Southeast Missouri State University

Southeast Missouri State University was founded in 1873 when a group of businessmen and politicians successfully lobbied the State of Missouri to designate Cape Girardeau as the home of the Third District Normal School . Originally known as Southeast Missouri State Normal School, the first classes were taught at the nearby Lorimier School until April 1875, when the first university building was completed. The university has had five names in its history: [ 6 ] Southeast Missouri State Normal School , 1873–1881 Missouri State Normal School—Third District , 1881–1919 Southeast Missouri State Teachers College , 1919–1946 Southeast Missouri State College , 1946–1973 Southeast Missouri State University , 1973–present The Normal building was described in 1883 by Mark Twain in Life on the Mississippi as "a bright new edifice, picturesquely and peculiarly towered and pinnacled—a sort of gigantic casters, with the cruets all complete." [ 7 ] It burned down on April 8, 1902, [ 8 ] and was replaced in 1906 by Academic Hall, the school's domed landmark building. Academic Hall was designed by Jerome Bibb Legg , who also designed the St. Louis Exposition and Music Hall , and it includes light fixtures from the 1904 World's Fair . Academic Hall today stands at the center of campus and houses administrative offices, classrooms, and an auditorium. Academic Hall, ca. 1906 In the 1950s, Southeast Missouri State College had an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students. Enrollment steadily increased to more than 7,000 students in the 1970s. The college moved away from its focus on training teachers and began to offer courses of study in business, nursing, and the liberal arts. The size campus grew rapidly in this same period. In 1956, the institution had ten buildings on campus. By 1975, the number had increased to twenty-two buildings. [ citation needed ] In 1998, the university acquired the former St. Vincent's Seminary located in downtown Cape Girardeau on the Mississippi River .

[ 9 ] This property has been redeveloped as the River Campus, which opened in Fall 2007 and houses the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts. [ 10 ] The construction of the River Campus began to shift the institution's focus towards the visual and performing arts, which today forms the basis of the university's statewide reputation. Missouri State Normal School Third District President John Sephus McGhee established the University Schools on June 15, 1897. This allowed prospective teachers to gain real-world teaching experience while earning their degrees. [ 11 ] As the university expanded its curriculum and extra-curricular activities, so did the University Schools. In 1903, as recent construction allowed for more space for university classes, the training school was able to expand its class sizes as well. The University Schools consisted of an elementary, junior high, and high school. The University Schools closed at the end of the 1986–1987 school year due to increasing costs. [ 12 ] University presidents Lucius H. Cheney (1873–76) Alfred Kirk (1876–77) Charles Henry Dutcher (1877–81) Richard Chapman Norton (1881–93) Willard Duncan Vandiver (1893–97) John Sephus McGhee (1897–99) Washington Strother Dearmont (1899–1921) Joseph Archibald Serena (1921–33) Walter Winfield Parker (1933–56) Mark F. Scully (1956–75) Robert E. Leestamper (1975–79) Bill W. Stacy (1979–89) Robert W. Foster (1989–90) Kala Stroup (1990–95) Bill Atchley (1995–96) Dale F. Nitzschke (1996–99) Kenneth W. Dobbins (1999–2015) Carlos Vargas-Aburto (2015–2025) Brad Hodson (2025-Present)

River Campus Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall The River Campus is home to the Earl and Margie Holland School of Visual and Performing Arts. The facilities incorporate two buildings: the Seminary Building and the Cultural Arts Center. These buildings contain the Donald C. Bedell Performance Hall, the Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum, the John and Betty Glenn Convocation Center, the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre, the Robert F. and Gertrude L. Shuck Music Recital Hall, and the River Campus Art Gallery. It is home to the departments of Art, Music, Theater and Dance. The River Campus hosts many performance series: the Theater and Dance Series, the Symphony Series, the Southeast Ensemble Series, the Jazz Series, the Faculty Recital Series and Sundays at Three chamber music Series. The Rosemary Berkel and Harry L. Crisp II Museum and Art Gallery features rotating touring exhibitions.

Southeast and Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff agreed in 2004 to share higher education facilities at three locations in southeast Missouri: Sikeston , Kennett , and Malden . In spring 2005, Southeast eliminated Three Rivers courses from those centers, citing failure of the community college to pay approximately $10,000 in facilities-use fees. Southeast took over all course offerings at the centers, which have subsequently been named regional campuses of Southeast Missouri State University. Three Rivers Community College filed a lawsuit in March 2005 against Southeast. [ 13 ] [ 14 ] The lawsuit was subsequently dropped, and Southeast and Three Rivers recently announced plans to develop a joint bachelor's degree program in social work. [ 15 ] Southeast now operates four regional campuses, at Kennett, Malden, Sikeston, and Perryville . [ 16 ]