Midwestern State University

Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) is a public liberal arts university in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2020 it had 5,141 undergraduate students.[2] It is the state's only public institution focused on the liberal arts.[3]

This article is about the public liberal arts college in Texas. For the graduate health science school, see Midwestern University.
Midwestern State University
Former names
Wichita Falls Junior College (1922–1937)
Hardin Junior College (1937–1946)
Hardin College (1946–1950)
Midwestern University (1950–1975)
MottoPer Scientam ad Excellentiam
Motto in English
Through Knowledge to Excellence
TypePublic liberal arts university
Established1922 (1922)
Parent institution
Texas Tech University System
Academic affiliations
Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges
PresidentStacy Haynie
ProvostJames Johnston
Students6,102
Undergraduates5,372
Postgraduates730
Location
Wichita Falls, Texas
,
U.S.

33°52′26″N 98°31′16″W
CampusSuburban, 255 acres (103 ha)
ColorsMaroon and gold[1]
  
NicknameMustangs
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division II – Lone Star
MascotMaverick T. Mustang
Websitemsutexas.edu

History

Founded in 1922 as Wichita Falls Junior College, it was renamed Hardin Junior College in 1937 when it moved to its present location off Taft Boulevard. In 1946, a senior division was added and it was renamed Hardin College. In January 1950, the name changed to Midwestern University, with the junior college division remaining Hardin Junior College. In March 1948, the university became a member of the Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. In January 1959, the university added a graduate school which received full approval from the State Board of Education in August of that year.[4]

Midwestern State University Hardin Tower
Midwestern State University Hardin Tower

A further change in the school's status came September 1, 1961, when by action of the 56th session of the Texas State Legislature, Midwestern University became part of the Texas Colleges and Universities System and the junior college division was dissolved. In 1975, the Texas Legislature changed the name to Midwestern State University.[4]

From its beginnings as a municipal junior college housed in a high school building, Midwestern has become a state university whose campus of 255 acres and 70 buildings offers a wide variety of academic programs in liberal and fine arts, mathematics, sciences, business, and applied sciences.[4]

On March 9, 2015, the university announced that Suzanne Shipley was selected to become its next president, following Jesse Rogers' retirement after 48 years of service to the school.[5]

On December 13, 2016, the university broke ground on a new campus in Flower Mound, Texas. The two-story facility shares space with North Central Texas College and opened in June 2018.[6]

Glass Wall of the new Robert and Carol Gunn Health Sciences and Human Services building.
An inside look of the new Robert and Carol Gunn Health Sciences and Human Services building glass classrooms.

The Robert and Carol Gunn College of Health Sciences and Human Services officially opened up their new building, Centennial Hall, on September 6, 2019.[7]

On August 6, 2020, the Texas Tech University System and Midwestern State University agreed to a memorandum of understanding to begin the process of MSU Texas becoming the fifth university to join the system.[8] The process was completed on September 1, 2021, when HB 1522 went into effect.[9]

Academics
Academic rankings
Regional
U.S. News & World Report[10]75
Master's university
Washington Monthly[11]235

Midwestern State University is organized into seven colleges with 16 undergraduate programs offering 43 majors and 30 minors, and 9 graduate programs offering 28 majors and 15 minors.

MSU is the only university in Texas with membership in the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges and was the first public university in Texas to establish a core curriculum. The university is also a member of the Association of American Colleges and Universities and the Association for Core Texts and Courses.

Dalquest Desert Research Station

The Dalquest Desert Research Station[12] is located on 3,000 acres of West Texas soil north of the Big Bend Ranch State Park. The land was a gift from the late Dr. Walter W. Dalquest, a professor at MSU, and his wife, Rose, on the condition that it be used for scientific research by biologists and geologists. Today, the site is used by professors, students, naturalists, scientists, and educators.

Dalquest Desert Research Station
Dalquest Desert Research Station

Athletics
Main article: Midwestern State Mustangs

Midwestern State fields 13 intercollegiate NCAA Division II athletic teams. MSU is a member of the Lone Star Conference (LSC). The school mascot is the mustang.

