Murray State University - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Murray State University, located in the city of Murray

Murray, Kentucky

Murray is a city in Calloway County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,741 at the 2010 census and has a micropolitan area population of 37,191. It is the 22nd largest city in Kentucky...

, Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

, is a four-year public university with approximately 10,400 students. The school is Kentucky’s only public university to be listed in the U.S.News & World Report regional university top tier for the past 20 consecutive years (non-doctoral degree granting universities). In addition to the main campus, Murray State University operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah

Paducah, Kentucky

Paducah is the largest city in Kentucky's Jackson Purchase Region and the county seat of McCracken County, Kentucky, United States. It is located at the confluence of the Tennessee River and the Ohio River, halfway between the metropolitan areas of St. Louis, Missouri, to the west and Nashville,...

, Hopkinsville

Hopkinsville, Kentucky

Hopkinsville is a city in Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 31,577 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Christian County.- History :...

, Madisonville

Madisonville, Kentucky

Madisonville is a city in Hopkins County, Kentucky, United States of the Western Coal Field region, located along US 41 and The Pennyrile Parkway. The population was 19,307 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hopkins County. The city was named in honor of U.S...

, and Henderson

Henderson, Kentucky

Henderson is a city in Henderson County, Kentucky, United States, along the Ohio River in the western part of the state. The population was 27,952 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Evansville Metropolitan Area often referred to as "Kentuckiana", although "Tri-State Area" or "Tri-State" are more...

History

The history of Murray State University can be traced to the passage of Senate Bill 14 by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which would create two normal school

Normal school

A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...

s to address the growing demand for professional teachers. One of these schools would be in the western part of the state, which caused many cities and towns to bid for the new normal school. Rainey T. Wells spoke on behalf of the city of Murray to convince the Normal School Commission to choose his city. On September 2, 1922, Murray was chosen as the site of the new western normal school, and Morehead

Morehead, Kentucky

As of the census of 2010, there were 6,845 people, households, and families residing in the city. The population density was 726.2 people per square mile. There were 2,356 housing units at an average density of 253.3 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 93.2% White, 3.2% African...

was chosen as the site for the eastern normal school. On November 26, 1922, John Wesley Carr was elected as the first president of the Murray State Normal School by the State Board of Education. At the same time, the Normal School Commission, under the belief that it had the right to elect the first president, elected Rainey T. Wells. May 15, 1923, The Kentucky Court of Appeals upheld the decision made by the State Board of Education, and Carr would be the first president.

Opening day for Murray State Normal School was September 23, 1923. Until the first building was completed, now Wrather West Kentucky Museum, the Normal School held classes on the first floor of Murray High School. All students commuted to classes until the first dormitory, Wells Hall, was constructed in 1925. Wilson Hall was also completed under Carr's presidency, and other structures were in progress. In 1926, Rainey T. Wells, recognized as the founder of Murray State, became the second president. Wells served as president from 1926 to 1932, and during this time Lovett Auditorium, Carr Health Building and Pogue library were all completed. In 1926, the Normal School was also renamed to Murray State Normal School and Teachers College when the General Assembly granted the institution authority to confer baccalaureate degrees. In 1928, the college was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In 1930, the name was changed to Murray State Teachers College when the school was granted authority to offer liberal arts and preprofessional courses. The name was changed again in 1948 to Murray State College, and then in 1966 the General Assembly authorized the Board of Regents to change the name to Murray State University.

The Shield

The Shield is the official seal of the university. It is taken from the heraldic coat-of-arms of the family of William Murray

William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield

William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, SL, PC was a British barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in Perth, Scotland before moving to London at the age of 13 to take up a place at Westminster School...

, Earl of Mansfield and Lord Chief Justice of Great Britain in 1756. William Murray is an ancestor of the Murray family from whom the city and the university take their names. The shield is blue with a double gold border — its three stars represent hope, endeavor and achievement.

Presidents of the university

John W. Carr, 1923–1926
Rainey T. Wells, 1926–32
John W. Carr, 1933–1936
James H. Richmond, 1936–1945
Ralph H. Woods, 1945–1968
Harry M. Sparks, 1968–1973
Constantine W. Curris, 1973–1983
Kala M. Stroup, 1983–1990
James L. Booth, 1989-1990 (Acting)
Ronald J. Kurth, 1990–1994
Samuel Kern Alexander
Kern Alexander
Samuel Kern Alexander is Professor of Excellence at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign where he is coordinator of the Leary Endowment and Editor of the Journal of Education Finance, published by the University of Illinois Press...

, 1994–2001
Fieldon King Alexander
F. King Alexander
Fieldon King Alexander is the president of California State University, Long Beach. He received a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a master's degree from the University of Oxford and a bachelor's degree from St. Lawrence University. At St...

, 2001–2005
Samuel Kern Alexander, 2006 (Interim)
Tim Miller, 2006 (Interim)
Randy J. Dunn, 2006–Present

The Quad

The oldest and most easily recognizable buildings on the Murray State campus are situated around a large, grassy, tree-lined area on the south side of campus. This part of campus, known as the Quadrangle, is bounded by 16th Street to the west, 15th Street to the east, Lovett Auditorium to the north and Wilson Hall to the south.

In the southwest corner of the Quad sits the oldest building on campus, Wrather West Kentucky Museum, which was known first as the Administration Building and then as Wrather Hall before it became a museum. Ground was broken for Wrather Hall on October 15, 1923, and it has been in use since 1924. Wrather Hall first housed administrative offices and classrooms before becoming Wrather West Kentucky Museum. The building features a large auditorium that is frequently used for lectures and meetings. Faculty Hall, Wells Hall and the Business Building line the western edge of the Quadrangle. The Lowry Center, Pogue Library and the Price Doyle Fine Arts Center line the eastern side of the Quad. The 11-story Doyle Fine Arts Center is the tallest building on campus, housing the Robert E. Johnson Theatre, Clara Eagle Art Gallery, WKMS-FM and television studios used for student work and the taping of Murray State's signature show, Roundabout U, as wells as numerous classrooms, practice rooms and recital halls.

