Winona State University
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Winona State University (Winona) is a
public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...
in
Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, in the state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf. The city is named after legendary figure Winona, who ...
. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first
normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...
west of the Mississippi River. WSU offers more than 80 programs on its main campus as well as collegiate programs on satellite campuses at Winona State University-Rochester and the Winona West Campus. Its average annual enrollment is approximately 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Its sports teams compete as the
Winona State Warriors The Winona State Warriors are the athletic teams of Winona State University, located in Winona, Minnesota. They compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA Division II, Division II for all sports except for women's gymnastics, ...
in the NCAA Division II athletics in 14 sports, primarily in the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the western Midwestern United States. Nine of its ...
.


History

Winona State University was founded as the First State Normal School, an institution specifically for educating and producing new elementary school teachers. In the 1850s, Minnesota was on the
American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of United States territorial acquisitions, American expansion in mainland North Amer ...
and lacked trained teachers. Winona settler John Ford lobbied the
Minnesota Legislature The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota consisting of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Senators are elected from 67 single-member districts. In order to account for decennia ...
to establish normal schools and rallied more than $5,000 in local donations to establish the state's first such institution. It was also the first tax-funded school west of the
Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...
. Classes at Winona Normal School began in September 1860, but the next year most of the male students as well as the principal and other staff left to serve in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
. The school closed in March 1862 due to the war, then for another two years due to the
Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin (; Dakota language, Dakota: Help:IPA, /otʃʰeːtʰi ʃakoːwĩ/) are groups of Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribes and First Nations in Canada, First Nations peoples in North America. The ...
War of 1862. Its first class graduated in 1866. The program soon added a
laboratory school A laboratory school or demonstration school is an elementary or secondary school operated in association with a university, college, or other teacher education institution and used for the training of future teachers, educational experimentation, ...
in which local children received education from faculty while students observed or, occasionally, led lessons themselves. The normal school quickly outgrew its original four-room building, but state funding and local donations of money and land led to the construction of a proper facility in 1869. The campus expanded with two new wings on "Old Main" in 1894, a library/gymnasium/kindergarten building—Ogden Hall—in 1909, and a women's dormitory—Morey Hall—in 1910. In 1915 a new building was constructed to house the laboratory school, and a second women's dormitory—Shepard Hall—appeared in 1920. Winona State Normal School became Winona Teachers College in 1921 and was authorized to grant a four-year
Bachelor of Education A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order for ...
degree. In December 1922 a fire broke out in Old Main and completely destroyed it. No one was harmed, as it was during a term break. Local public buildings and churches offered space for classes and administrative business until a new main building, College Hall, was constructed in 1924. The 1915 Model School Building, now Phelps Hall, and the 1924 College Hall, now Somsen Hall, were listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 2013 for having local significance in education. They were nominated as examples of the normal school movement, which helped shape public education in Minnesota. Winona Normal School was Minnesota's first teacher training school and first laboratory school, and operated from 1860 to 1971.


Name changes

* First State Normal School of Minnesota (1858) * Winona Normal School (1873) * Winona State Teachers' College (1921) * Winona State College (1957) * Winona State University (1975)


Academics

Winona State University offers 65 undergraduate programs and 12 graduate programs. It was one of the earliest universities in the country to offer a "Laptop University" program, now known as the e-Warrior Digital Life and Learning Program. In this program, each student, upon acceptance, is required to lease their choice of either an
Apple Macintosh The Mac (known as Macintosh until 1999) is a family of personal computers designed and marketed by Apple Inc. Macs are known for their ease of use and minimalist designs, and are popular among students, creative professionals, and software en ...
or Microsoft Windows-based laptop from the university. In 2013 WSU became the first public university in the Midwest to offer a tablet and a laptop to all students. The program's purpose is to increase the bond between education and technology. Each Winona State University student pays 43 cents per credit to fund the Minnesota State University Student Association, a student-led nonprofit that advocates on behalf of all Minnesota state university students.


