Murray State College

Murray State College

Former names	Murray State School of Agriculture
Type	Publiccommunity college
Established	1908
President	Tim Faltyn[1]
Students	2,200
Location	Tishomingo , Oklahoma , U.S.
Campus	Rural
Sporting affiliations	NJCAADivision I
Mascot	Aggies
Website	www.mscok.edu

Murray State Collegeis apubliccommunity collegein southcentralOklahomawith the main campus located inTishomingo, Oklahoma. It is named in honor of formerOklahoma GovernorWilliam H. "Alfalfa Bill" Murray.

Murray State College also maintains a smaller campus inArdmore, Oklahomaas one of four statehigher education institutionsthat participate at theUniversity Center of Southern Oklahoma(the other three areOklahoma State University,Southeastern State University, andEast Central University).

Murray State College was established in 1908, inTishomingo, Oklahoma, as theMurray State School of Agriculturein accordance with a law passed by the firstOklahoma Legislature. It was named afterWilliam H. Murray(known as "Alfalfa Bill") who had served as legal advisor to GovernorDouglas H. Johnstonof theChickasaw Nation, was his delegate to the 1905 convention to draft a constitution for the proposedState of Sequoyah, and was the president of the constitutional convention to draft a document to create the state of Oklahoma, admitted to the union in 1907.

The college's first students, numbering about 100, were primarilyChickasawandChoctaw. At first they had to board with families in town, but Murray, then a US Representative, in 1916 gained approval for Federal funding to construct two dormitories for Native American students.^[2]On March 17, 1924, the Oklahoma Legislature approved a measure to authorize the institution to expand its curriculum to college-level course: it became a community college, granting its first associate degrees in 1924.^[2]

"Alfalfa Bill" Murray was elected as the ninth governor of the state in 1930. His nephew,Clive Murray, was appointed as president of the school in 1931 and served until 1961. The school was renamed in 1955 asMurray State Agricultural College. It was renamed again in 1967, asMurray State College of Agriculture and Applied Science, reflecting its expanded programs.^[2]

In 1972, the school was removed from the authority of theBoard of Regents for Agricultural and Mechanical Collegesand a separate board of regents was appointed to manage it. At the time, the institution was renamed Murray State College.^[2](It is not to be confused withMurray State UniversityinMurray, Kentucky).

Murray State College offersAssociate of Arts,Associate of Science, andAssociate of Applied Sciencedegree programs.

• Bill Anoatubby, Governor of theChickasaw Nation
• R. Perry Beaver, principal chief of theMuscogee (Creek) Nation(1996 until 2003), football coach at Jenks^[3]
• Johnston Murray, attorney, politician and14th Governor of Oklahoma(1951-1955)^[4]
• U. L. Washington,Major League Baseballplayer

• List of colleges and universities in Oklahoma

• Official website

34°13′20″N96°40′33″W / 34.22222°N 96.67583°W /34.22222; -96.67583