The basketball and volleyball teams play at D.L. Ligon Coliseum. The football team plays at Memorial Stadium (Wichita Falls). The soccer teams play at the MSU Soccer Field. The softball team plays at Mustangs Park. The tennis teams play at the MSU Tennis Center.

Mustangs Park
Mustangs Park was redesigned with turf for the 2016 season.
MSU Mustangs celebrate late goal.
The Midwestern State University Mustangs celebrate after scoring a late-goal during the 2016 playoffs.

Student life

The university's campus covers 255 acres (1.0 km2) with over 50 buildings uniformly built of red brick with tiled roofs and arched facades.

Students can be members of 14 nationally affiliated fraternities and sororities. Sororities on campus include Kappa Delta Chi, Sigma Kappa, Chi Omega, Gamma Phi Beta, Alpha Phi, Kappa Delta Chi, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta, and Sigma Lambda Alpha. Fraternities are Tau Kappa Epsilon, Sigma Nu, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Omega Delta Phi, Kappa Sigma, and Kappa Alpha Order.

More than 100 other student organizations are on campus, such as the Association for Computing Machinery, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, several musical organizations, and sports clubs such as MSU Rugby.

The campus has a newspaper, The Wichitan, and a student-run television channel and production studio, M&G Media. The campus newspaper and production studio are housed in the Mass Communication wing of the Fain Fine Arts Center.[13]

Housing and dining services

Midwestern State has four residence halls; Legacy Hall, McCullough-Trigg Hall, Killingsworth Hall, and Pierce Hall (the latter of which is currently vacated for construction). It also has two apartments; Sundance Courts and Sunwatcher Village.

Dining services went through a major remodel in 2016, adding new storefronts.[14] Dining halls include the Mesquite Dining Hall and Maverick's Corner. New storefronts in the Clark Student Center include Chick-fil-A & ACE Sushi. Einstein Bros. Bagels is located in the Dillard College of Business Administration. A cafe called Campus Coffee was opened at the Bridwell Activities Center (built in 2021 and completed in 2022) in 2022.

Legacy Hall
Legacy Hall

Notable alumni

Arts and entertainment

Athletics

Business and nonprofit

Government

Journalism and literature

Religion

Science and education
  • Dr. Mark Puder — professor of surgery, Harvard Medical School[29]
  • Mark Rippetoe — author, strength-training coach[30]
  • Dr. Michael K. Obeng, celebrity plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, CA[31]
  • Dr. David Hunter - Texas Rangers, Team Physician

Notable faculty lecturers and staff

Controversies
  • Since 2018 several incidents of racially-motivated vandalism and harassment have been reported at Midwestern State University.[33][34][35] The university administration has been repeatedly criticized by students of color for its handling of such incidents, as well as for its perceived indifference to issues facing racial minorities more generally.[36]
  • In 2018 the Midwestern State University faced widespread criticism from students in response to the administration's perceived indifference to sexual harassment and violence on campus.[37][38][39][40] A university administrator reportedly made a rape joke at a campus forum intended to discuss the issue.[41]
  • In 2019 a Midwestern State University graduate student was publicly outed as a white supremacist.[42] The university was roundly criticized for its handling of the ensuing controversy.[43]
  • In 2020 Midwestern State University was widely and publicly criticized for its response to a right-wing harassment campaign that had been directed against former philosophy professor Nathan Jun in response to controversial Facebook posts.[44][45][46] The following year the university was again criticized for allegedly forcing Jun to resign his tenured position by denying him a requested disability accommodation.[47][48][49] The allegation prompted an open letter of protest [50][51] that was eventually signed by more than 500 faculty members.[52]

References
  1. "Web Style Guide". Mwsu.edu. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2020-11-17.
  2. "Midwestern State University". U.S. News & World Report.
  3. "MSU: Texas' only public liberal arts school". The Wichitan. 2016-06-22. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  4. "MSU History". Retrieved 2021-06-13.
  5. Dave Emke (March 9, 2015). "Shipley chosen to become next president of Midwestern State". The Journal. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  6. "MSU Flower Mound campus celebrates grand opening". 6 June 2018.
  7. Halsey, Torin. "MSU Texas unveils state-of-the-art Centennial Hall". Wichita Falls. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  8. "Texas Tech announces MOU with Midwestern State University". kcbd.com.
  9. "Texas Tech University System welcomes Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls". Myhighplains.com. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-17.
  10. "Best Colleges 2023: Regional Universities Rankings". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  11. "2020 Rankings -- Masters Universities". Washington Monthly. Retrieved August 31, 2020.
  12. "A Love Unearthed". Texas Monthly. 2016-09-21. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  13. Achten, Alex. "MSU Board of Regents members tour latest renovations". Retrieved 2017-08-10.
  14. McGinnis, Judith. "Progress: MSU food service offers enticing new choices". Wichita Falls. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
  15. "Dr. Phil McGraw | HuffPost". www.huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  16. "Jaret Reddick: Punk Soup for the Soul". VOA. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  17. "Jo Anne Worley". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  18. Alper, Josh (2016-09-28). "Rams claim Marqui Christian off waivers from Cardinals". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
  19. "Jinh Yu Frey – Invicta Fighting Championships".
  20. "Who Is Bryan Gilmore?". Field Gulls. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  21. "History - MSU Cycling Team".
  22. "Russell: Rhodes looks back at MSU career". Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  23. "Quiet resolve drives Amini Silatolu". Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  24. "The Randy Waldrum Era: A Success by Any Account". Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  25. January 2004 1, Gary Cartwright (2004-01-01). "Showdown at Waggoner Ranch". Texas Monthly. Retrieved 2022-05-14.
  26. Mark Boulware, U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania
  27. "637 graduate in December - The Wichitan". The Wichitan. 2014-12-13. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  28. "About Me – Stephen A. McNallen". Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  29. "Notable Alumni » Alumni » Midwestern State University". mwsu.edu. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  30. "About | Starting Strength". Starting Strength. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  31. "Michael Obeng, the First Black Plastic Surgeon in Beverly Hills, is Reportedly Worth $8 Million". Black Enterprise. 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  32. "The Professional Website of Nathan J. Jun: Home". The Professional Website of Nathan J. Jun. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
  33. "MSU Texas responds to poster marked with racially charged vandalism". Times Record News. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  34. "MSU officials, students address apparent threatening, racist blog posts". Texomashomepage.com. 2019-11-22. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  35. ComplicitMSU. "ComplicitMSU is back". The Wichitan. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  36. Wabbington, Dallas. "#BlackatMSUTexas". The Wichitan. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  37. Manning, Tyler. "Students raised concerns over campus safety at forum". The Wichitan. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  38. "Action needs to be taken about sexual misconduct". The Wichitan. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  39. Reilly, Bridget. "SGA stands with ComplicitMSU". The Wichitan. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  40. Braxton-Johnson, Markell. "#ComplicitMSU needs a second look". The Wichitan. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  41. "Midwestern State's handling of sexual assault cases under fire". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  42. says, Erbel Obell. "Tyler Ray Glasscock aka "PetroFash" on Iron March Forum Leak | Fash Finder". Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  43. Wynne, Brendan. "Administration offers follow-up statements regarding the fascist on campus". The Wichitan. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  44. "Midwestern State University: Professor's Criticisms of Police and 'White People' Violate 'Respect' Policy". FIRE. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  45. "Texas University Calls on State AG to Investigate Professor's Speech". PEN America. 2020-10-07. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  46. Pettit, Emma; Zahneis, Megan (August 9, 2020). "These Scholars Denounced the Police. Do Their Universities Have Their Backs?". chronicle.com. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  47. Weinberg, Justin (2021-09-17). "A Tale of Two Resignations". Daily Nous. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  48. Weinberg, Justin (2021-12-17). "What a Cancellation Looks Like (guest post)". Daily Nous. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  49. Pothast, Emily (2021-10-05). "The Right-Wing Takeover of the American University". Form and Resonance. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  50. Weinberg, Justin (2021-09-23). "Letter Protesting Midwestern State University's Treatment of Nathan Jun (updated)". Daily Nous. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  51. "Open letter protesting Midwestern State's treatment of Nathan Jun". Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
  52. "FACULTY LETTER PROTESTING MIDWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY'S TREATMENT OF PROFESSOR NATHAN JUN". Google Docs. Retrieved 2022-02-16.
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