Mississippi University for Women: A Legacy of Education and Adaptation
Mississippi University for Women (MUW), also known as "The W," stands as a coeducational public university in Columbus, Mississippi, with a rich and evolving history. From its inception as the first public women's college in the United States to its current status as a diverse and inclusive institution, MUW has demonstrated a remarkable ability to adapt to the changing needs of its students and the broader society.
Founding and Early Years (1884-1920)
The institution was created by an act of the Mississippi Legislature on March 12, 1884, for the dual purposes of providing a liberal arts education for white women and preparing them for employment. Originally named the "Industrial Institute and College for the Education of White Girls," it was cofounded through the efforts of three Mississippi women: Sallie Eola Reneau, Annie Coleman Peyton, and Olivia Valentine Hastings. These women urged lawmakers to create a college for white women, and their efforts spanned over twenty years.
The II&C was located in Columbus on a campus formerly occupied by the Columbus Female Institute, a private college founded in 1847. Columbus won the college by virtue of its early interest in women’s education and its willingness to commit hard cash to the endeavor. The city donated to the state the buildings and grounds of the Columbus Female Institute, and offered city bonds in the amount of $50,000 for any needed improvements to the property.
The II&C's first session began on October 22, 1885, with an enrollment of approximately 250 students. Richard Watson Jones was selected as the university's first president. The institution aimed to serve the educational needs of all economic classes, teaching Latin and penmanship alongside dressmaking and stenography. Upon graduation, the college would give the women an industrial certificate that showed they could do work “outside of the home,” she said. Some of the certificates the school offered included typing, stenography, furniture and wallpaper design, bookkeeping, printing, telegraphy and photography.
Transition and Expansion (1920-1974)
In 1920, The Industrial Institute and College became Mississippi State College for Women. This name more clearly reflected the institution’s merging of the professional training with four year collegiate degrees.
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MUW has always shown an ability to adapt and change with the times. In 1922, alumnae campaigned and voted for their former President, Henry Whitfield, in his bid for Governor of Mississippi.
The university experienced significant growth under the leadership of President Charles P. Hogarth, who served for a quarter of a century. During his tenure, the college's enrollment quadrupled.
Integration and Coeducation (1966-Present)
One aspect of the school’s mission was altered in 1966 when it admitted its first three African American students: Laverne Greene, Diane Hardy, and Barbara Turner. At the same time, three teachers from Hunt became the first graduate students at the school. They lived off campus, as the dormitories remained segregated until 1968. The papers of Charles Hogarth include material on the racial integration of MSCW. It is clear from the records currently available, for instance, that while the first African American students at MSCW were studiously ignored by much of the campus, the president’s office was monitoring their progress with great interest. Included in President Hogarth’s student files from 1966 are the correspondence and acceptance records not only of the three students who were eventually admitted, but also of the many unsuccessful applicants during the two to three years preceding them, each one assiduously noted as being likely black.
In 1974, the name was changed to the "Mississippi University for Women" to reflect the expanded academic programs, including graduate studies.
In 1982, The Supreme Court ruled in the case of Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan that the nursing school's single-sex admissions policies were in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Following this decision, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning ordered the university to change its policies to allow the admission of qualified men into all university programs.
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The transition to coeducational status and the events following it is attested in several collections in the MUW Archives, including that of President James Strobel (1977-1988). The Strobel papers, some 27 boxes of correspondence, reports, committee minutes, and news clippings focusing on the period from 1977 to 1980, are a smaller collection than Hogarth’s, and there is notably less material relevant to this subject. Nevertheless, there is some fodder for research into the Hogan case and the aftermath. These records impart the perception of the Hogan case as an integral part of a larger existential threat to the University posed by the combination of falling enrollment, economic hardship, loss of identity, and a board set on closing the school.
Recent Developments
In 2009, President Claudia Limbert announced the possibility of changing the university's name to "Reneau University".
