University of Nebraska at Kearney - History

History

In March 1903, the Nebraska State Legislature appropriated $50,000 to build a normal school in western Nebraska. In September of that same year, after 111 ballots, the State Board of Education accepted the city of Kearney's offer of 20 acres (8.1 ha) and Green Terrace Hall at the western edge of the city to become the site. On October 18, 1904, the cornerstone of the first building was laid; in the summer of 1905, offered its first classes in Kearney public school facilities. The first classes on campus were held that fall as the building was being completed around them. The first year was composed of women only due to the fact that it was made as a teaching school. The first hall made for men was the Men's Hall. The major sidewalks on campus were once roads, and the stoplight was located where the water fountain is now.

In 1921, the name of the institution was changed to Nebraska State Teachers College. In 1963, it became Kearney State College. Both name changes were a part of system-wide changes for the state colleges.

In 1989, a legislative act moved the institution from the Nebraska State College System to the University of Nebraska system. After a Nebraska Supreme Court review, Kearney State College became the University of Nebraska at Kearney on July 1, 1991. Before the affiliation with the University of Nebraska, Kearney State was often referred to as "K State", which is the same informal name as Kansas State University.

State Representative C.J. Warner of Waverly introduced the 1903 bill creating the institution; his son, State Senator Jerome Warner, introduced the bill making UNK a part of the University.

The school mascot is the "loper," as in "antelope," the standard American name for the animal more specifically called a pronghorn. UNK competes in NCAA Division II and is a member of the MIAA. It is also home to the annual Nebraska high school state speech meet and state one-act competitions.