Metropolitan State University

This article is about a university in Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota. For information on the college in Denver, Colorado, see Metropolitan State University of Denver

Metropolitan State University is a four-year public university located in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, United States. It is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) system.^[3]

History

Metro State was founded in 1971. The school admitted 50 students in 1972. David E. Sweet was the university's first president.^[4] The university initially followed a nontraditional course: students could design their own degree plans, instructors wrote "narrative evaluations" instead of using traditional letter grades, and much of the teaching was done by "community faculty" who had advanced degrees as well as extensive practical work experience in their respective fields. Although Metro State adopted a more traditional format in the 1990s, it still has the College of Individualized Studies (CIS), which allows students to design individualized and/or interdisciplinary degree plans. Until July 1, 2012, the CIS was called First College. Students in the College of Individualized Studies are allowed to select their own majors (typically called "focuses") and curricula. The individualized degrees are a popular alternative for students who are not interested in traditional "structured" degrees.

When Metropolitan State began, it was a college for working adults. It was strictly an upper-division college, so students could only complete their junior and senior years there. The university began admitting freshmen and sophomores and calculating grade point averages in 1994. Letter grades have always been offered at MSU, but have never been required. MSU operates on the semester system. Until fall 1998, it operated on the quarter system. During the 2009-10 school year, MSU enrolled 10,000 full-time and part-time students. This put MSU in the top 12% of colleges by size in the U.S.A. MSU's enrollments are growing by up to 8% per year.

Academic profile

Metro State offers 58 "structured" undergraduate degrees, a self-designed B.A. degree in liberal arts and individualized B.A. degrees through its five colleges and one school: The College of Arts and Sciences, The College of Management, The College of Professional Studies, The College of Nursing and Health Sciences, The School of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, and the College of Individualized Studies.^[5]

Metropolitan State offers ten structured master's degree programs and an interdisciplinary master of arts degree in liberal studies. The university also offers seven graduate certificate programs. In 2007, Metro State began offering an applied doctor of nursing practice degree. Metro State's B.A. and M.S. programs in technical communication are among the largest programs of their kind in the country.

Metro State launched the first applied doctorate of business administration program in the history of the MnSCU system during fall semester 2010. Although a number of schools in the region — such as the University of Minnesota — offer Ph.D.s in business administration, only four colleges in the entire Upper Midwest offer Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.) degrees. Metropolitan State University is the only public school in the Upper Midwest that offers a D.B.A. degree. The three private schools that offer D.B.A. degrees are Argosy University (Eagan, MN), St. Ambrose University (Davenport, IA), and Capella University (a completely online school based in Minneapolis, MN). Metro State's B.S. in accounting program is the largest in Minnesota, and it is widely recognized as one of the best accounting programs in Minnesota.

Metropolitan State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and the Council on Social Work Education.^[6]

Demographics

In 2001 the university had 135 Hmong students.^[7] Based upon data from August, 2010, admissions to Metropolitan State University by race are: Non-Resident Aliens 2.1% (151 students), Black Non-Hispanic 12.1% (871 students), Hispanic 4.6% (330 students), Asian/Pacific Islander 8.7% (623 students), American Indian 3.5% (251 students), Unknown 4.6% (327 students), White 64.4% (4621 students). ^{[8] [9]}Students by gender: Male 41.9% and Female 58.1%. ^{[10] [11]} Contrary to popular belief, Metro State's students are not primarily inner-city residents, minorities, or first-generation college students.

Student accommodations

Metropolitan State University accommodates the needs of working adults by scheduling many of its classes in the evening and on weekends. The number of daytime course offerings have been increasing in recent years because of the growing demands of students. It is possible for recent graduates of Minneapolis and St. Paul public high schools to attend Metro State tuition free.^[3]

Each student attending Metropolitan State University pays a .43 cent per credit fee to fund the Minnesota State University Student Association, a student-lead non-profit that advocates on behalf of all Minnesota state university students. In 1995, Metro State won a highly-coveted national (Theodore) Hesburgh Award for innovative and outstanding faculty development. Former President Bill Clinton was the keynote speaker at the awards ceremony. In 2002, the Minnesota legislature approved funding for the construction of a library at the St. Paul campus; the building opened during spring semester 2004. The new library and learning center also houses a branch of the Saint Paul Public Library. This is the only university/public library partnership in the state of Minnesota and one of only a few nationwide.

Notable alumni

MSU's first graduating class consisted of twelve people on February 1, 1973. As of December 17, 2013, Metro State has approximately 36,774 alumni. Notable alumni include:

• President of the Minnesota Senate Sandy Pappas
• Minnesota state Senator Ken Kelash^[12]
• Former Minnesota state Senator Leo Foley
• Former Minnesota state Representative Char Samuelson
• Former Minnesota Viking & NFL Hall of Famer Carl Eller
• Former Chair of the Metropolitan Council Peter Bell
• Samuel Sam-Sumana, the honorable chief and vice president of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
• Don Shelby, former news anchor on WCCO-TV in Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Frank J. Grass, United States Army General and Chief of the National Guard Bureau
• James E. Lukaszewski, author, consultant, founder and president of The Lukaszewski Group Division of Risdall Public Relations

See also

• List of colleges and universities in Minnesota
• Higher education in Minnesota

References

External links

• Metropolitan State University website (metrostate.edu)
• MNSCU Website (mnscu.edu)