only American President from Missouri.
It was founded in 1867, just 5 years after the Civil War's Battle of Kirksvlle by Joseph Baldwin as the First Missouri Normal School and Commercial College. Baldwin is considered a pioneer in education and his school quickly gained official recognition in 1870 by the Missouri Congress, which designated it as the first public teaching college in Missouri.
The school continued to grow and Basil Brewer wrote the school song 'The Purple and White' in 1902. Purple and White then became the official colors.
13 years later, in 1915, the bulldog (now known as Spike) became the official mascot of the college. In 1924 a massive fire destroyed Old Baldwin Hall and the library. The library was rebuilt by a wealthy alumni, and today it continues to bear his name: Pickler Memorial Library.
The College became Northeast Missouri State University in 1972 and in 1983 the University was awarded the G. Theodore Mitau Award for Innovation and Change in Higher Education by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.
Northeast Missouri State continued its push for excellence and had not gone unnoticed by the state government. On June 20, 1985, Governor John Ashcroft signed a bill that designated the University as Missouri's only statewide public liberal arts and sciences university. This changed the school's mission to a state-wide rather than a regional (northeast) objective.
The school continued to win praise from such publications as US News and World Report and its reputation spread. Many of the students by-passed crowded and costly alternatives such as Washington University and University of Missouri St. Louis in favor of Truman's small size, pleasant small-town atmosphere and rigorous academic studies in the liberal arts and sciences.
By the 1990s it wasn't just a teachers' college. The college had a nationally-known accountancy division, schools of science and math, computer science and literature. Indeed, just 10 years after Governor Ashcroft's designation, Governnor Mel Carnahan signed legislation renaming the school to its current Truman State University title. Several schools had petitioned for the Truman name, but only Northeast Missouri State University demonstrated the academic excellence and national reputation worthy of being named after Missouri's only President.
Today, there are 6200 students earning degrees in 43 undergraduate and 9 graduate courses. 94% of graduates go on to work and study fields related to their degree of study. President Barbara Dixon is the current President of the University. She is the 14th President of the school. Today, the names and legacies of past University presidents continue to live on in buildings and monuments around campus. Here is a list of past presidents and the buildings & monuments on campus named in their honor:
History
Presidents