On January 8, 2024, the university announced a proposal to change its name to Mississippi Brightwell University. This proposal, which would not be made official until July 1, 2024, will require approval from Mississippi lawmakers before taking effect. According to the school's president, Nora Miller, this name is in reference to several aspects of MUW culture and tradition stating “The rebrand is intended to better mirror the University’s current vision, mission and the dynamic times we are living in, providing a more apt representation of our diverse and vibrant student body”. The name also reflects the school’s motto “We study for light to bless with light” which Miller states is indicative of school culture stating “Our motto epitomizes the enduring essence of a supportive, inclusive and empowered community.
On February 13, 2024, Miller announced via livestream from the front steps of Poindexter Hall that the task force had selected a new name: Wynbridge State University of Mississippi.
These attempts at name changes were ultimately unsuccessful.
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Athletics
The MUW athletic teams are called the Owls (formerly known as the Blues). The university is a member in the NCAA Division III ranks, primarily competing in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) since the 2022-23 academic year. The Owls are also a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). The program competed as an NCAA D-III Independent from 2019-20 to 2021-22. Previously, the teams participated in the NCAA Division II ranks, primarily competing in the Gulf South Conference (GSC), from 1993-94 to 2002-03.
The damage from a November 10, 2002, F3 tornado caused MUW to cancel athletic programs until 2017. The tornado ripped through the MUW campus, particularly on the southern half of campus.
MUW (then known as Mississippi State College for Women) won the 1971 national championship in women's basketball, defeating West Chester State, 57-55.
The MUW Archives
The MUW Archives contains several collections pertinent to this history, but until recently the archives has been unmanned and neglected. MUW hired a full-time archivist, Gloria Atkinson, and founded its archives in 1979, and over the next decade she accumulated many of the University’s early records as well as solicited scrapbooks, social club effects, and other memorabilia from alumni. When Atkinson retired in 1991, however, the University administration was undergoing both a change in presidents and navigating one of the numerous campaigns to close the University in the legislature, and her position was left open. When, in 1993, a tornado struck the campus and damaged the roof of Orr Building, where the archives is housed, it was decided to close the archives rather than repair the roof. Subsequent storms in 1996 and 2002 further damaged the roof before it was finally repaired in the summer of 2012.
Nevertheless, some in the University recognized the value of the archives’ holdings, taking measures to protect it, and the archives’ fortunes have improved dramatically in recent months. Dr. Bridget Smith Pieschel, Professor of English and Director of the Center for Women’s Research and Public Policy, relocated her office to Orr’s still-habitable annex after the archives was closed, and from this redoubt made regular excursions into the archives to preserve the records when possible, using student interns to triage problem areas and assist the occasional researcher in accessing the records. Last fall, a new university archivist was hired part-time, and elevated to full-time status in January. The archives’ governing policies were updated, a volunteer and student interns were recruited, and many of the collections re-opened to student research.
The papers of Annie Coleman Peyton contain the records of one of the University’s founders and provide an interesting perspective on the cause of women’s education in the South in the 19th century. Peyton was a leading advocate for a public women’s university in Mississippi, and her efforts led to the passage of legislation establishing the Industrial Institute and College in Columbus in 1884. The papers are part of the Peyton Collection, originally compiled by her daughter Mary Lou Peyton, who served as instructor of Mississippi history at the I. I. & C. (at this point Mississippi State College for Women) from 1938-1945.
Rankings and Recognition
News & World Report ranked The W 15th as a best value among public Southern regional universities and 18th among the top public schools.
Campus and Location
MUW is located in Columbus, Mississippi, a city with a population of about 25,000. One of the most beautiful and historic communities in the South, Columbus is the site of more than 100 antebellum homes and several hundred other buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city is home to Columbus Air Force Base, one of only four Air Force undergraduate pilot training bases in the nation. The nation’s first observance of Memorial Day took place in Columbus, and the city is the birthplace of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tennessee Williams.
The MUW campus covers more than 114 acres within the historical district of central Columbus. Twenty-three of the more than 60 campus buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. MUW’s Plymouth Bluff Center is only minutes from the main campus on a 190 -acre site with more than four miles of nature trails along the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. This beautiful, sylvan setting has 24 neatly furnished guest rooms and dining facilities seating up to 150.
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