Directly south of the Quad is Sparks Hall. Sparks Hall is the main administrative building, housing the offices of student financial aid, admissions and registration, accounting and financial services, vice president for administrative services, Center for Continuing Education and Academic Outreach, human resources and university communications. The six-story, 39000 square feet (3,623.2 m²), Sparks Hall was completed in 1967 at a cost of $1,308,514.

To the south of the Quadrangle, and directly west of Sparks Hall is Oakhurst, which is the residence of the university president. Construction of the residence, originally known as Edgewood, began in 1917 and was completed in 1918. The home was built by Dr. and Mrs. Rainey T. Wells. The Board of Regents purchased the home from Rainey T. Wells in June 1936. It was remodeled that year and renamed Oakhurst in preparation for James H. Richmond's occupation of the house.

Central campus

The central portion of the Murray State campus lines 15th Street between Chestnut Street and Olive Boulevard. This portion of 15th Street was originally open to automobile traffic, but has since been closed and converted into a pedestrian thoroughfare. Along the west side of the 15th Street pedestrian pathway is the Martha Layne Collins Center for Industry and Technology, Blackburn Science Building and Oakley Applied Science Building. To the east of the pedestrian pathway lies the Curris Center, Carr Health Building and Cutchin Fieldhouse, Waterfield Library

Waterfield Library

Waterfield Library is the primary library of Murray State University, Kentucky, United States. It is named for Harry Lee Waterfield, and is a library for students as well as the local community...

, Ordway Hall, Woods Hall and Mason Hall.

The most historic building in the central portion of campus is Ordway Hall. The contract for construction of Ordway Hall was approved in April 1930, and construction was completed in 1931. Originally built as a men's dormitory, the 38,600-square-foot building was constructed at a cost of $106,765. Ordway Hall currently houses unique event space and several offices, including the Career Services and Student Affairs offices. Despite Ordway Hall's architectural and historic significance to the Murray State campus, the school plans to demolish Ordway Hall between 2012 and 2014 rather than upgrade the building to meet current fire protection and ADA requirements.

West campus

An aggressive building campaign on campus has resulted in a westward expansion of the main academic campus of Murray State. The expansion began with a massive renovation and expansion of what is now known as Alexander Hall on the west side of 16th Street near Calloway Avenue. The project was the first to unveil a new architectural style that would become consistent through all renovation and new construction projects on campus. Alexander Hall houses classrooms and offices for the college of education. Construction continued with the new state-of-the-art science complex for biology, chemistry and engineering that is located just to the southwest of Alexander Hall. The massive new science complex was constructed in phases, with the biology building opening in 2004, and the rest of the complex and centerpiece clock tower reaching final completion in March 2008. The new clock tower was dedicated in 2007 as the Jesse L. Jones Family Clock Tower.

Sports and recreation facilities

The majority of the university's sports and recreation facilities are located on the northern-most edge of the campus, along the KY-121 Bypass. The most prominent structure in the sports complex is Roy Stewart Stadium

Roy Stewart Stadium

Roy Stewart Stadium is a 16,800-seat multi-purpose stadium in Murray, Kentucky. It opened in 1973 and is home to the Murray State University Racers football, rifle and women's track and field teams...

. The stadium, which is home field to the Murray State Racers football program, was completed in 1973 and named for former Murray State football coach Roy Stewart. It seats 16,800. The outdated AstroTurf surface was replaced with FieldTurf

FieldTurf

FieldTurf is a brand of artificial turf playing surface. It is manufactured and installed by the FieldTurf Tarkett division of Tarkett Inc., based in Calhoun, Georgia, USA. In the late 1990s, the artificial surface changed the industry with a design intended to replicate real grass...

in 2007. Located on the second floor of the seven-story press box and seating structure is the Pat Spurgin Rifle Range, which is the home of the three-time NCAA champion rifle squad. The 8,602-seat CFSB Center was completed in 1998 to replace the aging Racer Arena that had been outgrown by the men's and women's basketball teams. On April 16, 2005, the new Susan E. Bauernfeind Student Recreation and Wellness Center was dedicated. The new 73000 square feet (6,781.9 m²) student recreation center includes a swimming pool, two racquetball courts, a walking/jogging track, an aerobic studio, basketball courts, and free weights and cardio workout machines. The center is located just north of the residential colleges, near Roy Stewart Stadium.

Residence halls

Currently, a building campaign has begun to replace many of the older residence halls. A replacement building for Clark College was completed and ready for residents at the beginning of the 2007 fall semester. This made Clark College the newest building, and the only residence hall specifically designed around the residential college concept and model. Another new residential college has now been constructed. J.H. Richmond College opened in fall 2009. It has the same concept and design as Clark College. In the fall of 2009, the old Clark College was torn down.

Your World To Explore

Murray State recently adopted a new tagline, "Your World to Explore." Since its inception, the university has implemented a campaign to not only showcase the tag, but to expand the branding of the university. Most recently, the "We Are Racers" campaign began as a way of highlighting the inclusiveness of all parts of the Murray State family. A statement was adopted that is being widely used throughout the campus community — "Like the Thoroughbreds we are named for, Racers are spirited and proud. We have the heart and will to succeed, to go farther, learn more and embrace wisdom. We are champions who take our place in the Murray State tradition. We are Racers."

