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The University of Minnesota Morris (UMN Morris) is a public liberal arts college in
Morris, Minnesota Morris is a city in and the county seat of Stevens County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 5,105 at the 2020 census. Morris is surrounded by some of the nation's richest agricultural land, and agribusiness is important to the loca ...
. It is part of the
University of Minnesota system The University of Minnesota system is a public university system with five campuses spread across the U.S. state of Minnesota. The university system has five campuses, in the Twin Cities, Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester. The univers ...
and was founded in 1960 as a public,
co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
, residential liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts degrees.


History

Although UMN Morris officially opened its doors in 1960, the history of what became the current institution reaches to 1887. That year, the first building of the Morris Industrial School for Indians, an American Indian boarding school founded by Mother Mary Joseph Lynch, was constructed on the site and run by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy under contract to the US government. Beginning in 1898, the Office of Indian Affairs (today's
Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and Al ...
) took over operations to introduce a more progressive curriculum. The school closed in 1909, under a congressionally authorized program to reduce the number of boarding schools in preference for locating schools on reservations, so that families and communities would not be broken up. The campus was transferred to the State of Minnesota under the agreement that American Indians would always be admitted free of tuition; the current UMN Morris still follows this policy. In 1910 the University of Minnesota established a coeducational residential high school on the campus called the West Central School of Agriculture (WCSA). This was one of four such schools established by the university in outstate Minnesota to provide
agricultural Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...
and home economics education to rural youth. The complex also included an
agricultural research Agricultural science (or agriscience for short) is a broad multidisciplinary field of biology that encompasses the parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. Profession ...
station. The WCSA operated for half a century, but declining enrollment in the late 1950s prompted the University of Minnesota to phase out its regional agricultural schools. The residents of the Morris region convinced the university to develop the campus as four-year college. The University of Minnesota Morris opened in September 1960, phasing in college classes year by year while phasing out the last high school class, which graduated in 1963. The only surviving building from the Morris Industrial School for Indians, an 1899 dormitory, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The oldest building on campus, it now serves as UMN Morris's Multi-Ethnic Resource Center. In 2003 a historic district consisting of the dormitory and 10 buildings from the WCSA period was listed on the National Register as the West Central School of Agriculture and Experiment Station Historic District. It was listed for having national significance in the themes of agriculture and education. The district was nominated for being an excellent example of a residential agricultural high school, one of the longest running in the nation and one of the most intact. It was also a significant component of the University of Minnesota's nationally influential system of such facilities, and an important contributor to education and agriculture in west-central Minnesota. The WCSA campus buildings were mostly designed by state architect Clarence H. Johnston Sr. in
American Craftsman American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its ...
style and built in the 1910s and 20s. The 11 contributing properties of the historic district consist of the Music Hall (1899, previously the Indian School boys' dormitory and now the Multi-Ethnic Resource Center), the Girls' Dormitory (1912, now Camden Hall), Spooner Hall (1912–13), the Cattle Barn (1914, now the Saddle Club Barn), the Engineering Building (1915, now the Welcome Center), the Dining Hall (1918, now Behmler Hall), Senior Hall (1920, now Blakely Hall), Agricultural Hall (1920–21, now John Q. Imholte Hall), the Infirmary (1923–24, now the Education Building), Junior Hall (1926, now Pine Hall), and the Seed House (1929).


Academics

Morris offers 35 majors and 32 minors, 13 education licensure areas, and nine pre-professional programs in education, the humanities, science and mathematics, and the social sciences. According to '' U.S. News & World Report,'' the five most popular majors on campus are Psychology, General; English Language and Literature, General; Biology/Biological Sciences, General; Business Administration and Management, General; and Economics, General. Morris strives to offer high-caliber academics at an affordable cost. It has been ranked as a Top Ten Public Liberal Arts College by '' Forbes'' magazine fifteen times. In 2018, ''U.S. News & World Report'' ranked UMN Morris 155th in the "National Liberal Arts Colleges" list and #7 in "Top Public Schools" for Liberal Arts Colleges. '' Washington Monthly'' ranked UMN Morris the #36 "Best Bang for Your Buck" school in 2014. In May 2011, ''
Consumers Digest Founded in 1959 and published by Consumers Digest Communications, LLC, ''Consumers Digest'' was an American magazine. It was based in Chicago. The last issue was published in February 2019. The magazine had no subscribers and did not test the pro ...
'' ranked UMN Morris in its "Top 5 Values in Public Colleges and Universities". During the fall of 2010, both ''U.S. News & World Report'' and ''Forbes'' ranked UMN Morris among their “Best College” lists. Morris was ranked 70th in the "Top Public Schools in the National Liberal Arts Colleges" category and made the Top 100 list of "Best Colleges: Most Students Studying Abroad" in ''U.S. News.''


Music

The music discipline provides performing opportunities such as choir, symphonic winds, jazz ensembles, orchestra, and recitals. The annual jazz festival was founded by Jim "Doc" Carlson in 1979. World-renowned jazz artists are invited to host clinics and master classes for high school, community, and college jazz ensemble. Each night of the festival concludes with performances by student jazz combos, ensembles, and the guest artists backed by Morris Jazz I.


Green campus

In August 2009, Mother Jones Magazine chose the University of Minnesota Morris as one of its top 10 "cool schools" in the United States, stating that the school is great for alternative energy enthusiasts. Morris is one of the first public colleges to generate on-site renewable power from local resources, such as corn stover. At the south edge of campus, a biomass gasification plant—fueled by crop residues from nearby farms—generates steam. The biomass gasifier is part of an integrated system for heating and cooling campus buildings. The combined heat and power system includes a steam turbine, which generates renewable electricity from gasifier steam, and a steam—powered absorption chiller. At the campus's Regional Fitness Center, locally manufactured solar thermal panels collect the sun's energy to heat swimming pool water. A solar photovoltaic system on the south side of the science building converts sunlight into electricity. On the glacial ridge overlooking the campus, two 1.65 megawatt wind turbines generate renewable electricity for the campus and the region. Shifting to renewable power is just one piece of the campus's comprehensive sustainability strategy. Other measures include historic building reuse, green building design and construction, conservation, local foods programs, hybrid vehicles, innovative curriculum, and community outreach. The Morris campus is a nationally recognized sustainability leader and serves as a model community. In August 2013 the University of Minnesota Morris opened the Green Prairie Living and Learning Community. Construction on the building began in December 2012. The building is designed to house 72 students including 4 community advisors and a hall director. The building will house students during summer for special events and camps. There are kitchen facilities, a central lounge and patio, and study space. The Green Prairie Living and Learning Community was designed to meet Minnesota B3 sustainability guidelines and LEED Gold certification. It is constructed with high thermal mass insulated concrete forms (ICF) to prevent winter heat loss and summer heat gain. This is the first Residence Hall on the Morris campus to have suites. In 2019, UMN Morris was ranked as the #1 campus in the United States for most renewable electricity generated on campus per full-time equivalent (FTE) student by Environment America.


Athletics

Minnesota–Morris (UMM) athletic teams are the Cougars. The university is a member of the Division III level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) since the 2003–04 academic year. The Cougars previously competed in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) of the NCAA Division II ranks from 1966–67 to 2002–03. Minnesota–Morris competes in 17 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball.


History

UMN Morris's athletic teams have experienced varied success during the school's history. The 1970s were marked by success in basketball and football. Olympic wrestler,
Dennis Koslowski Dennis Marwin Koslowski (born August 16, 1959) is an American amateur wrestler and professional wrestler. He was born in Watertown, South Dakota. He was Olympic bronze medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1988, and won a silver medal in 1992. In ...
, wrestled for the Cougars in the early 1980s. After a move in the early 1990s as a non-scholarship Division II and a brief experiment with athletic scholarships, Cougar athletics found a more appropriate home in the UMAC of NCAA Division III. They are the first member of the UMAC to be a public, state-supported institution – all other members over the years were private institutions, usually with a religious affiliation. In 1993, UMN Morris was the first college in the United States to sponsor women's wrestling as an official varsity sport. The wrestling programs were cut in 2003 due to budget constraints. In 2006, a new men's soccer team was announced.


Football

In 2006, UMN Morris opened a new football stadium named Big Cat Stadium, just south of the school's Regional Fitness Center. BCS is also used by the Morris Area High School Tigers. The new stadium replaced Cougar Field which had been used from 1970 to 2005. The school's first football field, named Miller Field, was used from 1961 to 1969. In 2006, the Minnesota Morris Cougars football team captured their first UMAC championship in the Hubert H. Humphry Metrodome signaling the end of coach Ken Crandall's coaching career at UMNM. The last conference title for the Cougar football program was the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC) title in 1987, the second of two straight NIC titles. Over the next three years, the Cougars suffered losing records under coach Todd Hickman. In 2010, the team overcame their preseason rating (tied for last) to end the season with a winning record (5–4) and ending in a three-way tie for 3rd in the conference. 2016 record (4-6) 2017 record (6-4), undefeated at home.


