Mississippi University for Women

History and mission

Upon its establishment in 1884, Mississippi University for Women became the first public women's college in the United States. Then formally titled the Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls, the institution was created by an act of the Mississippi Legislature on March 12, 1884, for the dual purposes of providing a liberal arts education for women and preparing them for employment. The first session began October 22, 1885, with an enrollment of approximately 250 students on a campus formerly occupied by the Columbus Female Institute, a private college founded in 1847.

The name of the institution changed to Mississippi State College for Women in 1920 to reflect an emphasis on collegiate, rather than vocational, education. In 1971 Mississippi State College for Women won the intercollegiate women's basketball national championship (the third ever held).

In 1974 the name was changed to the Mississippi University for Women to reflect the expanded academic programs, including graduate studies. All other Mississippi state colleges were also designated universities at this time.

In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan that the nursing school's single-sex admissions policies were in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Following this decision, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning ordered the university to change its policies to allow the admission of qualified males into all university programs. In 1988, the Board of Trustees reaffirmed the mission of MUW as an institution providing quality academic programs for all qualified students, with emphasis on distinctive opportunities for women.

In a 1997 article in Innovative Higher Education, the journalist Dale Thorn describes MUW's successful attempt to avoid a merger with another institution and to remain a separate entity.

In 2009, then university president, Dr. Claudia Limbert, announced the possibility of changing the university's name to Reneau University. The Mississippi State legislature did not approve the change.

Academics

The University offers academic programs in more than 50 areas of study.

In 2006 MUW awarded 481 undergraduate degrees. The following were the top ten degrees awarded and the percentage of the graduates that came from that program:

The remaining degrees awarded were in the following subjects: Art Education, Biology, Chemistry, Communication, Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Studio Arts, Theatre, History, Health & Kinesiology, Exercise Science, Sport Management, Mathematics, Microbiology, Music, Physical Science, Political Science, Spanish, Speech-Language Pathology /Audiology and Pre-professional degrees. MUW offers Pre-Professional degrees in Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Engineering, Pre-Law, Pre-Medical Technology, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Occupational Therapy, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Physical Therapy, and Pre-Veterinary.

In 2006 MUW awarded 81 Master's degrees from its eight different graduate programs. The following are the percentages of graduates that came from each program:

Campus demographics

Student organizations: Brotherhood of Beta Kappa Tau, Xi Delta Omega

Students

Total Enrollment: 2428

Freshman: 587 Sophomores: 353 Juniors: 487 Seniors: 834 Graduate Students: 148

Faculty

Average Faculty Salary: $46,184 Student to Faculty Ratio: 12 to 1

Total Faculty: 207

Faculty Rank

Student demographics 2006–2007

Average Age of Students: 25

Female: 79% Male: 21%

Full-time: 83% Part-time 17%

White: 64% Black: 32% Other: 4%

Mississippi Resident: 91.56% Other United State Resident: 7.66% International: 0.78%

Freshman admissions

Number of freshman applicants: 1381 Number of freshman admitted: 683

ACT minimum score: 16 ACT mean score: 21.5

Business

MUW’s College of Business is accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs. Business majors in the 2006-2007 school year represented 8% of the total MUW student body

Education and Human Sciences

The MUW College of Education and Human Sciences is divided into three departments, the Department of Education, the Department of Psychology and Family Studies, and the Department of Health & Kinesiology.

Nursing and Speech Language Pathology

The MUW College of Nursing and Speech Language Pathology offers undergraduate and master's degrees.

Arts and Sciences

The MUW College of Arts and Sciences is divided into six departments; those departments are Sciences and mathematics, Music and theater, Art and design, Languages, literature, and philosophy, Communication, and History, political science, geography, and paralegal.

Culinary Arts Institute

The MUW Culinary Arts Institute offers a Bachelor of Science in Culinary Arts and a minor in Culinary Arts.

Notable alumni

MUW alumni are known collectively as "The Long Blue Line."

Notable MUW alumni include: