Mississippi University for Women (MUW or "The W") is a coeducationalpublic university in Columbus, Mississippi. It was formerly named the Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls[2] and later the Mississippi State College for Women. Men have been admitted to MUW since 1982 and today make up about 20 percent of the student body.[3] As a public liberal arts college, MUW is one of just thirty universities in the United States and Canada to be selected for membership in the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges.
Looking north on Serenade DrivePhysical distance sign behind Callaway Hall
History
Upon its establishment in 1884, Mississippi University for Women became the first public women's college in the United States. Then formally called the Mississippi Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls (II&C), the institution was created by an act of the Mississippi Legislature on March 12, 1884, for the dual purposes of providing a liberal arts education for white women and preparing them for employment.[4] The II&C was located in Columbus on a campus formerly occupied by the Columbus Female Institute, a private college founded in 1847. The II&C's first session began on October 22, 1885,[4] with an enrollment of approximately 250 students. Dr. Richard Watson Jones was selected by the State Institutions of Higher Learning board of trustees as the university's first president. President Jones also taught physics and chemistry at the institute, and he was joined that first year by 17 additional faculty members.[4]
The name of the institution changed to Mississippi State College for Women in 1920 to reflect an emphasis on collegiate, rather than vocational, education.
In 1966, three local women from Hunt High School became the first black undergraduates at MSCW. They lived off campus, as the dormitories remained segregated until 1968. At the same time, three teachers from Hunt became the first graduate students at the school. The students were known collectively as The Fabulous Six.[5][6]
In 1974, the name was changed to the Mississippi University for Women to reflect the expanded academic programs, including graduate studies. All other Mississippi state colleges were also designated universities at this time.
In 1982, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the case of Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan that the nursing school's single-sex admissions policies were in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Following this decision, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning ordered the university to change its policies to allow the admission of qualified men into all university programs. In 1988, the Board of Trustees reaffirmed the mission of MUW as an institution providing quality academic programs for all qualified students, with emphasis on distinctive opportunities for women.
In a 1997 article in Innovative Higher Education, Dale Thorn described MUW's successful attempt to avoid a merger with another institution and to remain a separate entity.[8]
In 2009, President Dr. Claudia Limbert announced the possibility of changing the university's name to "Reneau University". The Mississippi State legislature did not approve the change.[9]
On February 1, 2019, Nora Roberts Miller was inaugurated as the first alumna president of Mississippi University for Women.[10] She was named the 15th president on September 15, 2018, by the State Institutions of Higher Learning board of trustees.[11]
In 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked The W 15th as a best value among public Southern regional universities and 18th among the top public schools. The university also lands in the top 10 on the social mobility scale.[13]
MUW competes in 15 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
History
Originally a women's institution, it became a co-educational university in 1982, but men's sports were not introduced until the 2017–18 school year (when the school re-instated its athletic program and joined the USCAA) with baseball, cross country, and soccer; basketball, golf, and tennis began the following year, and track and field the year after.
The damage from a November 10, 2002, F3 tornado caused MUW to cancel athletic programs until 2017. The tornado ripped through the MUW campus, particularly on the southern half of campus. Nearly half (26 of 60) buildings on campus were damaged, some heavily; the Edna Pohl gymnasium was leveled.
In June 2021, MUW was admitted to the SLIAC as a full member to begin play during the 2022–23 academic year.[14] MUW became an active Division III member that year.
Accomplishments
MUW (then known as Mississippi State College for Women) won the 1971 national championship in women's basketball, defeating West Chester State, 57–55. In the 1972 AIAW National Basketball Championship, MSCW finished fourth, losing in the semifinals to the legendary Immaculata team.