Academics

Murray State University offers 11 associate, 64 bachelor, and 42 master and specialist programs, which are administered through five academic colleges, two schools, 30 departments, and one joint program shared by the college of business and the department of industrial and engineering technology. The college of business is the largest at Murray State, enrolling 23 percent of the undergraduate students.

Murray State has been institutionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and School, Commission on Colleges, continuously since 1928. Murray is one of only eight schools in the state of Kentucky to achieve AACSB accreditation of business programs; however the school is not AACSB-accredited in accounting programs. Several other programs have achieved specialized accreditation - primarily programs in teaching, fine arts and nursing. As a former normal school

Normal school

A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...

and teachers college, Murray State is best known for its NCATE-accredited education programs, but the university has also gained national recognition for its fine arts programs. The department of music has been a member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1936.

Murray State University offers a wide range of majors, minors and areas of study, many of which are not commonly found at colleges and universities similar to MSU in size. These include:

Program	Type	Additional Information
Occupational Safety and Health	Area of Study	Includes courses in Hazardous Materials Site Operations as well as Emergency Medical Training.
Telecommunications Systems Management	Area of Study
Equine Science	Major
Pre-Veterinary	Major (typically Biology)	Pre-Professional Program
Geographic Information Science	Degree Option	Classes typically held in the Mid-America Remote Sensing Center, located on-campus on the third floor of the Lowry Center
Gerontology	Minor	Typically associated with a major in Social Work
Engineering Physics	Area of Study	ABET/EAC-accredited program that provides students with exposure to both core physics and engineering curriculums. Gives students options of electrical, mechanical or biomedical emphases as well as allowing them to sit for Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam.

Residential colleges

Murray State was the first public university in the nation to adopt a successful campus-wide residential college

Residential college

A residential college is an organisational pattern for a division of a university that places academic activity in a community setting of students and faculty, usually at a residence and with shared meals, the college having a degree of autonomy and a federated relationship with the overall...

program http://www.murraystate.edu/campus/residential_colleges/index.htm. The residential college structure, which took form on the campus in 1996, is based on similar, but much more established programs at the Universities of Oxford

University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...

and Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

as well as Yale University

Yale University

Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...

, Harvard College

Harvard College

Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...

and Princeton University

Princeton University

Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....

in the United States.

The Murray State model does not include some components of the classical residential college model, such as dining halls and libraries at each college; large common meeting areas for activities, group study and academic training; and large courtyards or outdoor spaces for socializing and recreation. In the Murray State model students do share central dining areas and recreation areas. However, as the older structures are being phased out, the university is taking steps with the new residential colleges to address many of those needs.

Although the physical structures of all of Murray State's residential colleges do not completely match those of institutions such as Oxford or Yale, the basic residential college concept was successfully implemented. All faculty, staff and students, even those who live off-campus, are assigned to one of the eight residential colleges. Once assigned to a residential college, a person remains a member of that college throughout their time at the university, developing friendships, traditions and lasting bonds that are meant to endure years after leaving Murray State. One of the goals in establishing the program was to improve student life and retention and graduation rates, and measurable progress has been made in that endeavor.

The eight colleges of Murray State

Clark College, named for Lee Clark, who assisted Rainey T. Wells in founding the university. Clark later served as the superintendent of grounds and buildings. The current Clark College opened in August 2007 as the first new residence hall built on campus since 1970. It is also the first residence hall at Murray to be specifically designed to support the residential college concept.
Elizabeth College, named for Elizabeth Harkless Woods, wife of fourth Murray State President Ralph H. Woods.
Hart College, named for George Hart, a Board of Regents member and former mayor of Murray.
Hester College, named for Cleo Gillis Hester, who served Murray State University from 1927–60, as registrar.
Regents College
Regents College, Murray State University
Regents College is one of the eight residential colleges of Murray State University in Kentucky. The college was established in the fall of 1996 when Murray State became the first public university in the United States to establish a campus-wide residential college system...

, named in honor of the outstanding citizens who have served on Murray State University’s Board of Regents. Regents Hall was completed in 1970.
Richmond College
Richmond Residential College
Richmond College is one of the eight residential colleges of Murray State University. The college was established in the fall of 1996 when Murray State became the first public university in the United States to establish a campus-wide residential college system.-Old Richmond Hall:The original...

, named for the third president of the university, James H. Richmond.
Springer-Franklin College, named for O.B. Springer, member of the Board of Regents from 1950–58 and 1960–70, and Hollis C. Franklin, who served on the Board from 1947-56.
White College, named for R.H. "Bob" White, a Board of Regents member.

Student Government Association

The Student Government Association, commonly known as SGA, is the officially organized body governing all students and student organizations at Murray State University. The purposes of the Student Government Association are to promote the welfare, growth and development of student life in an environment of academic excellence, to represent the students in all phases of administrative effort and to provide a means of promoting cooperative efforts for the general welfare of the university community. SGA is made up four branches: Senate, Campus Activities Board, Judicial Board and the Residential College Association. The Senate is the main branch of SGA, and it is the governing body with the power to pass resolutions, bills, rules and regulations necessary for the general welfare of the university, and to implement and maintain any programs consistent with SGA purposes. The president of SGA holds the student seat on the Board of Regents.

Greek life

Murray State is home to active chapters of several social Greek organizations. The oldest fraternities on campus are Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia

Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia is an American collegiate social fraternity for men with a special interest in music...

and Sigma Alpha Iota

Sigma Alpha Iota

Sigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public...

(both relating to music). For the 2006-07 academic year, 873 students were involved with Greek life (10.4% of undergraduates).

