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Murray State University, located in the town of Murray in Kentucky's far-western Jackson Purchase, is an approximately 10,000-student, four-year public university. Having recently adopted the moniker "Kentucky's Public Ivy University," the school has striven to maintain a strong academic reputation and has been rewarded with high marks when compared with other regional public universities in U.S. News & World Report and other college ranking publications.

History

The history of Murray State University can be traced to the passage of Senate Bill 14 by the General Assembly, which would create two normal schools to address the growing demand for professional teachers. One of these schools would be in the western part of the state, which caused many cities and towns to bid for the new normal school. Rainey T. Wells spoke on behalf of the city of Murray to convince the Normal School Commission to choose his city. On September 2, 1922, Murray was chosen as the site of the new western normal school, and Morehead was chosen as the site for the eastern normal school. On November 26, 1922, John Wesley Carr was elected as the first president of the Murray State Normal School by the State Board of Education. At the same time, the Normal School Commission, under the belief that it had the right to elect the first president, elected Rainey T. Wells. May 15, 1923, The Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld the decision made the State Board of Education, and Carr would be the first president.

Opening day for Murray State Normal School was September 23, 1923. Until the first building was completed, now Wrather Hall, the Normal School held classes on the first floor of Murray High School. All students commuted to classes until the first dormitory was constructed in 1925 as Wells Hall. Wilson hall was also completed under Carr's presidency, and other structures were in progress. In 1926, Rainey T. Wells, recognized as the founder of Murray State, also became the second president. Wells served as president from 1926 to 1932, and during this time Lovett Auditorium, Carr Health Building, and Pogue library were all completed.

The Shield

The Shield is the official seal of the University. It is taken from the heraldic coat-of-arms of the family of William Murray, Earl of Mansfield and Lord Chief Justice of Great Britain in 1756. William Murray is an ancestor of the Murray family from whom the city and the University take their names. The shield is blue with a double gold border, and the three stars represent hope, endeavor, and achievement.

Presidents of the University

  1. Dr. John W. Carr, 1923-1926
  2. Dr. Rainey T. Wells, 1926-32
  3. Dr. John W. Carr, 1933-1936
  4. Dr. James H. Richmond, 1936-1945
  5. Dr. Ralph H. Woods, 1945-1968
  6. Dr. Harry M. Sparks, 1968-1973
  7. Dr. Constantine W. Curris, 1973-1983
  8. Dr. Kala M. Stroup, 1983-1990
  9. Dr. Ronald J. Kurth, 1990-1994
  10. Dr. Samuel Kern Alexander, 1994-2001
  11. Dr. Fieldon King Alexander, 2001-2006
  12. Dr. Samuel Kern Alexander, 2006-present (interim president)
  13. Dr. Randy J. Dunn, (president elect)

Campus

An aggressive building campaign on campus has resulted in the construction of the Regional Special Events Center, known as the RSEC (home to its men's and women's basketball teams), a new science building, a special education building, a Student Life & Wellness Center, and a complete overhaul of its main dining facility, Winslow Cafeteria. Its most recent president was F. King Alexander, son of its previous president, Kern Alexander. President Alexander left Murray State at the end of 2005 to accept a position as president of Long Beach State. Kern Alexander took the position of interim president until a new permanent president is found.

Campus Life

Residential Colleges

Murray State was the first public university in the nation to adopt a successful campus-wide residential college program *. The residential college structure, which took form on the campus in 1996, is based on similar, but much more established, programs at Oxford and Cambridge as well as Yale and Harvard. Although the physical structures of Murray State's residential colleges do not compare to those of the elite institutions, the basic residential college concept was effectively implemented. All faculty, staff, and students, even those who live off-campus, are assigned to one of the eight residential colleges. Once assigned to a residential college, a person remains a member of that college throughout their time at the University, developing friendships, traditions and lasting bonds that are meant to endure years after leaving Murray State. One of the goals in establishing the program was to improve student life and retention and graduation rates.

The eight colleges of Murray State

  1. Clark College, named for Lee Clark, who assisted Rainey T. Wells in founding the University. Clark later served as the superintendent of grounds and buildings.
  2. Elizabeth College, named for Elizabeth Harkless Woods, wife of fourth Murray State President Ralph H. Woods.
  3. Hart College, named for George Hart, a Board of Regents member and former mayor of Murray.
  4. Hester College, named for Cleo Gillis Hester, who served Murray State University from 1927 to 1960, as registrar.
  5. Regents College, named in honor of the outstanding citizens who have served on Murray State University’s Board of Regents. Regents Hall was completed in 1970 making it the youngest of the residence halls currently in use.
  6. Richmond College, named for the third president of the University, James H. Richmond. Richmond Hall itself is the oldest residence hall still in use at Murray State University. It was built in 1961 to house 242 men.
  7. Springer-Franklin College, named for O.B. Springer, member of the Board of Regents from 1950-58 and 1960-70, and Hollis C. Franklin, who served on the Board from 1947-56. (Franklin is more commonly referred to as "Frank-Town")
  8. White College, named for R.H. "Bob" White, a Board of Regents member.

Student Government Association

The Student Government Association, commonly known as SGA, is the officially organized body governing all students and student organizations at Murray State University. The purposes of the Student Government Association are to promote the welfare, growth, and development of student life in an environment of academic excellence, to represent the students in all phases of administrative effort, and to provide a means of promoting cooperative efforts for the general welfare of the University community. SGA is made up four branches: Senate, Campus Activities Board, Judicial Board, and the Residential College Association. The Senate is the main branch of SGA, and it is the governing body with the power to pass resolutions, bills, rules, and regulations necessary for the general welfare of the University and to implement and maintain any programs consistent with SGA purposes. Although Murray State has a fairly low percentage of students involved with Greek life, those students have traditionally maintained control of the Student Government Association. The president of SGA holds a student seat on the Board of Regents.

Greek Life

Murray State is home to active chapters of several social Greek organizations. The oldest fraternities on campus are Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia and Sigma Alpha Iota (both relating to music). The Interfraternity Council is currently made up of chapters of

Murray State also has an active chapter of Kappa Alpha Order, and colonies of Kappa Sigma and Tau Kappa Epsilon. Chapters of Sigma Nu, Delta Sigma Phi, and Sigma Tau Gamma once existed but are currently inactive.

Panhellenic Conference sororities include

National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)

Murray State also has two local social sororities: Omega Xi and Delta Mu Pi.

Athletics

Murray State, as it is most often referred to, is particularly renowned for its men's basketball program, which has made thirteen appearances in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2006. Its athletic teams are known as the Racers (men) and Lady Racers, with the exception of the baseball team which is known as the Thoroughbreds. All of its athletic teams compete in the Ohio Valley Conference, whose conference roster includes seven other regional public universities and one private university as all-sports members and two other regional public universities as basketball-only members.

Publications

Its student newspaper, The Murray State News, has been awarded two Pacemaker awards in the last decade, the highest award given to collegiate newspapers; in addition, the school yearbook, The Shield, was awarded three Pacemaker awards and two CSPA Silver Crowns in the last ten years.

Notable alumni

External links

1922 establishments | Universities and colleges in Kentucky

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Murray State University".

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