International education

The International Services Office is the initial contact for all international students. Winona State University provides scholarship opportunities for International Students. Winona State University has established many sister school relations with colleges and universities around the world, including
Tamkang University Tamkang University (TKU; ) is a private university in Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. It was founded in 1950 as a junior college of English literature. Today it is a comprehensive university with 11 colleges that serves nearly 25,000 ...
in Taiwan,
Hebei University of Technology The Hebei University of Technology (HEBUT; ) is a provincial public university in Tianjin, China. HEBUT is sponsored by Hebei Provincial People's Government, Tianjin Municipal People's Government and the Ministry of Education of China, which s ...
in Mainland China,
Akita University is a Japanese national university in Akita City, Japan. Established in 1949, it comprises four graduate schools and four undergraduate faculties. History Akita University was established in 1949 by the merger of Akita Normal School (established ...
,
Tokyo International University is a private, research-oriented liberal arts university in collaboration with Tokyo University in Greater Tokyo Area that is regarded as one of the most international institutions of higher learning in Japan. TIU was founded in 1965 with a focus o ...
,
Toyo University is a university with several branches in Japan, including Hakusan, Asaka, Kawagoe, Itakura, and Akabane. Overview The predecessor to Toyo University was , which was founded at Rinsho-in Temple by Enryo Inoue in 1887. Inoue felt that the ...
in Japan,
Soonchunhyang University Soonchunhyang University (SCH) is a private university in Asan, South Korea. SCH was founded by Dr. Succ-Jo Suh in 1978 as a medical college with 80 students. It expanded to a comprehensive university in 1980, offering both undergraduate and ...
,
Chung-Ang University Chung-Ang University (CAU; ) is a private research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is widely regarded as one of the best universities in South Korea. The university operates two campuses: main campus located in Dongjak District, Seoul, and ...
in South Korea, and universities in Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Australia, etc.


Winona State Facilities


Housing

Winona State University uses 16 buildings as on-campus living communities. Nine are on the main campus, three are on West Campus, and four are east of campus.


Kirkland Hall and Haake Hall

Originally named New Hall East and New Center West, Kirkland Hall/Haake Hall opened in 2010 and consists of two adjacent buildings that are mirror images of each other. There are 106 units in this co-ed complex but each unit is single-gendered.


Prentiss-Lucas Hall

Prentiss-Lucas Hall (commonly called P-L) is one of the six freshmen residence halls. Its two sides are mirror-image duplicates of each other (Prentiss is the men's residence side and Lucas the women's), linked by a common lobby and lower level. This hall closed down after the spring semester of 2019, but reopened in fall 2020 to accommodate single-occupancy room housing in response to COVID-19.


The Quad

The Quad has four residence halls that form a square: Conway Hall, Richards Hall, Morey and Shepard Halls. The Quad contains multiple lounges, typically where the four residence halls intersect each other. It houses over 500 students, mostly freshmen. Conway Hall is a four-story building that houses all females. Morey and Shepard Halls are connected in an "L" shape. Morey-Shepard consists of men and women divided by floor. Richards Hall is a four-story residence hall. Richards is also co-ed; the first and third floor, excluding the Richards Annex, house men and the second and fourth women. Morey Hall is the oldest on campus, completed in 1911.


Sheehan Hall

Sheehan Hall was completed for Winona State College as a 14-story women-only hall in 1969. It is now co-ed, and houses most freshmen. The second through 13th floors are residential and the first is a lobby and social area with a full kitchen.


Residential College

The Residential College, also called West Campus, is on the former campus of the
College of Saint Teresa The College of Saint Teresa was a Catholic women's college in Winona, Minnesota. Previously a women's seminary, it became a college in 1907 and was operated by the Sisters of Saint Francis of Rochester, Minnesota until its closing in 1989. Hi ...
, a defunct
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...
.


=Lourdes Hall

= Winona State acquired Lourdes Hall in the early 1990s. It was completed in 1928 for the College of St Teresa.


=Tau Center

= Tau Center was acquired in 2003 and serves as a co-educational residence hall/conference center. It is on Winona State's West Campus, behind Lourdes, and is governed in conjunction with Maria Hall. Tau was previously operated by the
Diocese of Winona In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...
.


=Maria Hall

= Maria Hall was acquired in 2000 and serves as a co-educational, and typically freshman, residence hall, with the first and third floor as female floors, and second and fourth as male floors. Each floor has a full lounge and kitchen, complete with television, furniture, stove, refrigerator, microwave, and toaster. The basement has two large lounges, a kitchen, and a laundry room. Maria Hall is home to just over 200 students. A tunnel connects Maria to Lourdes Hall.


East Lake Apartments

East Lake was built in 2002-03 and opened in 2004, and serves as an apartment complex for both men and women. East Lake typically houses upperclassmen. Students living in East Lake do not need to purchase a meal plan, but can instead choose to get a "Block meal" plan.