NIC North-American Interfraternity Conference The North-American Interfraternity Conference , is an association of collegiate men's fraternities that was formally organized in 1910, although it began on November 27, 1909. The power of the organization rests in a House of Delegates where each member fraternity is represented by a single delegate... chapters	NPC National Panhellenic Conference The National Panhellenic Conference , founded in 1902, is an umbrella organization for 26 national women's sororities.Each member group is autonomous as a social, Greek-letter society of college women and alumnae... chapters	NPHC chapters	PFA Professional Fraternity Association The Professional Fraternity Association is an association of national, collegiate, professional fraternities and sororities that was formed 1978. Since PFA groups are discipline-specific, members join while pursuing graduate degrees as well as undergraduate degrees... chapters	Independent Fraternities
Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:... 1958	Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma , also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women’s sorority with membership of more than 100,000 members. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference and hosts chapters on more than 110 college campuses and 89 alumnae chapters in communities all... 1942	Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha is the first Inter-Collegiate Black Greek Letter fraternity. It was founded on December 4, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Its founders are known as the "Seven Jewels". Alpha Phi Alpha developed a model that was used by the many Black Greek Letter Organizations ... 1969	Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota Sigma Alpha Iota , International Music Fraternity for Women. Formed to "uphold the highest standards of music" and "to further the development of music in America and throughout the world", it continues to provide musical and educational resources to its members and the general public... 1939	Phi Mu Alpha 1938
Sigma Chi Sigma Chi Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon... 1959	Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Sigma Alpha is a US national sorority founded on November 15, 1901 at the Virginia State Female Normal School in Farmville, Virginia... 1946	Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University... 1970	Alpha Kappa Psi Alpha Kappa Psi ΑΚΨ is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. The Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University, and was incorporated on May 20, 1905... 1966	Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living... 2006
Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon is a college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899 at Illinois Wesleyan University with chapters in the United States, and Canada, and affiliation with a German fraternity system known as the Corps of the Weinheimer Senioren Convent... 1959 (recolonized 2006)	Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi is an international women's fraternity promoting friendship for a lifetime, inspiring academic excellence and lifelong learning, and developing leadership skills through service to the Fraternity and community. ΑΟΠ was founded on January 2, 1897 at Barnard College on the campus... 1961	Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle... 1971	Alpha Zeta Alpha Zeta Alpha Zeta is a professional fraternity for students and industry professionals in the agriculture and natural resources fields. Founded in 1897 at The Ohio State University, Alpha Zeta is the first and oldest collegiate society for agriculture... 1981
Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega Alpha Tau Omega is a secret American leadership and social fraternity.The Fraternity has more than 250 active and inactive chapters, more than 200,000 initiates, and over 7,000 active undergraduate members. The 200,000th member was initiated in early 2009... 1959	Alpha Gamma Delta Alpha Gamma Delta Alpha Gamma Delta is an international women's fraternity, who are mainly sluts, founded in 1904 at Syracuse University. The Fraternity promotes academic excellence, philanthropic giving, ongoing leadership and personal development, and a spirit of loving sisterhood. Also known as "Alpha Gam" and... 1966	Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Alpha Psi is a collegiate Greek-letter fraternity with a predominantly African American membership. Since the fraternity's founding on January 5, 1911 at Indiana University Bloomington, the fraternity has never limited membership based on color, creed or national origin... 1972	Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha is a professional agricultural sorority that promotes scholarship, leadership, service and fellowship among its members.On January 26th, 1978 five young women, Ann Huling Mathews, Cindie Davis, Marilyn Burns, Jennifer McMillan and Amy Mathews, founded Sigma Alpha at the Ohio State... 2001
Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Chi Alpha is one of the largest men's secret general fraternities in North America, having initiated more than 280,000 members and held chapters at more than 300 universities. It is a member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference and was founded by Warren A. Cole, while he was a... 1968	Kappa Delta Kappa Delta Kappa Delta was the first sorority founded at the State Female Normal School , in Farmville, Virginia. It is one of the "Farmville Four" sororities founded at the university... 1967 (closed since 1984)	Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi is a fraternity and is the first African-American national fraternal organization to be founded at a historically black college. Omega Psi Phi was founded on November 17, 1911, at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. The founders were three Howard University juniors, Edgar Amos...
Sigma Pi Sigma Pi Sigma Pi is an international college secret and social fraternity founded in 1897 at Vincennes University. Sigma Pi International fraternity currently has 127 chapters and 4 colonies in the United States and Canada and is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennessee... 1968	Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Delta Pi is a fraternity founded on May 15, 1851 at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. The Executive office for this sorority is located on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia. Alpha Delta Pi is one of the two "Macon Magnolias," a term used to celebrate the bonds it shares with Phi Mu... 1968	Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma Phi Beta Sigma is a predominantly African-American fraternity which was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students. The founders A. Langston Taylor, Leonard F. Morse, and Charles I... 1982 (rechartered 1998)
Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Rho Alpha Gamma Rho is a social-professional fraternity in the United States, with 75 university chapters including chapter in Mindanao State University, Philippines... 1968	Alpha Phi Alpha Phi Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity was founded at Syracuse University on September 18, 1872. Alpha Phi currently has 152 active chapters and over 200,000 initiated members. Its celebrated Founders' Day is October 10. It was the third Greek-letter organization founded for women. In Alpha... 1978 (closed since 1990)	Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta is an international, historically black Greek-lettered sorority and a member of the National Pan-Hellenic Council.Zeta Phi Beta is organized into 800+ chapters, in eight intercontinental regions including the USA, Africa, Europe, Asia and the Caribbean... 2000
Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order Kappa Alpha Order is a social fraternity and fraternal order. Kappa Alpha Order has 124 active chapters, 3 provisional chapters, and 2 commissions... 1969 (closed)		Iota Phi Theta 2001
Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon , commonly nicknamed SigEp or SPE, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College , and its national headquarters remains in Richmond, Virginia. It was founded on three principles: Virtue,... 1969
Sigma Nu Sigma Nu Sigma Nu is an undergraduate, college fraternity with chapters in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Sigma Nu was founded in 1869 by three cadets at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia... 1969 (closed)
Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau Phi Kappa Tau is a U.S. national collegiate fraternity.-History:Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity was founded in the Union Literary Society Hall of Miami University's Old Main Building in Oxford, Ohio on March 17, 1906... 1982 (rechartered 2005)
Sigma Tau Gamma Sigma Tau Gamma Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity also named "Sig Tau" or "the Knights" is a U.S. all-male college secret-social fraternity founded on June 28, 1920 at University of Central Missouri... 1992 (closed since 1999)
Alpha Sigma Phi Alpha Sigma Phi Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity is a social fraternity with 71 active chapters and 9 colonies. Founded at Yale in 1845, it is the 10th oldest fraternity in the United States.... 1994
Delta Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Phi is a fraternity established at the City College of New York in 1899 and is a charter member of the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The headquarters of the fraternity is the Taggart Mansion located in Indianapolis, Indiana... 1968-1991(closed)

Traditions

Alma Mater

The Alma Mater of Murray State University is sung to the tune of Annie Lisle

Annie Lisle

"Annie Lisle" is the name of an 1857 ballad by Boston, Massachusetts songwriter H. S. Thompson first published by Moulton & Clark of Newburyport, Massachusetts, and later by Oliver Ditson & Co. It is about the death of a young maiden, by what some have speculated to be tuberculosis, although the...

and has two verses. Words were written by A.B. Austin, Dean of Men, in 1935. The Alma Mater is traditionally sung at student orientation, convocation and commencement ceremonies, athletic events and other special events on campus.

All-Campus Sing

All-Campus Sing is an annual event, first held in 1958, that takes place each April in which residential colleges, fraternities, sororities and other student organizations compete in choreographed song and dance competition. The event is hosted by the Iota Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota

Sigma Alpha Iota

(original organizer of the event), in conjunction with the MSU Alumni Association and the office of student affairs. It is held on the steps of historic Lovett Auditorium.

Campus Lights

Campus Lights is the longest running student produced and performed musical in the South. The show was started in 1938 by the Gamma Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha as a fundraiser to pay the chapter's chartering fees. Campus Lights is now produced by a joint effort of the Gamma Delta chapter of Phi Mu Alpha and the Iota Beta chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota. All proceeds from the show are given to the department of music in order to fund scholarships.

Racer One

In 1976, the tradition of having a thoroughbred run around the track after every MSU football touchdown began. The name of that first racehorse was Violet Cactus. After the death of Violet Cactus in 1984, the horse Nancy Duster took over the job for one year. Violet Cactus is buried at Roy Stewart Stadium near the area where Racer One begins its run around the football field after a Racer touchdown. She is the only mascot to be interred inside the walls of the stadium. In 1985, the first Racer One began circling the football field after touchdowns. Several horses have filled the role of Racer One since 1985.

Shoe Tree

Located in front of Pogue Library on the Quad is a tree with many pairs of shoes nailed to the trunk. The tradition is that if a couple gets married after meeting at Murray State, they return to the Quad and each one nails a shoe to the "Shoe Tree." Many of the shoes include names and dates written on them. If the couple has a baby, the baby's shoes are then nailed to the tree. It should be noted that this tree (due to a high zinc content from the nails) is a common target of lightning and has caught fire in the past, but the tradition continues.

Athletics

Murray State's men's and women's athletic teams are known as the Racers, with the exception of the baseball team which is known as the Thoroughbreds. All of MSU's athletic teams compete in the Ohio Valley Conference

Ohio Valley Conference

The Ohio Valley Conference is a college athletic conference which operates in the midwestern and southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Championship Subdivision , the lower of two levels of Division I...

, whose conference roster includes 10 other regional public universities.

Murray State is particularly renowned for its men's basketball program, which has made 14 appearances in the NCAA Tournament, most recently in 2010

2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

The first and second round games were played at the following sites:*March 18 / 20*March 25 / 27*March 26 / 28Each regional winner advanced to the Final Four, held on April 3 and 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana at Lucas Oil Stadium, hosted by the Horizon League and Butler University, as per the NCAA's...

. As a 13-seed, Murray State won their second ever NCAA tournament game on a buzzer beater against 4th-seeded Vanderbilt. Former Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball

The Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball program has a history of being among the best of the Southeastern Conference . It trails only Kentucky in basketball wins, SEC tournament titles, and SEC regular season titles in the 12-member conference. The team is coached by head coach Anthony Grant,...

head basketball coach Mark Gottfried

Mark Gottfried

Mark Frederick Gottfried is an American men's college basketball coach and former player. He was named head coach of NC State on April 5, 2011....

coached the Racers to three Ohio Valley Conference Championships, all three years he coached there, the only OVC coach to accomplish such a mark. The basketball program has been recognized as one of the top 30 basketball programs in modern history by ESPN.

Murray State also is home to one of the nation's top rifle programs. The Racers claimed national championships in 1978 (NRA), 1985 (NCAA) and 1987 (NCAA) and have produced six individual NCAA national champions, including two-time national titlist and 1984 Summer Olympics

1984 Summer Olympics

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

gold medalist Pat Spurgin

Pat Spurgin

Pat Spurgin is an American sports shooter, now living in Fairbanks, Alaska. She competed and won a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics...

.

The football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

program has become a steppingstone to major-college coaching success. Frank Beamer

Frank Beamer

Frank Beamer is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University , a position he has held since 1987. From 1981 to 1986, Beamer served as the head coach at Murray State University...

