Truman State University (TSU or Truman) is a public liberal arts university in Kirksville, Missouri, United States. It had 3,664 enrolled students in the fall of 2024 pursuing degrees in 55 undergraduate and twelve graduate programs.

The university is named for U.S. President Harry Truman, who was a Missouri native. From 1972 until 1996, the school was known as Northeast Missouri State University.

History

Truman State University was founded in 1867 by Joseph Baldwin as the "North Missouri Normal School and Commercial College." Baldwin was a pioneer in education, and his school quickly gained official recognition in 1870 by the Missouri General Assembly, which designated it as the "First District Normal School," the first public teachers' college in Missouri.

The school served a district comprising 26 counties: including Adair, Audrain, Boone, Callaway, Chariton, Clark, Howard, Knox, Lewis, Lincoln, Linn, Marion, Macon, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Putnam, Ralls, Randolph, St. Charles, Schuyler, Scotland, Shelby, Sullivan, and Warren.

Purple and white were adopted as the school's official colors after Basil Brewer wrote a school song entitled "The Purple and the White." They have remained as the school colors since.

In 1919, the school was renamed "Northeast Missouri State Teachers College." For the next four decades, it was commonly called "Kirksville State."

In 1924, a fire destroyed Baldwin Hall and the college's library. In an attempt to extinguish the fire, the lake (which can be seen in photographs of the campus from before 1924) that was then in the middle of the campus was pumped dry. The area where the lake once stood is now the campus's quadrangle, known as the "Quad," which serves as a gathering place for students to study, socialize with one another, and attend events such as concerts and fairs.

In the first half of the 20th century, the school's mission broadened. By the 1960s, the college was no longer simply a teacher-training school. Reflecting this, it was renamed "Northeast Missouri State College" in 1968.

Only four years later, in 1972, it was renamed Northeast Missouri State University (NMSU). On June 20, 1985, Governor John Ashcroft signed legislation designating the university as Missouri's only statewide public liberal arts and sciences university. This changed the school's focus from regional to statewide. As such, nearly 100 programs were dropped in six years, including all two-year programs that did not fulfill the liberal arts mission.

Coinciding with the tenth anniversary of the university's mission change, Governor Mel Carnahan signed legislation changing its name to "Truman State University". The new name became official on July 1, 1996, and the university remains designated by statute as Missouri's public liberal arts and sciences institution.

In the 2024, U.S. News & World Report placed Truman fifth among Midwest Regional Universities, while Washington Monthly placed Truman No. 12 among master's universities nationwide.

Presidents

+YearsName1867–68North Missouri Normal and Commercial School1868–70North Missouri Normal School1870–1918First District Normal School1918–68Northeast Missouri State Teachers College(Commonly called Kirksville State Teachers College)1968–72Northeast Missouri State College1972–96Northeast Missouri State University1996–presentTruman State University

Board of governors Truman's board of governors consists of ten members. Each member is appointed by the governor of Missouri to serve a four-year term, with a student representative serving for two years. The ten members must meet residential requirements defined by Missouri law. The board of governors also includes four committees: the Finance and Audit Committee, the Budget and Capital Projects Committee, the Honorary Degrees Committee, and the Truman State University Foundation Board of Directors.

Campus

The campus is located on the south side of Kirksville. Truman's main campus is situated around a slightly wooded quadrangle, also known as the "Quad." It is two blocks south of the town square, which includes an eight-screen movie theatre and various eateries and shops.

Notable buildings on campus include Pickler Memorial Library, the Kirk Memorial, the Kirk Building, Magruder Hall, McClain Hall, Baldwin Hall, Violette Hall, Barnett Hall, Ophelia Parrish, Pershing Arena, the Student Union Building and the Recreation Center ("The Rec"). The oldest building is not Kirk Building, but is instead the purple-doored Physical Plant building located between Violette Hall and the Kirk Memorial.

Pickler Memorial Library was named after Samuel M. Pickler, who donated funds to rebuild the library after it was destroyed by fire in 1924. Renovated in 1993, it now houses the main computer lab, as well as approximately 500,000 volumes of various works. The front lobby area of Pickler Memorial Library is known as "the Bubble" for its curved glass atrium.

Kirk Memorial is a small, domed structure near the center of campus. The structure is dedicated to John Kirk, the fifth president of the university. It is mainly used for special events.

The Kirk Building was once the university's combined gymnasium and auditorium facility. Following extensive renovations, it now houses the university's student services, including the Student Health Center, Writing Center, and Career Center.

The Rec is located north of Centennial Hall. It also offers a gymnasium for a variety of sports, a weight room, an elevated track, various exercise equipment, and a small multipurpose gym for hockey, indoor soccer, and other indoor sports.

