Adams State University
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Adams State University is a
public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...
in Alamosa, Colorado. The university's
Adams State Grizzlies The Adams State Grizzlies are the athletic teams that represent Adams State University, located in Alamosa, Colorado, in NCAA Division II intercollegiate sports. The Grizzlies compete as members of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference for al ...
athletic teams compete in the
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC), commonly known as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) from approximately 1910 through the late 1960s, is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (N ...
.


History

Adams State was founded in 1921 as a
teacher's college Teachers College, Columbia University (TC), is the graduate school of education, health, and psychology of Columbia University, a private research university in New York City. Founded in 1887, it has served as one of the official faculties ...
. Billy Adams, a
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...
legislator who would later become a three-term
governor of Colorado The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either app ...
, worked for three decades before obtaining the authorization to found Adams State Normal School in 1921, to provide higher education opportunities for teachers from remote and rural areas of Colorado, such as the San Luis Valley, and see them work in those same areas. In 1926, Harriet Dalzell Hester became the university's first graduate. She became the school's first librarian and an
Alamosa County Alamosa County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,376. The county seat is Alamosa. The county name is the Spanish language word for a " grove of cottonwood trees." History Alamosa ...
school superintendent. The school adopted the name Adams State College in 1946, corresponding with the expansion of its undergraduate and graduate programs. In 2012, the institution's name changed again, to Adams State University. The university gained some national attention in 2016 when its online classes came under scrutiny. The university's regional accreditor, the
Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...
, placed the university on probation. In 2018, the probation was lifted and the university's status was restored to "Accredited." The university also came into the national spotlight when it placed president Beverlee McClure on leave after employees lodged complaints about her "caustic behavior." Dr. Cheryl D. Lovell, Ph.D., was named the interim president and appointed to serve a 12-month term beginning July 1, 2018.


Presidents

Presidents have been: *
Ira Richardson Ira Richardson (1871 – October 6, 1958) was a president of Northwest Missouri State University and founding president of Adams State College. Early life Richardson was a native of northern Missouri and received a degree from Central Method ...
(1925–1950) * William Newson (1950–1952) * Fred J. Plachy (1952–1966) * John A. Marvel (1966–1977) * Milton Byrd (1978–1980) * Marv Motz (interim, 1980) * William M. Fulkerson, Jr. (1981–1993) * Marv Motz (interim, 1993–1994) * J. Thomas Gilmore (1995–2002) * Lee Halgren (interim, 2002–2004) * Richard A. Wueste (2004–2005) * David Svaldi (2005–2015) * Beverlee J. McClure (2015–2018) * Matt Nehring (interim, Spring 2018) * Cheryl D. Lovell (2018–2022) * Kent Buchanan (acting, June 2022) * David A. Tandberg (interim, as of July 1, 2022)


Academics

Adams State offers bachelor's degrees in 16 different academic programs, with nearly 60 emphases, five teacher licensure programs, and ten pre-professional programs, in addition to seven master's degrees and one doctoral degree. Students can also earn an associate of art or science degree at Adams State.


Campus

Adams State University's campus is located in the heart of the San Luis Valley. All of the university's academic and residential buildings are located on its contiguous campus.


Academic buildings

The main administration building and oldest building on campus is Richardson Hall, named after the school's first president, Dr. Ira Richardson. The home of the math and science curriculum, Porter Hall, is named for alumnus William A. Porter, the creator of
E-Trade E-Trade Financial Corporation (stylized as E*TRADE) is a financial services subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, which offers an electronic trading platform to trade financial assets. The company receives revenue from interest income on margin balan ...
and a major benefactor of the school. McDaniel Hall, named for donor and emeritus faculty member Dr. John McDaniel, is the main venue for English, psychology, history, sociology, and teacher education classes. Campus edifices for the performing arts include the Adams State University Theater (erected in 2001), the Music Building (which underwent major renovations in 2011) and the Leon Memorial Concert Hall.


Athletic facilities

There are two gyms and an indoor pool. The Rex Activity Center for student recreation includes weights, exercise bikes, rock climbing wall, and racquet ball courts. Plachy Hall includes the gym and indoor pool and field house as part of the Athletics Department. The Rex Stadium has undergone major renovation including the addition of the Residence at the Rex. The new complex includes suites for game viewing. The new residence hall provides one of the most impressive views, with a view of Mount Blanca (one of the 14ers of Colorado) to the east and overlooking the track and football field to the west. A new $750,000 video-tron screen displays action and replays at one end of the field.


Residences

There are currently six on-campus apartment complexes (Houtchens, McCurry, Moffat, Petteys, Savage and Residence at the Rex) that include private bedrooms for two to three students, a kitchen/living room and private bath, in addition to three traditional dormitory halls (Conour, Coronado and Girault). Most entering freshmen are housed in Coronado and Girault Halls. The main cafeteria, La Mesa Dining Hall, in the Student Union Building is newly renovated.


Athletics


NCAA

The Adams State Grizzlies compete in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) at the NCAA Division II level. Grizzly teams compete in men's baseball, basketball, cross country, football, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, track and field, and wrestling; and women's  basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, track and field, and volleyball. The Grizzlies have won 222 RMAC team championships and 64 team National Championships. Individually, Adams State has produced 268 national champions and 1,937 All-Americans. The school's sports teams are now called the Grizzlies and were formerly known as the Indians.


Notable alumni

*
David E. Clemmer David E. Clemmer (February 23, 1965, Alamosa, Colorado) is an analytical chemist and the Distinguished Professor and Robert and Marjorie Mann Chair of Chemistry at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where he leads the Clemmer Group. Cle ...
, named to the ''Popular Science'' "10 Most Brilliant List" in 2002 *
Don Cockroft Donald Lee Cockroft (born February 6, 1945) is a former American football punter and placekicker who played 13 seasons in the National Football League with the Cleveland Browns. He has the third most career points for a Brown behind fellow kicker ...
, former American football punter and placekicker for the Cleveland Browns *
Gary W. Gallagher Gary William Gallagher is an American historian specializing in the history of the American Civil War. Gallagher is currently the John L. Nau III Professor in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia. He produced a ...
, historian of U. S. Civil War, professor at University of Virginia *
Carlos Lucero Carlos F. Lucero (born November 23, 1940) is an American attorney and jurist serving as a senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. Early life and education Lucero was born in Antonito, C ...
, federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit * Neal Nelson, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach * Chris Perry, former professional football player *
Pat Porter Patrick ("Pat") Ralph Porter (May 31, 1959 – July 26, 2012) was an American distance runner. Born in Wadena, Minnesota, he graduated from Adams State in 1982 with a degree in marketing, after which he became one of the most dominant ...
, two-time Olympian runner * William A. Porter, co-founder of
E-Trade E-Trade Financial Corporation (stylized as E*TRADE) is a financial services subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, which offers an electronic trading platform to trade financial assets. The company receives revenue from interest income on margin balan ...
* Shakir Smith, professional basketball player * Bill Stone, former football running back for the Chicago Bruisers (arena football) * Myron Thompson, Member of Parliament (1993-2008) in the Canadian House of Commons * Donald Valdez, Colorado State Representative representing Colorado's 62nd district * Joe Vigil, PhD, track and field coach; Olympic long-distance running coach (1998) * Travante Williams, professional basketball player


References


External links

* {{authority control Liberal arts colleges in Colorado Public universities and colleges in Colorado Buildings and structures in Alamosa, Colorado Education in Alamosa County, Colorado Educational institutions established in 1921 1921 establishments in Colorado