, the current Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech Hokies football

The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...

head coach who built that program into a national power in the 1990s and early 2000s, and current Ole Miss

Ole Miss Rebels football

The football history of the University of Mississippi , includes the formation of the first football team in the state and is 26th on the list of college football's all-time winning programs...

head coach Houston Nutt

Houston Nutt

Houston Dale Nutt, Jr. is an American football coach and former player. Most recently he was the head football coach at the University of Mississippi from 2008 to 2011. Previously, he served as the head coach at Murray State University , Boise State University , and the University of Arkansas...

are both former Racers head coaches. Former Maryland

Maryland Terrapins football

The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

head coach Ralph Friedgen

Ralph Friedgen

Ralph Harry Friedgen is an American football coach. He was the head coach at the University of Maryland from 2001 to 2010. Friedgen was previously an offensive coordinator at Maryland, Georgia Tech, and in the National Football League with the San Diego Chargers...

is a former Racers assistant under Beamer, and current Illinois

Illinois Fighting Illini football

The Illinois Fighting Illini are a major college football program, representing the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. They compete in NCAA Division I-A and the Big Ten Conference.-Current staff:-All-time win/loss/tie record:*563-513-51...

head coach Ron Zook

Ron Zook

Ron Zook is a former American football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at the University of Florida from 2002 to 2004 and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2005 to 2011. Zook is a native of Ohio and an alumnus of Miami University, where he...

was an assistant under current ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

college football analyst Mike Gottfried

Mike Gottfried

-External links:*...

, who was Beamer's predecessor as head coach.

Publications

The Murray State News

The Murray State News is the student newspaper of Murray State University. The newspaper has been the recipient of several ACP Pacemaker awards

National Pacemaker Awards

The National Pacemaker Awards are awards for excellence in American student journalism, given annually since 1927. The awards are generally considered to be the highest national honors in their field, and are unofficially known as the "Pulitzer Prizes of student journalism."The National Scholastic...

, the highest award given to collegiate newspapers. The most recent awards were earned in 2004, 1999, and 1998. The newspaper also gained notoriety between 1998 and 2001 through the work of Darin Shock. Shock earned the honor of top college cartoonist in the nation from the College Media Advisers in 2000. He had earned second place honors during the previous year. *The Murray State News website--thenews.org

The Shield

The school yearbook, The Shield, was awarded three Pacemaker awards and two CSPA Silver Crowns in the last ten years. The Shield ceased publication with its 2008 edition.

New Madrid

The University's national literary magazine, New Madrid(http://www.newmadridjournal.org), with editor Ann Neelon, features work from a range of nationally-recognized authors, and has received acclaim from sources as diverse as La Bloga, a leading Hispanic journal, and New Pages, a leading national review of literary magazines.

Radio

WKMS-FM

WKMS-FM , is a non-commercial National Public Radio-affiliated station operated by Murray State University in Murray, Kentucky. WKMS features a variety of National Public Radio programming and local music shows ranging from classical music, bluegrass, alternative rock, jazz, electronica and world...

(91.3 FM), is a non-commercial, educational National Public Radio-affiliated station licensed and operated by Murray State University. WKMS features a variety of NPR programming and local music shows ranging from classical music, bluegrass, alternative rock, jazz, electronica and world music.

In Pop Culture

In the 1993 music video for "The Heart Won't Lie," by Reba McEntire and featuring Vince Gill, McEntire is seen walking on a beach wearing a Murray State sweatshirt. In the 1989 Bruce Willis movie In Country

In Country

In Country is a 1989 American drama film produced and directed by Norman Jewison, starring Bruce Willis and Emily Lloyd. The screenplay by Frank Pierson and Cynthia Cidre was based on the novel by Bobbie Ann Mason. The original music score was composed by James Horner...

, Murray State is mentioned once and the old Racer logo can be seen in the windshield of a vehicle several times.

Arts and entertainment

W. Earl Brown
W. Earl Brown
W. Earl Brown is an American character actor who has appeared in many mainstream film and television projects. He is perhaps best known as Dan Dority on the HBO series Deadwood...

(BS '86), actor
Jerry Crutchfield, music producer http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/entry/534644
Jude Deveraux
Jude Deveraux
Jude Deveraux is an American Romance novel author who is well-known for her historical romances. As of 2010, 36 of her novels had been on The New York Times Best Seller list according to Forbes, including among the dozens such titles as 2009's Lavender Morning and Days of Gold...

, romance novelist
Mike Long
Mike Long (author)
Michael Long is an author, essayist, editorialist, script-writer and speechwriter. He has written for film, government, business, and the non-profit world...

(BS Physics) Washington based Speech Writer and Author
Hal Riddle
Hal Riddle
Hal Riddle was a Broadway, movie and television actor. Better known as a character actor than a featured player, Riddle appeared in numerous supporting roles in the 1950s – 1980s.-Career:Riddle's interest in acting started after receiving an autographed picture from actor Billie Dove...

(BS '42), actor http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0725747/
Joe Staton
Joe Staton
Joe Staton is an American illustrator and writer of comic books.-Career:Staton started his work with Charlton Comics in 1971 and gained notability as the artist of the super-hero book E-Man...

(BS '70), comic book artist
Chrishell Stause
Chrishell Stause
Terrina Chrishell Stause is an American actress, best known for role Amanda Dillon on All My Children.-Life and career:Terrina Chrishell Stause from Draffenville, Kentucky. Stause attended Murray State University where she received her B.A. in Theater in 2003...

(BA '03) actress
Chris Thile
Chris Thile
Christopher Scott Thile is an American musician, best known as the mandolinist and a singer for the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek. His current band is Punch Brothers whose most recent album is Antifogmatic...

