Murray State College, is a public, co-educational
community college located 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).
College history and
mission
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). Its first students, numbering about 100, were primarily
Chickasaw and Choctaw.
Federal funding paid for two dormitories opened in 1916 for Native
American students.[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 become a community college,
granting its first associate degrees in 1924.[1]
Alfalfa Bill Murray's nephew, Clive Murray, became president of
the school in 1931 and remained until 1961. The school was renamed
Murray State Agricultural College in 1955, and then Murray State
College of Agriculture and Applied Science in 1967.[1]
In 1972, the school was removed from the authority of the
Board of Regents for
Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges and given its own board of
regents; in connection with this, the school was renamed Murray
State College[1]
(not to be confused with Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky). Within the last 13 years
many reports of apparitions have occurred relating to the death of
the son of William H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray in what is now McKee
Hall on the third floor. Reports of sounds coming from nowhere and
many strange objects being seen. Most reports come from the room
4320 on the third floor but also in the commons area. It was said
that the death of the student was very gruesome and hard to
understand.[2]
Murray State College's mission statement is to provide
"opportunities to maximize student learning and personal growth."
The college enrollment is approximately 2,500 students
annually.
Academic
programs
Murray State College offers 3 two-year degree programs, 1
two-year certificate program, and 3 one-year certificate programs
(for a total of 35 individual fields of study). The following is a
detailed listing of each:
Two-year
degrees
Associate of Arts Degree - includes academic programs in
Art, Child Development,
English/Language Arts, History, and
Pre-Law.
Associate of Science Degree - includes academic programs
in Agriculture, Business, Chemistry, Computer Science, Conservation and
Wildlife Management, Criminal Justice,
Elementary
Education, General Studies Degree Program, Mathematics, Physical Education,
Pre-Professional Education (areas of Dentistry, Law, Medicine, Optometry, Pharmacy, and Veterinary Medicine),
Psychology, Science,
and Sociology.
Associate of Applied Science Degree - includes academic
programs in Applied Technology, Business Management,
Computer Science and
Information Systems, Engineering, Gunsmithing, Registered Nurse
Program, Physical Therapist
Assistant, Occupational Therapy Assistant and Veterinary
Technology.
Two-year certificate
program
The Gunsmithing Technology two-year certificate
program provides training in custom gunsmithing and gun repair, and develops the
basic knowledge and skills needed to become a professional
gunsmith. Students who complete the program are considered ready to
enter the work force.
One-year
certificates
One-year certificate programs - Medical Office Coding, Medical Office Transcription, and
Secretarial/Office Administration.
Methods
of Instruction
Murray State College uses both traditional methods of
instruction (lecture/discussion, lab work, educational field trips,
clinical rotations for allied health and veterinary medicine
students) and more modern methods (including Web-based classes and
the use of ITV—Interactive Television—technology).
Alumni