St. Cloud State University - History

History

St. Cloud State University opened its doors to students in 1869, under the name Third State Normal School. The school consisted of one building, the Stearns House, a renovated hotel purchased by the state Legislature for $3,000. Classrooms were on the first floor, the model school was on second floor and a women's dormitory was housed on the third floor. The five-member faculty was headed by Principal Ira Moore. Of the 53 original students, 43 were women. In 1898, the school began offering a junior college curriculum.

In 1914, the school dropped its secondary education program entirely. The legislature authorized a name change in 1921, allowing the school to adopt the name St. Cloud State Teachers College (the word "teachers" was deleted in 1957). The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1925, with master's degree programs offered beginning in 1953.

In 1975, St. Cloud State became a university, comprising five colleges and a graduate school. The G.R. Herberger Business School is recognized as one of the top business colleges in the country and is one of only four in the state that is nationally accredited. Within the past decade, the College of Science and Engineering established and gained full accreditation for its Computer Engineering program. It is the only university in Minnesota that offers an ABET accredited Manufacturing Engineering Program. It also offers ABET accredited Electrical and Mechanical Engineering programs, along with Computer Science. St. Cloud State University's Master of Engineering Management is the only program in Minnesota that is certified by the American Society of Engineering Management (ASEM).

In 1987, men's hockey became an NCAA Division I program. Two years later the team moved into a new two-rink arena called the National Hockey Center (which is currently being renovated). In 1998, the university added a women's hockey team at the Division I level.

In 2010, the university teamed with the private sector to build a welcome center and student housing complex adjacent to campus, nicknamed "Fifth Avenue Live." The university leases the Welcome Center and Coborn Plaza Apartments.

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