St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University   (University)
Formation	1869
Headquarters	Minnesota, USA
Type	Public
Other name	Huskies
Until 1957 St. Cloud State Teachers College

St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest schools in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. Its enrollment in 2019 was approximately 16,000 students, and it has nearly 110,000 alumni.

History

St. Cloud State opened its doors to students in 1869, under the name Third State Normal School. The school was one building, the Stearns House, a renovated hotel purchased by the state Legislature for $3,000. Classrooms were on the first floor, the model school was on the second floor and a women's dormitory was housed on the third floor. The five-member faculty was headed by Principal Ira Moore. Of the 53 original students, 43 were women. As the number of female students increased, Stearns House was completely transformed into a women's dormitory in 1874; male students organized a boarding club where they located a house near campus, overseen by a matron.

In 1898, the school began offering a junior college curriculum. In 1914, the school dropped its secondary education program. The Legislature authorized a name change in 1921 to St. Cloud State Teachers College. In 1957, the word "Teachers" was deleted. The first bachelor's degrees were awarded in 1925. Master's degree programs were first offered in 1953.

In 1975, St. Cloud State became a university, comprising five colleges and a graduate school. The Herberger Business School is one of only seven AACSB accredited business schools in Minnesota. Six bachelor's degree programs in the College of Science and Engineering are accredited through the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc.

In 1987, men's hockey became an NCAA Division I program. Two years later the team moved into a new two-rink arena called the National Hockey Center. The building, now called the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, is undergoing a $30 million expansion and renovation. The renovations were to consist of three phases. Phase I, which is completed, added an atrium, more suites, restrooms and concession stands on the arena's south side, a pro shop on the west concourse, space for the Red & Black Society, and a general facelift to the south side. The Red and Black Society uses an unfinished space on the third floor of the atrium. Phases II and III of the renovation are to complete the third floor of the atrium and add hot water, concession stands and restrooms to the arena's north side. These phases are on hold indefinitely due to financial constraints.

Applied doctoral degrees were first offered in 2007. Students can pursue an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration or Educational Administration and Leadership.

In 2010, the university teamed with the private sector to build a welcome center and student-housing complex at Coborn Plaza, adjacent to campus. The university leases the Welcome Center and Coborn Plaza Apartments. In 2020, the university's lease on the building will expire and not be renewed. The building's management company, Great Lakes Management, will operate the building as a completely private housing option for students.

The Integrated Science and Engineering Laboratory Facility (ISELF), which broke ground in October 2011, went into service in fall 2013. ISELF is the final project of St. Cloud State's three-part Science Initiative. The $14.5 million addition to the Wick Science Building was completed in January 2009. The $15 million renovation of Brown Hall was finished in December 2009.

Notable alumni

• Grayce Kaneda Uyehara – national director of the Japanese American Citizens League Legislative Education Committee during lobbying efforts for the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which issued an apology for Japanese-American internment during World War II and paid reparations to surviving former internees.
• John Stumpf – former Chairman, CEO and president of Wells Fargo & Company
• James B. Bullard – President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis
• Bonnie Henrickson – women's basketball coach at University of California, Santa Barbara
• Jim Graves – founder, chairman and CEO of Graves Hospitality Corporation
• David Frederickson – Commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture
• Jodi Huisentruit – television news anchor who went missing in Iowa June 27, 1995
• Haley Kalil – Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue model and Miss Minnesota USA
• Jessica Kresa – TNA professional wrestler known as ODB.
• Leo Kottke – Grammy-nominated finger-style acoustic guitar virtuoso with a four-decade recording career
• Warren Limmer – A Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota Senate representing the 34th District, which includes portions of Hennepin County in the northwestern Twin Cities metropolitan area. Limmer previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
• Winston Borden - Minnesota State Senator, Senate 1971-72 (District 53); Senate 1973-78 (District 13)
• Harold J. Nevin, Jr. – U.S. National Guard general
• H. Timothy ("Tim") Vakoc – first U.S. military chaplain to die from wounds received in the Iraq War.
• Terrence "Lee" Zehrer – American entrepreneur and internet pioneer. Founder of one of the first online dating services, Kiss.com.
• Richard Dean Anderson – actor (MacGyver)
• Dan Bakkedahl – actor (The Heat, Legit)
• John Hawkes – Oscar-nominated film and television actor
• Billy Flynn – film and television actor

 

Alumni on Wikispooks

Person	Born	Died	Summary	Description
Nick Begich	6 April 1932	16 October 1972		A US congressman whose small plane disappeared without trace in Alaska, together with Hale Boggs and two other men.
John E. Otto	18 December 1938	22 April 2020	Spook	FBI agent in charge of the Minneapolis and then Chicago field offices, later acting director.

Many thanks to our Patrons who cover ~2/3 of our hosting bill. Please join them if you can.