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Murray State College

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Coordinates: 34°13′20″N 96°40′33″W / 34.22222°N 96.67583°W / 34.22222; -96.67583
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This article is about a two-year college in Oklahoma. For the four-year college in Kentucky, see Murray State University.
Murray State College
Former names
Murray State School of Agriculture
TypePublic
Junior College
Established1908
PresidentJoy McDaniel
Students2,200
Location
Tishomingo
,
Oklahoma
,
United States
CampusRural
MascotAggies
Websitewww.mscok.edu

Murray State College is a public community college in southeastern Oklahoma with the main campus located in Tishomingo, Oklahoma. The college is named in honor of former Oklahoma Governor William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray.

Murray State College also maintains a smaller campus in Ardmore, Oklahoma as one of four state higher education institutions that participate at the University Center of Southern Oklahoma (the other three are Oklahoma State University, Southeastern State University, and East Central University).

History

Murray State College was established as the Murray State School of Agriculture in accordance with a law passed by the first Oklahoma Legislature (approved May 20, 1908). It was named after William H. Murray (known as "Alfalfa Bill") who, although he was European American, had served as legal advisor to Governor Douglas H. Johnston of the Chickasaw Nation, was his delegate to the 1905 convention to draft a constitution for the proposed State of Sequoyah, and was the president of the constitutional convention to draft a document to create the state of Oklahoma, admitted to the union in 1907.

The college's first students, numbering about 100, were primarily Chickasaw and Choctaw. At first they had to board with families in town, but Federal funding paid for two dormitories for Native American students that opened in 1916.[1] On March 17, 1924, the Oklahoma Legislature approved a measure to enable the institution to teach the first two years of higher educational instruction,[citation needed] and it became a community college, granting its first associate degrees in 1924.[1]

"Alfalfa Bill" Murray was elected as the ninth governor of the state in 1930. His nephew, Clive Murray, was appointed as president of the school in 1931 and served until 1961. The school was renamed in 1955 as Murray State Agricultural College. It was renamed again in 1967, as Murray State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, reflecting its expanded programs.[1]

In 1972, the school was removed from the authority of the Board of Regents for Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges and a separate board of regents was appointed to manage it. At the time, the institution was renamed Murray State College.[1] (It is not to be confused with Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky).

Academics

Murray State College offers Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science degree programs.

Alumni

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Kirk A. Rodden, "Murray State College", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Accessed October 12, 2010
  2. ^ Randy Krehbiel, "Former Creek Nation chief, Jenks football coach Perry Beaver dies", Tulsa World, July 15, 2014.
  3. ^ "Johnston Murray". National Governors Association. Retrieved 12 September 2012.

34°13′20″N 96°40′33″W / 34.22222°N 96.67583°W / 34.22222; -96.67583

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