Academic and sporting

* KQAL, Winona State's radio station * Krueger Library *
Maxwell Field at Warrior Stadium Altra Federal Credit Union Stadium, also known as Maxwell Field, is a stadium at Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota. It has been the home to Winona State Warriors football team since at least the 1937 season, and the women's soccer team ...
, home of Winona State Warriors football and soccer * Residence Halls at Winona State University *Kryzsko Commons, the primary student center on campus * WSU's Performing Arts Center, home to the theatre arts and dance department and the music department; site of the Great River Shakespeare Festival *The Integrated Wellness Complex aligns counseling, health, academics, intramurals, fitness and athletics into a single facility. *Warrior Hub, home of WSU academic services, including financial aid, registrar, advising, career and account services


Athletics

Winona State University competes in Division II
NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
athletics and its teams are called the Warriors. It is a member of the
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the western Midwestern United States. Nine of its ...
for most sports, except women's gymnastics (
Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) is a college athletic conference that competes in the NCAA's Division III. In women's gymnastics, it competes alongside Division I and II members, as the NCAA sponsors a single champions ...
). The school's first national championship came in 1985 when the gymnastics team took the NAIA Gymnastics title, along with claiming four individual champions and 11 All-American honors, along with National Coach and Gymnast of the Year honors. The same year, the Warrior gymnastics team competed in the NCAA Division II nationals in
Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ...
, taking home the third-place trophy, the first team at Winona State to compete in both affiliations at the national level. Again in 1987, the Warriors claimed the NAIA national title, this time paced by one individual champion and seven All-American honors. Two gymnasts were named Academic All-Americans for their outstanding academic achievements, and the National Coach of the Year award went to the WSU head coach. In the three following years, the gymnasts finished strong in the NCAA II regional competitions and sent individuals to the Division II nationals in 1986 (2) and 1987 (1). In 1989, the team represented the school at the Division II nationals in California after a record-breaking season. The WSU football team won the NSIC conference championship ten times in 15 years (1993–2007). The Warriors have also appeared in postseason playoffs five times. During the 1993 season they appeared in the NAIA I playoffs and they appeared in the NCAA II playoffs in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006, and 2017. They also participated in the Mineral Water Bowl in 2000, 2002, and 2012. The men's basketball team won the 2006
NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championship The NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament (officially styled by the NCAA as a "Championship" instead of a "Tournament") is an annual championship tournament for colleges and universities that are members of NCAA Division II, a grouping of ...
, the university's first NCAA title. On March 7, 2007, the men's basketball team won its 53rd consecutive regular or postseason victory, beating the Division II mark set by
Langston University Langston University (LU) is a public land-grant historically black university in Langston, Oklahoma. It is the only historically black college in the state. Though located in a rural setting east of Guthrie, Langston also serves an urban missio ...
. The streak ended at 57 on March 24, 2007, with a 77-75 loss at the Division II Championship game to the
Barton College Barton College is a private college in Wilson, North Carolina. It is affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and enrolls about 1,200 students on campus. History Barton College was incorporated as Atlantic Christian College ...
Bulldogs on a last-second shot. On March 29, 2008, the men's basketball team defeated
Augusta State University Augusta State University was a public university in Augusta, Georgia. It merged with Georgia Health Sciences University in 2012 to form Georgia Regents University, later known as Augusta University. History Augusta State University was founded ...
87-76 to win its second NCAA Division II National Championship in three years. Winona State's softball team appeared in one
Women's College World Series The Women's College World Series (WCWS) is the final portion of the NCAA Division I softball tournament for college softball in the United States. Eight teams participate in the WCWS, which begins with a double-elimination tournament. In other wo ...
in 1974. Winona State's baseball team played for a national championship on June 4, 2011, facing West Florida in Cary, N.C., in the final of the NCAA Division II World Series, and finishing second. The women's 2012 cross-country team qualified for the NCAA DII National Cross-Country Championship, placing 9th overall. Two runners earned All-American status and set the new school record with a time of 21:11 in the 6K race.


