Morehead State University

History

The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. One student appeared on the first day of class in October 1887, in a little, rented cottage where the Adron Doran University Center now stands. The private school closed in the spring of 1922 when the Kentucky General Assembly established Morehead State Normal School. The state institution accepted its first students in the fall of 1923 and graduated its first class in 1927. Name changes occurred in 1926 when "and Teachers College" was added, again in 1930 when it was shortened to Morehead State Teachers College, again in 1948 when "Teachers" was dropped and, finally, to university status in 1966. Thirteen men, starting with Frank C. Button, have served as president. Dr. Wayne D. Andrews assumed office as the 13th president on January 1, 2005.

Academics

Morehead State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. 214 degree programs are available on the two-year, four-year and graduate levels through four colleges (Caudill College of Humanities, College of Business and Public Affairs, College of Education, and College of Science and Technology). The university offers a Doctoral degree in Education. More than half of the faculty hold doctoral degrees. The average class size is 18. The student body represents 109 Kentucky counties, 42 states and 32 foreign countries. MSU supports its missions of teaching, applied research and public service through an annual budget of more than $157 million. Grants and contracts from external sources for research, service and academic/student support projects generate more than $17 million each year. Annual private gifts to the university average $3 million annually. It was the first institution in Kentucky to offer a complete degree program online, the Master of Business Administration (MBA). MSU is 1 of 5 institutions in the U.S. with a bachelor's degree in space science. The university has erected a space tracking system in partnership with NASA. The second component of the Space Science Center opened in 2009—a $16.6 million instruction and research support facility. MSU claims the state's best computer-student ratio in its computer laboratories, as well as offering students a program to lease university owned laptops while enrolled. 64,000 persons have received degrees from MSU.

Colleges

Rankings

Morehead State University has been recognized by "U.S.News & World Report's Best Colleges" as one of the top regional universities in the United States. The most recent rankings (released in September 2016) listed Morehead State at 24th place among the public regional universities in the South and 72nd overall among all regional universities in the South. Morehead State has consistently been one of the top-ranked public regional universities in Kentucky in the Regional Universities-South category, which contains both private and public schools.

Campus

Morehead State University is located in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County. The more than 700-acre main campus within the city limits of Morehead includes more than 50 major structures with a total replacement value of more than $650 million. Beyond the city, the university's real estate holdings include the 320-acre Derrickson Agricultural Complex, Eagle Trace, a par-72, 6,902-yard public golf course, and 166-acres of the Browning Orchard. The instructional plant includes 135 classrooms and 150 laboratories. Housing facilities include space for approximately 2,900 students in a variety of living styles, including traditional residence halls, suites and apartments. The university has erected a space tracking system in partnership with NASA. The second component of the Space Science Center opened in 2009—a $16.6 million instruction and research support facility.

Arts

The Morehead State University Arts and Humanities Council, established in 2003, encourages dialogue and partnerships in the arts. Part of a larger initiative within the Caudill College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Council works to develop cultural opportunities both on and off campus. Morehead, long known for its patronage of the arts in Kentucky with such organizations as the Kentucky Folk Art Center and the Kentucky Center for Traditional Music, was the childhood home of philanthropist Lucille Caudill Little. Named after Lucille Little, MSU's Little Company is a touring troupe of students in the Theatre Department that performs plays and conducts workshops for up to 100 schools in the area each year.

Morehead State University Historic District

A portion of the campus was named as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. The contributing properties include the following buildings: the President's Home, Senff Natatorium (demolished in 2008), Button Auditorium, Fields Hall, Camden-Carroll Library, Allie Young Hall, Rader Hall, Grote-Thompson Hall, and the Breckenridge Training School.

Morehead State Public Radio

Morehead State Public Radio (MSPR) is governed by the Board of Regents at Morehead State University. MSPR is operated by its flagship station WMKY at 90.3 FM in Morehead. WMKY in Morehead is licensed for 50,000 watts and serves more than 20 counties in Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. The WMKY studios are located in Breckinridge Hall on the campus of Morehead State University. Since 1965, WMKY has served the communities of eastern Kentucky, southern Ohio and western West Virginia. MSPR's mission to the region is to provide programming that is educational, informative and entertaining. Through the work provided by a staff consisting of full-time directors, student interns, work studies and community volunteers, MSPR offers regional news, public affairs and documentary programming, as well as a variety of regional music programs consisting of classical, jazz and Americana. MSPR produces regular daily newscasts and in-depth features on people, places and events in the region.

Athletics

MSU is a charter member of the Ohio Valley Conference in NCAA Division I and sponsors 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. MSU competes at the NCAA Division I level including the Football Championship Subdivision. The MSU teams are the Eagles, the eagle mascot is named Beaker, and the school colors are blue and gold. The football Eagles compete as the only public university in the Pioneer Football League of the Football Championship Subdivision. The basketball Eagles won the 2009 Ohio Valley Conference Tournament, sending them to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1984. At the 2011 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, 13th-seeded Morehead State upset Louisville 62-61. It was the second NCAA Tournament win for Morehead State in a three-year span. The Eagles also beat Alabama State in the 2009 Opening Round game. The Eagles then faced 12th-seeded Richmond in the third round, which was only the ninth time in tournament history that a 12–13 match-up occurred in the round of 32. The coed cheerleading squad has won 23 national championships and the all-girl squad has won 10 national titles. The baseball team has won 7 Ohio Valley Conference Titles and the women's volleyball team has won the conference title 5 times. The Eagles have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) three times. Their combined record is 5-4.

Notable alumni