Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University is a public university in Joplin, Missouri. It was established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College. The university enrolled 4,087 students in Fall 2023.
History
Missouri Southern State University was founded in 1937 as Joplin Junior College. At its conception, Joplin Junior College had 114 students and only 9 faculty members. In 1964, residents of Jasper County, Missouri approved a $2.5 million bond issue to begin construction on a new campus, where the university is currently located. The new campus opened in the fall of 1967 with 2,399 students and 95 faculty members. In 1977, the school was renamed Missouri Southern State College and officially became a state-assisted four-year college and part of the state of Missouri's higher education system. In 2003, the Missouri General Assembly authorized the renaming of the college to Missouri Southern State University - Joplin; in 2005 the university dropped Joplin from its name.In 1967, the campus was home to six buildings. The Taylor Performing Arts center was completed in 1973 and the Richard M. Webster Communications and Social Science Building opened in August 1992.
Missouri Southern recently finished construction on a health sciences building. The building, which had its groundbreaking on May 19, 2008, was built with money secured by MOHELA and distributed to MSSU by the state of Missouri. The Missouri General Assembly had entertained the addition of the Joplin Regional Center, owned by the Missouri Department of Mental Health, to Missouri Southern's campus in spring of 2009.
The school is about 30 blocks northeast of the worst of the devastation of the 2011 Joplin tornado which destroyed much of southern Joplin on May 22, 2011—one day after the school's graduation. Joplin High School had just completed its school graduation on the campus shortly before the tornado. The Leggett and Platt Athletic Center was used as an emergency shelter for victims. Billingsly Student Center was the headquarters for volunteer efforts run by Americorps St. Louis and was the coordination area for identifying victims and survivors. On May 29, 2011, Barack Obama, who was inspecting the damage, spoke at the Taylor Performing Arts Center.
Presidents
Missouri Southern has had seven presidents that have served since its beginning in 1967.| Title | Name | Dates |
| President | Leon C. Billingsly | 1967–1978 |
| President | Donald C. Darnton | 1979–1982 |
| President | Julio León | 1982–2007 |
| Interim President | Teri Agee | 2007–2008 |
| President | Bruce Speck | 2008–2013 |
| President | Alan Marble | 2013–2020 |
| President | Dean Van Galen | 2020–present |
Campus
The campus of Missouri Southern is cross divided by Duquesne Road and Newman Road. The main portion of the campus is located west of Duquesne, though the football stadium and softball fields are on the east side of Duquesne.Academic buildings
Spiva Library was the first building built on the current campus following the properties purchase for use by what was then Missouri Southern College. The library is named after prominent Joplin businessman George A. Spiva, who was a major donor and supporter of the school. Expansions to the library in 1972–1973 and 1999–2000 have tripled the size of the original structure. Prior to 1987, the social sciences department utilized some areas of the building for classrooms and offices.Reynolds Hall is named after one of the original members of the school's board of regents, Lauren R. Reynolds. He served on the board from 1965 until his death. This building houses the biology and environmental health, chemical and physical sciences, and mathematics departments. On December 5, 2014, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon announced that he would request more than $5.2 million in funding from the state legislature for renovations to the building. The funds will allow MSSU to renovate labs, classrooms and electrical systems.
Hearnes Hall is named after former Missouri Governor Warren E. Hearnes who was governor at the time of the construction of the campus and signed the law which made Missouri Southern a state institution. Hearnes Hall is the university's administration building, but was previously home to English department and the communications department. Hearnes Hall has never been expanded, but underwent major renovations ending in 2012.
Fine Arts Building is the home to the music and art departments. It is also home of the Spiva Gallery and is connected to both the Taylor Performing Arts Center and the Bud Walton Black Box Theatre.
Leon C. Billingsly Student Center is named after the first president of what was then Missouri Southern College, Leon C. Billingsly. Billingsly served in that capacity from 1964 until his death and supervised the construction of the original buildings on the campus. The building is home to the cafeteria, book store and Keystone and Connor ballrooms. Formerly known as the College Union, it was renamed for Billingsly in 1980, two years after his death. It has been expanded multiple times, the latest in 2009 when the George S. Beimdiek Recreation Center and Willcoxon Student Health Center were added onto it.
Kuhn Hall is named after John Raymond Kuhn a Joplin area doctor who encouraged more practical application medical training at the college. It was originally home to the nursing and computer science departments. Today it is home to the English department. The neighboring Kuhn Annex, which was built in 1963 and also houses part of the English department, was originally a model home for a proposed housing subdivision planned by Rolla Stephens on the former Mission Hills estate. When Stephens learned of the search for a new campus for the college, he worked with George A. Spiva and Morgan Hillhouse so the land could instead be used for that purpose.
Ummel Technology Center is named for Elvin Byron Ummel, who served on the school's board of trustees from the 1964 to 1986, when that body was abolished. The center now houses some of the programs falling under the biology and environmental health department in the School of Arts and Sciences, including the cadaver lab. It underwent a major renovation in 2011 and 2012 and had previously been used for technology and engineering courses, including automotive technology and drafting.
Thomas E. Taylor Performing Arts Center is named for former Missouri Southern board of regents member and board of trustees member Thomas E. Taylor. The 2,000-seat performing arts center was built on a $1 million bond and is home to the theatre department.
Taylor Hall also known as the Gene Taylor Education Center is named for U.S. Congressman Gene Taylor. Taylor had served on the board of trustees from 1964 to 1972 and was the president of that board at the time the current campus opened in 1967. Taylor Hall has been home to the school of education and psychology since its construction, though it has been enlarged since that time.
Mills Anderson Justice Center is named for former Missouri Southern board of regents member Mills Anderson. It is home of the college's criminal justice department and law enforcement academy. It was greatly expanded in 1996.
Plaster Hall is also known as the Robert W. Plaster Free Enterprise Center and is named for Robert W. Plaster, a former Joplin Junior College student and the founder of Empire Gas. Formerly known as Matthews Hall and named after Norval M. Matthews, an original member of the school's board of regents from 1965 until his death, the building and the school of business, which has resided in it since its construction, were renamed after Plaster in 2006 when he made the largest donation in the college's history. Prior to this building's construction, the school of business had been located in the former Mission Hills mansion, today the Ralph L. Gray Alumni Center, from 1969 to 1980.
Webster Hall is named for Richard M. Webster, a former speaker of the Missouri House of Representatives and a longtime state senator representing the area from 1962 until his death. The building cost $7.5 million at the time of its construction and is home to the social sciences, communications, foreign languages, and international studies departments. The W. Robert Corley Auditorium is located inside Webster Hall. It was named after William Robert Corley, a local businessman following a significant donation by him in 2009.
Bud Walton Black Box Theatre is named for Bud Walton, brother of Walmart founder Sam Walton and a financial donor for the construction of the facility. The Walton Black Box Theatre was built as a replacement for the college's previous Barn Theatre, which was destroyed by fire in 1990.
Julio S. Leon Health Sciences Center is named for Julio Leon, who served as the president of the university from 1982 to 2007. It houses programs in nursing, dental hygiene, kinesiology, medical technology, psychology, radiologic technology and respiratory therapy.
Jeremiah "Jay" Nixon Hall is named for the 55th governor of Missouri Jeremiah "Jay" Nixon, who served from 2009 to 2017. Governor Nixon campaigned and received $5.2 million that was used to construct the hall and renovate the nearby Reynolds hall. Nixon hall is used for mathematics and other STEM fields. The building is three stories and houses staff offices, study rooms, and many classrooms. It is connected to Reynolds hall via a sky bridge on the second floor and is the newest building on campus.