, musician, from the band Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek was an American progressive acoustic music trio consisting of Chris Thile , Sara Watkins and Sean Watkins . The band was founded in 1989 and released 6 albums between 1993 and 2006...
Jim Varney
Jim Varney
James Albert "Jim" Varney, Jr. was an American stand-up comedian, actor, musician, writer, voice artist, and comedian, best known for his role as Ernest P...

, comedian, actor
J.D. Wilkes (BA '96), musician, visual artist, filmmaker

Athletics

Ron Greene
Ron Greene
Ron Greene is an American basketball coach who served as head coach of three Division I college basketball teams, as well as teams in Division II, the World Basketball League, the American Basketball Association, and high school.-Early career:Greene's coaching career began in 1965 where he was an...

(ΣX), Former head basketball coach of Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...

and Murray State University
Mark Riggins
Mark Riggins
Mark Alan Riggins is the pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball.-Playing career:...

, Pitching coach for the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...
Shane Andrus
Shane Andrus
Shane Andrus is an American football placekicker for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2006...

, former placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...

for the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....

, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...

and San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
Marcus Brown
Marcus Brown
Marcus James Brown is a retired American professional basketball player. At 6'4" , he played as a shooting guard. Brown has been mentioned as being one of the top U.S. athletes to ever play abroad...

, National Basketball Association
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

(NBA) player from 1996 to 1999; Euroleague
Euroleague
Euroleague Basketball, commonly known as the Euroleague, is the highest level tier and most important professional club basketball competition in Europe, with teams from up to 18 different countries, members of FIBA Europe. For sponsorship reasons, for five seasons starting with 2010–2011, it is...

all-time leading scorer
Todd Buchanan
Todd Buchanan
-External links:*...

, head coach of women's basketball at Houston
Houston Cougars women's basketball
The Houston Cougars women's basketball team represents the University of Houston in NCAA Division I women's basketball. Coached by Todd Buchanan, the team plays their home games at Hofheinz Pavilion on-campus at the University of Houston....
Bud Foster
Bud Foster
Bud Foster is a college football assistant coach. He went to high school in Nokomis, Illinois. He is the current defensive coordinator for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team. Following the 2006 season, he received the Frank Broyles Award, which is annually given to the top assistant coach in...

, defensive coordinator
Defensive coordinator
A defensive coordinator typically refers to a coach on a gridiron football team who is in charge of the defense. Generally, along with his offensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...

of Virginia Tech football team
Virginia Tech Hokies football
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...
Tony Franklin
Tony Franklin (coach)
Tony Franklin is an American college football coach, currently serving as the offensive coordinator for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs of Western Athletic Conference....

, former offensive coordinator
Offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of a gridiron football team who is in charge of the offense. Generally, along with his defensive counterpart, he represents the second level of command structure after the head coach...

of Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...

football team
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
Joe Fulks
Joe Fulks
Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks was an American professional basketball player, sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was one of the first players, albeit posthumously, enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978...

, Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...

r and early pioneer of the jump shot (did not graduate; left to join the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

).
Ronald "Popeye" Jones
Popeye Jones
Ronald Jerome "Popeye" Jones is a retired American professional basketball player in the NBA. He is now an assistant coach for the New Jersey Nets....

, NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...

player from 1993 to 2005.
Austen Lane
Austen Lane
Following his senior season at Murray State, Lane was invited to participate in the 2010 Senior Bowl as a member of the North roster. He scored a touchdown off a fumble recovery in the second quarter and the North squad went onto win the game over the South 31-13....

, defensive end for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
Pat Spurgin Pitney
Pat Spurgin
Pat Spurgin is an American sports shooter, now living in Fairbanks, Alaska. She competed and won a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics...

, eight-time All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...

, 1984 Summer Olympics
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...

gold medalist in rifle
John Powless
John Powless
John D. Powless is a retired American basketball and tennis coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a current player on the international senior tennis circuit.-Background:...

, tennis and basketball coach
Bennie Purcell
Bennie Purcell
Bennie Purcell is a Hall of Fame basketball player who became a Hall of Fame tennis coach at Murray State University, coaching the Racers for 28 years...

, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

and Harlem Globetrotters player, MSU tennis coach.
Kirk Rueter
Kirk Rueter
Kirk Wesley Rueter is a former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, and is the winningest left-hander in San Francisco Giants history. Rueter played for the Montreal Expos and the Giants and made most of his career appearances as a starter. Rueter attended and played for Murray State...

, Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

pitcher for the Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...

(1993–96) and San Francisco Giants
San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants are a Major League Baseball team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the National League West Division....

(1996–2005).
Heather Samuel
Heather Samuel
Heather Barbara Samuel is a retired sprinter from Antigua and Barbuda who specialized in the 100 and 200 metres. In 1990 she won two medals at the Central American and Caribbean Games with a silver medal in the 100 metres and a bronze medal in the 200 metres.Samuel was a sprinter/jumper at Murray...

, Track & Field three-time Olympian (1992, 1996, 2000).
James Singleton
James Singleton (basketball)
James Alexander Singleton is an American professional basketball player who formerly played in the NBA...

, NBA player
Claude Virden
Claude Virden
-Career:Virden played college basketball for Murray State University. Virden was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 1970 NBA Draft and by the Kentucky Colonels in the 1970 American Basketball Association draft....

, American Basketball Association
American Basketball Association
The American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...

player
Morgan Hicks (BS '04), Competitor at 2004 Olympics in three-position smallbore shooting, 2008 ISSF World Cup rifle champion, and Head Coach of Nebraska Cornhuskers Rifle
Nebraska Cornhuskers rifle
The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in rifle. Rifle is classified as a co-ed sport by the NCAA and is classified as a women's sport at the University of Nebraska...
Rod Harper
Rod Harper
Rod Harper is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers in 2008...

