History of Truman State University

September 2, 1867

Joseph Baldwin opened the North Missouri Normal School and Commercial College.

December 29, 1870

Missouri's General Assembly made Baldwin's private college the First District Normal School, the first Missouri supported institution of higher education established for the primary purpose of preparing teachers for public schools.

Summer 1902

Basil Brewer wrote a school song which he named "The Purple and the White,"and the school adopted purple and white as the official colors.

1913

E.M. Violette, professor of history, saw the usefulness of visual aids in teaching and began collecting materials and artifacts representative of early life in northeast Missouri. A museum was built to house his collection and is now located in the Kirk Memorial basement and includes 20,000 catalogued items.

1915

The Bulldog was adopted as the official school mascot.

1919

The normal school became known as Northeast Missouri State Teachers College.

1924

The old Baldwin Hall was destroyed by a fire. Before the fire, there was a lake where the Quad now sits. The lake was emptied to combat the fire, resulting in the Quad as we know it today.

1967

The Bell Wall was built and dedicated at the Centennial Celebration in 1967.The bells were donated by Joe Burdman, local businessman and University benefactor.

1967

Programs other than teacher education were implemented and the Board of Regents acted to change the name of the college to Northeast Missouri State College.

1972

The College's name was changed to Northeast Missouri State University.

1974

Gail Albright, retired assistant professor of speech, wrote the Truman fight song, "Hail to the Bulldogs!"

1983

The University is awarded the prestigious G. Theodore Mitau Award for Innovation and Change in Higher Education by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

1985

On June 20, Gov. John Ashcroft, signed legislation that designated the University as Missouri's only statewide public liberal arts and sciences university, expanding its mission from a regional to a statewide institution.

1995

On June 15, coinciding with the 10th anniversary of the mission change to a statewide university, Gov. Mel Carnahan signed legislation that changed the University's name from Northeast Missouri State University to Truman State University, giving the University a name that complements its statewide mission and honors the only Missourian to serve as the President of the United States.

1996

The new name, Truman State University, becomes official on July 1, 1996.

TODAY

More than 5,800 students come to Truman annually to gain a high quality liberal arts education at an affordable cost. Truman now offers 49 undergraduate and 6 graduate areas of study. In 2005, 50.4 percent of Truman's graduates entered graduate or professional schools while 48.2 percent were employed. Commitment, uniqueness of purpose, and concentration on student learning have brought Truman to its present mission. Designed to bring a new sense of coherence to each student's educational experience, and to impart the qualities of mind and spirit which distinguish educated persons, the programs and environment of the University are the latest examples in Truman's history of creative, responsive, and innovative planning.

Presidents of the University