Harris–Stowe State University (HSSU) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
historically black university in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. The university offers 50 majors, minors, and certificate programs in education, business, and arts & sciences. It is a member-school of the
Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It is located immediately east of the
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...
campus. The school had an enrollment of 1,098 students in 2023.
History
HSSU has roots in more than one institution; one with a White student body, one with a Black student body, one pre-
emancipation
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure Economic, social and cultural rights, economic and social rights, civil and political rights, po ...
and the other post-emancipation. Origins of HSSU, pre-emancipation, began 1857 when the
St. Louis Public Schools founded St. Louis Normal School, a Whites-only school, and post-emancipation in 1890 as the Sumner Normal School, solely for the preparation of African American women, as elementary school teachers. These institutions had these things in common, they were racially segregated, they were
women-only, and all their graduates were school teachers.
[
Although two separate institutions, prior to 1954, for a period of time, John L. Purdom, was president of both institutions during the 1930s. St. Louis Normal School (Harris Teachers College) and Sumner Normal School (Stowe Teachers College) started to admit men in 1940. They merged into a single institution after 1954.][
]
St. Louis Normal School
In 1857, pre-emancipation, St. Louis Public Schools established a normal school. The St. Louis Normal School was established solely for the preparation of White women as elementary school teachers. This campus was Whites-only. The student body was limited to women-only.
Post-emancipation, it was named Harris Teachers College, after William Torrey Harris. The former St. Louis superintendent of schools, he had also served as the United States Commissioner of Education, during the late 19th to early 20th century, 1889-1906.[
Pre-emancipation, 1863, Anna Brackett became principal of the school. It was the first normal school led by a woman in the United States. During her tenure, Brackett worked to ensure female students had access to higher education and liberal studies as preparation for professional teaching. She made two proposals to the Board of Education that were eventually adopted. Her proposal was an age requirement for entrance to the school. Another proposal, there should be an entrance exam for admission. In 1872, Brackett resigned as principal. There were changes in the curriculum that went against her beliefs.
In 1920, Harris Teachers College became a four-year undergraduate institution authorized to grant a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree.][
]
Sumner Normal School
In 1890, St. Louis Public Schools established the Sumner Normal School to train Black teachers in St. Louis.[ In 1924, Sumner Normal School was authorized to issue a four-year Bachelor of Arts in Education degree.][
In 1929, its name was changed to Stowe Teachers College, inspired by ]Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and wrote the popular novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (185 ...
, whose novel, ''Uncle Tom's Cabin
''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two Volume (bibliography), volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans ...
,'' had promoted the abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world.
The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...
cause in the antebellum United States.["Campus History".]
Harris-Stowe State University.
Retrieved 2013-12-23. From 1930 until 1940, Stowe Teachers College was situated in the former Simmons Colored School campus.[ With ]
Merging two St. Louis colleges
The U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision in ''Brown v. Board of Education
''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the ...
'' mandated integration of public school systems. In response to this, Harris and Stowe Colleges were merged into one institution, which retained the "Harris Teachers College" name. At the behest of Stowe alumni and other St. Louisans, the name "Stowe" was added, and the school became Harris-Stowe College.[
]
Branching out into higher education and state college status
In 1979, the college was added to the state system of public higher education, under the name of Harris-Stowe State College. Another four-year education degree was added to offer a Bachelor of Science in Education. By 1981, more programs were added to offer several new degrees in education, including the B.S. in Urban Education, designed to enable non-teaching urban education personnel to address problems specific to urban schools; and a degree in Business Administration.[
]
University status
In 2005, the college attained university status. Renamed Harris–Stowe State University.[ The school enrolled 1,098 students in 2023.]
Geographical Historic Registry status
The Stowe Teachers College building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 2004. Resulting from the 1998 study, and its 2010 extension, of historic resources in the Ville neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri.
Academics and accreditation
Academics
The Department of Academic Affairs have three academic units:
* Anheuser-Busch School of Business
* College of Arts & Sciences
* College of Education
Degree programs at Harris-Stowe require general education studies.
William L. Clay, Sr. Early Childhood Development/Parenting Education Center
The William L. Clay, Sr. Early Childhood Development/Parenting Education Center is an early childhood child care center located on campus. Harris-Stowe invested $11 million into the new facility to train early learning professionals, provide parenting education, and offer high quality day care for children. Harris-Stowe was awarded an FY09 Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) start-up and expansion grant to assist in the purchase of developmentally appropriate materials for the center's new infant/toddler rooms.
Accreditation
Harris–Stowe State University is accredited
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
by 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 ...
. The Anheuser-Busch School of Business is also accredited by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs and the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. The School of Education is also accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is a professional accreditor focused on accrediting teacher education programs in U.S. colleges and universities. It was founded in 2013 as a result of the merger of two predecesso ...
.
Ranking
Harris-Stowe State University was ranked #55-#70 in Regional Colleges Midwest in 2020 by '' U S News & World Report''.
Student activities
Student organizations
The Office of Student Engagement sponsors or hosts more than thirty activities or special interest clubs and approximately a dozen academic clubs and honor societies, several campus affiliate chapters of national organizations, and nearly 12 Greek organizations (mostly in conjunction with other St. Louis area colleges and universities).
Academic organizations
* Sigma Alpha Pi National Honor Society
* Alpha Chi Honor Society
* Accounting Students Association
* Kappa Delta Pi
* Kappa Mu Epsilon (Math Honor Society)
* Delta Mu Delta
Athletics
The Harris–Stowe State athletic teams are called the Hornets. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for higher education, colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic schola ...
(NAIA), primarily competing in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) since the 1986–87 academic year. Their mascot is the Hornet.
Harris–Stowe State competes in 12 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, soccer and track & field (indoor and outdoor); while women's sports include basketball, soccer, softball, track & field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading.
Men's basketball
The Harris–Stowe State men's basketball team won the American Midwest Conference tournament championship in 2017 and 2018.
Notable alumni
* Arlene Ackerman, former superintendent of public schools in District of Columbia, San Francisco and Philadelphia
* John Burton (1910–1992), first African-American mayor in Michigan
* Cori Bush
Cori Anika Bush (born July 21, 1976) is an American politician, nurse, pastor, and Black Lives Matter activist who served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for from 2021 to 2025. The district includes all of the ...
, Representative for Missouri's 1st congressional district
Missouri's 1st congressional district is in the eastern portion of the state. It includes all of St. Louis, St. Louis City and much of northern St Louis County, Missouri, St. Louis County, including the cities of Maryland Heights, Missouri, Mar ...
* David S. Cunningham, Jr., Los Angeles, California, City Council member, 1973–87
* Kimberly Gardner, politician and former circuit attorney for St. Louis, Missouri
* Julius Hunter, retired television anchorman, former St. Louis University vice-president, author
* Bobby Wilks, U.S. Coast Guard aviator, first African-American promoted to Captain in the Coast Guard
* DJ Tab, hip hop DJ, record producer, and entrepreneur
* J. B. "Jet" Banks (1924–2003) American Democratic politician who served in the Missouri Senate
The Missouri Senate is the upper chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 34 members, representing districts with an average population of 181,000. Its members serve four-year terms, with half the seats being up for election every two yea ...
References
External links
*
Official athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris-Stowe State University
University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri
Tudor Revival architecture in Missouri
Public universities and colleges in Missouri
Historically black universities and colleges in the United States
Universities and colleges in St. Louis
Universities and colleges established in 1857
1857 establishments in Missouri
National Register of Historic Places in St. Louis
African-American history of Missouri