, Super Bowl Champion wide-receiver for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

Business and industry

W. Dwight Armstrong (BS '71), vice president of Provimi Holding Co. and chairman of North American Nutrition Companies, Inc. http://www.murraystate.edu/ialu/07DA.htm
Arthur J. Bauernfeind (BA '60), Chairman & CEO of Westfield Capital Management LLC http://www.bostonprivate.com/westfield.html http://www.murraystate.edu/qacd/cbpa/mba/index.htm http://www.murraystate.edu/qacd/cbpa/ecofin/invchair/http://www.murraystate.edu/wellness_center/
Rex Geveden
Rex Geveden
Rex Geveden is the president of Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville, Alabama. Previously he was the Associate Administrator of NASA. He was selected for that position by NASA chief Michael Griffin on August 17, 2005, after having served in an acting capacity since June of that year. Griffin...

('83, MS '84), president of Teledyne Brown Engineering
Dr. Gene W. Ray (BS '60), Former Chairman, President, & CEO of Titan Corporation, Current Chief Executive Officer of GMT Ventures LLC, in La Jolla, CA.http://www.sddt.com/Newsmakers/profile.cfm?List_ID=14&CUID=FLG3DRHQ http://www.titan.com/
Kris Robbins ('81, MBA '83, ΛΧΑ), president and CEO of Security Benefit Corp. http://www.murraystate.edu/ialu/07DA.htm

Government, law, and military

Jerry Brown (BA '54), U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...

http://www.murraystate.edu/ialu/07DA.htm
Rex Geveden
Rex Geveden
Rex Geveden is the president of Teledyne Brown Engineering in Huntsville, Alabama. Previously he was the Associate Administrator of NASA. He was selected for that position by NASA chief Michael Griffin on August 17, 2005, after having served in an acting capacity since June of that year. Griffin...

(MS '84), former Associate Administrator of NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Anna McHargue (BS '56, ΣΣΣ), the first female flight surgeon in USAF Reserves, former commander of the 349th Aerospace Medicine Squadron
Steven Rudy
Steven Rudy
Steven Jack Rudy is a Kentucky politician and agribusiness owner, serving as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives since defeating longtime Representative Charles Geveden in 2004.- Early life :...

(BS '00), Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...

member of the Kentucky House of Representatives
Kentucky House of Representatives
The Kentucky House of Representatives is the lower house of the Kentucky General Assembly. It is composed of 100 Representatives elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. Not more than two counties can be joined to form a House district, except when necessary to preserve...

.
Don Tharpe ('74, '75, ΑΦΑ), president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, former executive director of the Association of School Business Officials International http://www.murraystate.edu/ialu/tharpe.htm
Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield
Harry Lee Waterfield , a Democrat, served twice as Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as Governor of Kentucky....

('32), Two time Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky
The office of lieutenant governor of Kentucky has existed under the last three of Kentucky's four constitutions, beginning in 1797. The lieutenant governor serves as governor of Kentucky under circumstances similar to the Vice President of the United States assuming the powers of the presidency...
Kenneth W. Winters
Kenneth W. Winters
Kenneth W. Winters is a Republican member of the Kentucky State Senate from Murray in western Kentucky, who formerly served as president of Baptist-affiliated Campbellsville University....

, BS and former Murray State dean, Republican member of the Kentucky State Senate

Journalism

Ron Beaton (BA '79), retired WPSD-TV
WPSD-TV
WPSD-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for Western Kentucky's Jackson Purchase, Southern Illinois, and the Missouri Bootheel. Licensed to Paducah, Kentucky, the station broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 32 from a transmitter in Monkeys Eyebrow, Kentucky...

NewsChannel 6 news anchor.
Taghreed El-Khodary
Taghreed El-Khodary
Taghreed El-Khodary is a Palestinian journalist who is currently a visiting scholar in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment, where her research focuses on the future of Gaza. She is also a 2010 Heinrich Boell Fellow....

(MS '00), New York Times correspondent in Gaza.
Mandy Murphy (ΣΣΣ), reporter and co-anchor at KTVI-TV Fox 2 News in St. Louis http://www.myfoxstl.com/myfox/pages/InsideFox/Detail?contentId=825887&version=7&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=TSTY&pageId=5.3.1
Ji Il Park :ko:박지일 (BA '00), writer and CEO of NewsJapan :ko:뉴스재팬 :ja:ニュースジャパン (インターネットサイト) http://www.newsjapan.org http://www.ohmynews.com/NWS_Web/View/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0000366752
Amy Watson (BA '89), news anchor at WTVF-TV NewsChannel 5 in Nashville http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?s=6074239
Jackie Hays, News Anchor at WAVE-TV Wave3 News in Louisville.
Dave Parker
Dave Parker
David Gene "The Cobra" Parker is an American former player in Major League Baseball. He was the 1978 National League MVP and a two-time batting champion. Parker was the first professional athlete to earn an average of one million dollars per year, having signed a 5-year, $5 million dollar contract...

, (BS '84,ΔΣΦ )Asst. News Director, NBC-10, Philadelphia,PA

Partner universities

Ching Yun University

Ching Yun University（; Hakka: Ciàng-iŭn Tai-hok; abbreviation CYU）is a university in Zhongli City, Taoyuan County, Taiwan. CYU is also known as Ching Yun Tech .- Present Situation :...

, Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

Toyama University, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

Universität Regensburg, Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

Kong ju national university, South Korea

South Korea

The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

Chosun university

Chosun University

Chosun University is one of the oldest and most prestigious private universities in South Korea. Its campus is situated in Gwangju metropolitan city, in southwestern South Korea. The current president is Joen Ho-Jong...

, South Korea

South Korea

Gannan Normal University, China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

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