Missouri Western
 |
|
| Motto | Everything is Possible |
|---|---|
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1915 |
| President | Robert A. Vartabedian |
| Provost | Jeanne Daffron |
| Students | 5,388 (Fall 2016) |
| Undergraduates | 5,145 (September 2016) |
| Postgraduates | 243 (September 2016) |
| Location |
Saint Joseph, Missouri, U.S. 39°45′29″N 94°47′08″W / 39.7581°N 94.7856°WCoordinates: 39°45′29″N 94°47′08″W / 39.7581°N 94.7856°W |
| Campus | Urban, 744 acres (301.1 ha) |
| Colors | Black and Gold |
| Nickname | Griffons |
|
Sporting affiliations
|
NCAA Division II – MIAA |
| Mascot | Max the Griffon |
| Website | www |
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|
Missouri Western State University is a public, co-educational university located in Saint Joseph, Missouri, United States. As of September 2016, the school enrolls 5,145 undergraduate students and 243 graduate students.
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 at 13th and Patee. In 1933 when Central High School moved to its current location the junior college relocated to the Robidoux Polytechnic High School building at 10th Street between Edmond and Charles. In 1917 it adopted the Griffon as its mascot.
The establishment of a four-year school was a central campaign issue in the 1964 Democratic gubernatorial primary, when Warren Hearnes of the Bootheel challenged Hilary A. Bush of Kansas City. Hearnes promised to transform the school into a four-year institution despite the presence of another state university (Northwest Missouri State University) 40 miles (64 km) to the north in Maryville.
Hearnes narrowly won the primary and then won general election. A year later, the college became Missouri Western Junior College, and was transferred from the St. Joseph School District to the Missouri Western Junior College District, comprising 11 school districts in five counties. The college was granted four-year status as Missouri Western College in 1969 during Hearnes' second term. The Missouri Western Junior College district funded the first two years, with the state funding the final two years.
Years later, Missouri Western named its library after Hearnes; school officials said Missouri Western would have never become a four-year college without him.
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.
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