History
The university was founded as East Central State Normal School in 1909, two years after Oklahoma was admitted as the 46th U.S. state. Its establishment was the product of the intense lobbying efforts of the 25,000 Club, a local booster group. As a normal school, East Central provided four years of "preparatory" (or high school) study, followed by two years of college work. Classes were initially held in local churches and public school classrooms. Graduates of the normal school program received lifetime teaching certification statewide.
The 1910 Oklahoma Legislature funded faculty salaries and a building on a 16-acre (65,000 m2) site donated by a Chickasaw allottee. In 1919, the normal schools were authorized by the Oklahoma Legislature to offer four years of teacher education, to offer bachelor's degrees, and were designated teachers' colleges.
Expanding beyond education degrees, in 1939 the school became East Central State College. In 1974, the state legislature renamed the state colleges, and it became East Central Oklahoma State University—a name it retained until 1985 when it gained its present name.
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