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20 years of Missouri State: How the state’s second largest university got its name

The sun rises on the seal in front of Carrington Hall.
Jesse Scheve/Missouri State University
The sun rises on the seal in front of Carrington Hall.

MSU Alum Garrett Griffin interviews the people who made it happen – and fought against it – in his new book.

Our weekly program, Missouri State Journal, is a collaboration between KSMU Radio and Missouri State University. It's hosted and produced by MSU's Office of Strategic Communication, and it airs each Tuesday morning at 9:45 on KSMU.

What’s in a name? No offense to Shakespeare, but frankly, it turns out quite a lot. That’s if your name is Southwest Missouri State University and you’re looking to drop the directional.

Next month, Missouri State University marks two milestones: Its 120th birthday and the 20th anniversary of its victory in the effort to change its name.

In his new book, “Becoming Missouri State: Conversations on the Great Name Change Battle,” Griffin interviews leaders such as Ken McClure, Matt Blunt, Norma Champion and Jim Baker about the undertaking.

Griffin says historic preservation motivated him to write the book. Some instrumental leaders have already passed away and current Missouri State undergrads weren’t even alive when the change happened.

Read the full transcript.

Emily Letterman has worked at Missouri State University since 2023 and is currently the public relations strategist in the Office of Strategic Communication. A longtime journalist with over a decade of reporting on southwest Missouri, she has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from MSU.