Media

University students operate the radio station "the U-90 alternative, the prairie's only alternative" 89.7 FM ( KUMM). The university produces a television program that airs on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educati ...
stations in the state.
Pioneer Public Television KWCM-TV (channel 10) is a PBS member television station in Appleton, Minnesota, United States, owned by the West Central Minnesota Educational TV Corp. KWCM-TV's studios are located on Pioneer Drive in Granite Falls, and its transmitter is loca ...
carries '' Prairie Yard and Garden''. UMN Morris also has a student-run publication: '' The University Register'', a newspaper which is published weekly.


Residence halls

The residence halls on campus are: *Clayton A. Gay Hall (Gay Hall) – Underclassmen Residence Hall. Also home to Student Health Services and the Office of Residential Life (ORL). *David C. Johnson Independence Hall (Indy Hall) – Underclassmen Residence Hall *Pine Hall – Underclassmen Residence Hall *Blakely Hall – Upperclassmen Residence Hall (inactive during the 2013–2014 year) *Spooner Hall – Upperclassmen Residence Hall *On-Campus Apartments – Upperclassmen Apartment Housing *Green Prairie Living and Learning Community – Underclassmen and Upperclassmen Residence Hall and Suites


Notable people

Alumni *
Lorie Skjerven Gildea Lorie Skjerven Gildea (born October 6, 1961) is an American attorney and jurist serving as Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court. She served as an associate justice on the Court from 2006 to 2010 and as a district judge for Hennepin County ...
1983 – Chief Justice for Minnesota Supreme Court *
Matt Little Matthew Martin Little is an American politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 58 in the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area. Early life ...
- Former Mayor of Lakeville, and Minnesota State Senator * Earl B. Olson 1932 – Founder and Chairman of
Jennie-O Jennie-O Turkey Store is a brand name of turkey products. It is a subsidiary of the Hormel Foods Corporation in Willmar, Minnesota Willmar is a city in, and the county seat of, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota, United States. The population wa ...
Turkey Company *
Sara McMann Sara McMann (born September 24, 1980) is an American female mixed martial artist who competed in the bantamweight division. McMann is a former Olympic wrestler and received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece and was a ...
(attended 1998–1999) – 2004 Olympic ''Silver Medalist'' in women's freestyle wrestling; currently a professional mixed martial arts fighter, competing in the Women's
UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...
bantamweight division *
Dennis Koslowski Dennis Marwin Koslowski (born August 16, 1959) is an American amateur wrestler and professional wrestler. He was born in Watertown, South Dakota. He was Olympic bronze medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1988, and won a silver medal in 1992. In ...
1981 – team chiropractor, Minnesota Vikings. Owner, Koslowski Chiropractic Inc. *
Cy Thao Cy Thao (born March 2, 1972) is a Laotian-born Hmong American politician who served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2003 to 2011. Early life and education In 1975, Thao's family fled from Communists in Laos and live ...
1995 – State of Minnesota House of Representatives * Dana Veth 2006 – Bahamian footballer *Joseph Ruud, better known by his ring name,
Erick Rowan Joseph Ruud (born November 28, 1981) is an American professional wrestler performing as Erick Redbeard. Having previously wrestled in Japan, where he trained and performed for Pro Wrestling Noah, Ruud signed a contract with WWE in 2011. He was ...
professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...
, formerly signed by the
WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
. *
Rachel Brand Rachel Lee Brand (born May 1, 1973) is an American lawyer, academic, and former government official. She served as the United States Associate Attorney General from May 22, 2017, until February 20, 2018, when she resigned to take a job as head of ...
- former Associate Attorney General of the United States Faculty * PZ Myers – Associate professor of biology, prominent atheist blogger *
John Stuart Ingle John Stuart Ingle (1933 – October 30, 2010) was an American contemporary realist artist, known for his meticulously rendered watercolor paintings, typically still lifes. Some criticism has characterized Ingle's work as a kind of magic realis ...
– Artist * Vicente Cabrera Funes – Author


See also

*
List of colleges and universities in Minnesota There are nearly 200 post-secondary institutions in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Twin Cities campus of the public University of Minnesota is the largest university in the state with 51,721 enrolled for fall 2010, making it the sixth-largest ...
*
Higher education in Minnesota There are nearly 200 post-secondary institutions in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The Twin Cities campus of the public University of Minnesota is the largest university in the state with 51,721 enrolled for fall 2010, making it the sixth-largest ...


Notes


References


External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control 1960 establishments in Minnesota American Craftsman architecture in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Stevens County, Minnesota Education in Stevens County, Minnesota Minnesota Morris University of Minnesota Morris National Register of Historic Places in Stevens County, Minnesota School buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota Public universities and colleges in Minnesota Public liberal arts colleges in the United States