Notable alumni

*
Ali al-Ahmed Ali Abbas al-Ahmed (alt.: Ali AlAhmed) ( ar, علي عباس آل أحمد, Gulf pronunciation: ; born 1966, is a Saudi analyst focusing on the politics of the Persian Gulf region: including terrorism, Islamic movements, Wahhabi Islam, Saudi poli ...
, Saudi scholar, founder of Institute for Gulf Affairs *
Austin Aries Daniel Healy Solwold Jr. (born April 15, 1978), better known by his ring name Austin Aries, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to the Control Your Narrative wrestling promotion. He is best known for his time with Impact Wrest ...
, professional wrestler *
J.D. Barnett Joseph Donald Barnett (born January 10, 1944) is an American retired college basketball coach. He was a former head basketball coach at several NCAA Division I, Division I institutions, the most high-profile being VCU Rams men's basketball, Virgini ...
, basketball coach *
Karla Bigham Karla Bigham ( ; born March 9, 1979) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate, representing District 54. She is also a former Washington County Commissioner and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. She is a ...
, state senator *
John Blatnik John Anton Blatnik (August 17, 1911 – December 17, 1991) was a United States Congressman from Minnesota. He was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), which is affiliated with the Democratic Party. Early life Blat ...
, member of U.S. Congress *
Josh Braaten Joshua M. Braaten (born June 25, 1977) is an American actor. Early life and education Born in Austin, Minnesota, Braaten grew up in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota, and graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in 1995. He graduated in 1999 from ...
, actor *
Logan Clark Logan may refer to: Places * Mount Logan (disambiguation) Australia * Logan (Queensland electoral district), an electoral district in the Queensland Legislative Assembly * Logan, Victoria, small locality near St. Arnaud * Logan City, local gove ...
, wrestler * Kyle and Lane Carlson, models * Gregory Davids, member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...
*
Dick Day Richard Day (born March 9, 1937) in American politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate who represented District 26, which includes portions of Dodge, Freeborn, Goodhue, Mower, Olmsted, Rice, Steele and Waseca counties in the sout ...
, state senator *
Austin W. Lord Austin Willard Lord FAIA (June 27, 1860 – January 19, 1922) was an American architect and painter. He was a partner in the firm of Lord & Hewlett, best known for their work on the design of the former William A. Clark House on Fifth Ave ...
, dean of the School of Architecture at Columbia University, 1912–15 *
Troy Merritt Troy ( el, Τροία and Latin: Troia, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒋫𒊒𒄿𒊭 ''Truwiša'') or Ilion ( el, Ίλιον and Latin: Ilium, Hittite language, Hittite: 𒃾𒇻𒊭 ''Wiluša'') was an ancient city located at Hisarlik in prese ...
, 2009 PGA Tour Q-School medalist *
Gene Pelowski Gene P. Pelowski, Jr. (born February 2, 1952) is Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 26A, which includes Winona County ...
, member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...
*
Tim Penny Timothy Joseph Penny (born November 19, 1951) is an American author, musician, and former politician from Minnesota. Penny was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor member of the United States House of Representatives, 1983–1995, representing Minnesota's ...
, member of U.S. Congress *
Jeanne Poppe Jeanne E. Poppe (born July 6, 1957) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 27B, which includes all or port ...
, member of the
Minnesota House of Representatives The Minnesota House of Representatives is the lower house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. There are 134 members, twice as many as the Minnesota Senate. Floor sessions are held in the north wing of the State Capitol in Saint Pa ...
*
Jake Runestad Jake Runestad (born 20 May 1986) is an American composer and conductor of classical music based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has composed music for a wide variety of musical genres and ensembles, but has achieved greatest acclaim for his wo ...
, composer and conductor *
Jerry Seeman Jerry T. Seeman (March 11, 1936 − November 24, 2013) was an American football official in the National Football League (NFL) from 1975 to 1990 and was the NFL's Senior Director of Officiating from 1991 to 2001, succeeding Art McNally. In his 1 ...
, NFL official * Verner Suomi, father of satellite meteorology * Brian Wrobel, NFL quarterback


See also

* List of colleges and universities in Minnesota *
National Register of Historic Places listings in Winona County, Minnesota This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places listings in Winona County, Minnesota. It is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Winona County, Minnesota, Unite ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Winona State University Athletics website
{{Coord, 44, 02, 51, N, 91, 38, 36, W, type:edu, display=title 1858 establishments in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Winona, Minnesota Education in Winona County, Minnesota Educational institutions established in 1858 National Register of Historic Places in Winona County, Minnesota Tourist attractions in Winona County, Minnesota University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Public universities and colleges in Minnesota