There are seven main academic buildings. Magruder Hall is the science building and houses the departments of Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and Agriculture. McClain Hall serves as both an administrative and academic building, housing studies in Classical & Modern Languages, Economics, English & Linguistics, History, Philosophy & Religion, and Political Science can be found there. Baldwin Hall is connected to McClain Hall and houses the campus auditorium that is best known for hosting cultural events through the Kohlenberg-Lyceum Series. Violette Hall, named after former history professor E.M. Violette, is home to the School of Business, the Mathematics and Computer Science Department, and the Education Department. Ophelia Parrish (OP) is home to the Art, Music, and Theatre Departments; it is named after Ophelia Parrish (1850-1915), the college's first librarian. Barnett Hall is home to the departments of Anthropology, Geography, and Sociology; Communication; Justice Systems; Psychology; ROTC; and Nursing programs. The Pershing Building, also home to the basketball team's Pershing Arena, houses the Departments of Health and Exercise Science and Communication Disorders.

Academics Admissions Freshman admission to the university is based upon a holistic review of a candidate's academic record. Basic requirements are high school performance and any standardized test scores. Admissions decisions are also based on a mandatory application essay, the applicant's resume including special abilities and talents, and the applicant's high school and extracurricular record. All applicants must have four credits of English, three credits of math, three credits of science, two credits of foreign language, two credits of social studies, and one credit of fine art. According to the Princeton Review, Truman has a selectivity rating of 90 out of 99, with an 80% acceptance rate. In 2023, Truman had an 83.5% freshman retention rate and a 57% four year graduation rate, with 40.1% male, 59.9% female, 64.3% residents of Missouri, 11.0% minority, and 7.2% non-resident aliens. For 2024, admitted freshman students had an average 3.76 high school GPA. The university does not require submission of standardized test scores, as it is a test-optional school. Those accepted that submitted test scores had an average 1070-1330 SAT score (10% submitting scores) or average 23-29 ACT score (77% submitting scores).

Rankings

In addition to the "Academic rankings" listed to the right, for 2025, U.S. News & World Report ranked Truman #1 in Top Public Schools, and #11 in Best Value Schools, of all Regional Universities Midwest. Truman has a 12:1 student/faculty ratio and 67% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

The Liberal Studies program On July 20, 1985, the state of Missouri charged Truman State University with serving as the state's public liberal arts and sciences university. To meet this commitment to the people of Missouri, the Truman faculty and administration created the Liberal Studies Program, the general education curriculum undergraduates complete to receive a Truman degree.

Schools

The academic programs at Truman State University are organized within three schools: Arts and Humanities, Science and Mathematics, and Business and Professional Studies.

The School of Arts and Humanities is the home of the departments of Art and Design, Communication and Theatre Arts, English, Languages and Linguistics, Music, and Social Sciences and Human Inquiry. The School offers degrees in Art, Classics, Communication, Creative Writing, Criminal Justice Studies, English, History, Linguistics, Modern Language, Music, Philosophy and Religion, Political Science and International Relations, Sociology and Anthropology, and Theatre.

The School of Science and Mathematics includes the departments of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Computer and Data Sciences, Health Science, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences. The School offers degrees in Agricultural Science, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Data Science, Health Science, Mathematics, Physics, and Statistics. The school also offers Missouri's only undergraduate interdisciplinary degree program in mathematical biology which has connections and resources available through the Intercollegiate Biomathematics Alliance. The school also coordinates the Missouri Pre-STEM Pathways Program with Moberly Area Community College, Metropolitan Community College, and St. Charles Community College.

The School of Business and Professional Studies houses the departments of Business and Economics, Communication Disorders, Education, Exercise Science, Military Science, Nursing, and Psychology and Counseling. The School offers degrees in Business Administration (BA or BS) with an emphasis in Finance, Management, Marketing, and International Business (BA only). In addition, a BS and MAcc in Accounting are offered, with the graduate program ranked third in the nation in terms of CPA passage rates. The Business program is AACSB accredited. The School also offers degrees in Athletic Training (graduate), Communication Disorders (graduate and undergraduate), Counseling (graduate), Disability Studies: Applied Behavior Analysis (graduate), Economics, Education (MAE only), Exercise Science, Nursing, and Psychology, and a minor in Military Science.

Students are also free to create their interdisciplinary majors or to minor in any of the approved interdisciplinary minors, which include African and African Diaspora Studies, Asian and Asian American Studies, Classical Studies, Cognitive Science, Disability Studies, Environmental Studies, Folklore, Forensic Science, International Studies, Italian Studies, Mathematical Biology, Medieval and Early Modern Studies and Women's and Gender Studies.

Campus life Undergraduate demographics as of fall 2023 Race and ethnicityTotal White International student Hispanic Two or more races Asian Black Unknown Economic diversity Low-income Affluent

Student organizations

Truman offers approximately 250 different student organizations, including a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.