Morehead State University
Morehead State University is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky, United States. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential early college high school on the university's campus, was established in 2014.
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 again 1926, when it was extended to Morehead State Normal School and Teachers College; in 1930, when it was shortened to just Morehead State Teachers College; in 1948, when it was shortened again to Morehead State College; and, finally, to Morehead State University in 1966. Fourteen people, starting with Frank C. Button, have served as president. Joseph A. Morgan assumed office as the 14th president on July 1, 2017.Presidents
- Frank C. Button, 1923–29
- John Howard Payne, 1929–35
- Harvey A. Babb, 1935–40
- William H. Vaughan, 1940–46
- William J. Baird, 1946–51
- Charles R. Spain, 1951–54
- Adron Doran, 1954–77
- Morris L. Norfleet, 1977–84
- Herb. F. Reinhard Jr., 1984–86
- A.D. Albright, 1986–87
- C. Nelson Grote, 1987–92
- Ronald G. Eaglin, 1992–2004
- Wayne D. Andrews, 2005–2017
- Joseph A. Morgan, 2017–present
Campus
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, Button Auditorium, Fields Hall, Camden-Carroll Library, Allie Young Hall, Rader Hall, Grote-Thompson Hall, and the Breckenridge Training School. All were designed by the Olmstead Brothers.
Academics
Morehead State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. It offers over 212 degree programs at the two-year, four-year, and graduate levels through four colleges: Caudill College of Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences; Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology; Ernst & Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education; and College of Science. It was the first institution in Kentucky to offer a complete degree program online, the Master of Business Administration. MSU is one of five institutions in the U.S. with a bachelor's degree in space science. Over 74,000 persons have received degrees from MSU.The 2026 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges Rankings listed Morehead State at 12th place among public "regional universities" in the South and 27th overall among all regional universities in the South.
Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics
The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics was established in 2014. It is a two-year residential early college high school serving approximately 220 high school juniors and seniors at Morehead State University. Students live in Craft Tower residence hall on campus and take MSU classes during their time at the academy, graduating with a Craft Academy high school diploma as well as at least 60 hours of MSU college credit, with tuition, room and board, and meal plan all free of charge. The academy is funded in large part by Joe Craft and Ambassador Kelly Craft, who donated over $10 million to the academy, the largest donation in MSU history.Student life
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. Along with theatre, Morehead State University has a well-developed dance program.Morehead State Public Radio 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. WMKY has operated since 1965.
There are several fraternities and sororities on campus.
Athletics
The Morehead State athletic teams are called the Eagles. The eagle mascot is named Beaker, and the school colors are blue and gold. The university is a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the Ohio Valley Conference since the 1948–49 academic year; while its football team competes in the Pioneer Football League. The Eagles previously competed in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics from 1933–34 to 1947–48; and in the defunct West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference from 1929–30 to 1932–33.Morehead State competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf and track & field; while women's include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance and rifle.
With 2017–18 being its initial season and the OVC not yet sponsoring the sport, the beach volleyball team will compete as an independent. The football team competes as a member of the Pioneer Football League, a non-scholarship Division I league.