Winona State University

Winona State University is a public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first normal school west of the Mississippi River. The university offers more than 80 programs on its main campus as well as collegiate programs on satellite campuses at Winona State University-Rochester. Its average annual enrollment is approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Its sports teams compete as the Winona State Warriors in the NCAA Division II athletics in 14 sports, primarily in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. History Winona State University was founded as the First State Normal School, an institution specifically for educating and producing new elementary school teachers. In the 1850s, Minnesota was on the American frontier and lacked trained teachers. Winona settler John Ford lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to establish normal schools and rallied more than $5,000 in local donations to establish the state's first such institution. It was also the first tax-funded school west of the Mississippi River. Classes at Winona Normal School began in September 1860, but the next year most of the male students as well as the principal and other staff left to serve in the American Civil War. The school closed in March 1862 due to the war, then for another two years due to the Sioux War of 1862. Its first class graduated in 1866. The program soon added a laboratory school in which local children received education from faculty while students observed or, occasionally, led lessons themselves. The normal school quickly outgrew its original four-room building, but state funding and local donations of money and land led to the construction of a proper facility in 1869. The campus expanded with two new wings on "Old Main" in 1894, a library/gymnasium/kindergarten building—Ogden Hall—in 1909, and a women's dormitory—Morey Hall—in 1910. In 1915 a new building was constructed to house the laboratory school, and a second women's dormitory—Shepard Hall—appeared in 1920. Winona State Normal School became Winona Teachers College in 1921 and was authorized to grant a four-year Bachelor of Education degree. In December 1922 a fire broke out in Old Main and completely destroyed it. No one was harmed, as it was during a term break. Local public buildings and churches offered space for classes and administrative business until a new main building, College Hall, was constructed in 1924. The 1915 Model School Building, now Phelps Hall, and the 1924 College Hall, renamed Somsen Hall in 1937, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 for having local significance in education. They were nominated as examples of the normal school movement, which helped shape public education in Minnesota. Winona Normal School was Minnesota's first teacher training school and first laboratory school, and operated from 1860 to 1971. The student newspaper has been called The Winonan since 1922. Name changes First State Normal School of Minnesota (1858) Winona Normal School (1873) Winona State Teachers' College (1921) Winona State College (1957) Winona State University (1975) List of university presidents The head of the university was called the "principal" until 1879. Retroactively, they are called presidents. Academics Winona State University offers 65 undergraduate programs and 12 graduate programs. It was one of the earliest universities in the country to offer a "Laptop University" program, now known as the e-Warrior Digital Life and Learning Program. In this program, each student, upon acceptance, is required to lease their choice of either an Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows-based laptop from the university. In 2013 Winona State University became the first public university in the Midwest to offer a tablet and a laptop to all students. The program's purpose is to increase the bond between education and technology. Each Winona State University student pays 43 cents per credit to fund the Minnesota State University Student Association, a student-led nonprofit that advocates on behalf of all Minnesota state university students. International education The International Services Office is the initial contact for all international students. Winona State University provides scholarship opportunities for International Students. Winona State University has established many sister school relations with colleges and universities around the world, including Tamkang University in Taiwan, Hebei University of Technology in Mainland China, Akita University, Tokyo International University, Toyo University in Japan, Soonchunhyang University, Chung-Ang University in South Korea, and universities in Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Australia, etc. Winona State facilities Housing Winona State University hosts on-campus living communities in multiple buildings on its main Winona campus (https://www.winona.edu/student-life/housing-dining/). Three buildings (Lourdes Hall, Tau Center, and Maria Hall) previously formed a West Campus, which was used for on-campus living until 2021. Kirkland Hall and Haake Hall Originally named New Hall East and New Center West, Kirkland Hall/Haake Hall opened in 2010 and consists of two adjacent buildings that are mirror images of each other. The coed complex has 106 units, each single-gendered. Prentiss-Lucas Hall Prentiss-Lucas Hall (commonly called P-L) is one of the six freshmen residence halls. Its two sides are mirror-image duplicates of each other (Prentiss is the men's residence side and Lucas the women's), linked by a common lobby and lower level. This hall closed down after the spring semester of 2019, but reopened in fall 2020 to accommodate single-occupancy room housing in response to COVID-19. The Quad The Quad has four residence halls that form a square: Conway, Richards, Morey, and Shepard. The halls making up the Quad contain multiple lounges and house over 500 students. Conway Hall is a four-story building that has one female floor, one male floor, and two gender-inclusive floors. Morey and Shepard Halls are connected in an "L" shape. Morey-Shepard consists of men and women divided by floor. Richards Hall is a four-story residence hall. Richards is also co-ed; the first and third floor, excluding the Richards Annex, house men and the second and fourth women. Morey Hall is the oldest on campus, completed in 1911. Sheehan Hall Sheehan Hall was completed for Winona State College as a 14-story women-only hall in 1969. It is now co-ed, and houses most freshmen. The second through 13th floors are residential and the first is a lobby and social area with a full kitchen. Sustainability House The Sustainability House was renovated in 2011–2012. The house is used for a cohort of U.S. military veterans and additional students as necessary. East Lake Apartments East Lake was built in 2002-03 and opened in 2004, and serves as an apartment complex for both men and women. East Lake typically houses upperclassmen. Students living in East Lake need not purchase a meal plan, but can instead get a "block meal" plan. Discontinued housing The following buildings were known as West Campus (Residential College). They were also previously owned and operated by the College of Saint Teresa, a defunct Roman Catholic women's college. West Campus was closed for residential purposes in 2021 and put up for sale in 2022. Winona State acquired Lourdes Hall in the early 1990s. It was completed in 1928 for the College of St. Teresa. Lourdes Hall was put up for sale with Tau Center and Maria Hall in 2022. Tau Center was acquired in 2003 and served as a coeducational residence hall/conference center. It is behind Lourdes and was previously operated by the Diocese of Winona. It was sold to Cotter Schools in 2022. Maria Hall was acquired by Winona State in 2000 to serve as a residence hall. It housed just over 200 students, typically freshmen. The coeducational facility housed female students on the first and third floors and male students on the second and fourth floors. Each floor had a full lounge and kitchen, complete with television, furniture, stove, refrigerator, microwave, and toaster. The basement had two large lounges, a kitchen, and a laundry room. A tunnel connects Maria to Lourdes Hall. It was sold to Cotter Schools in the spring of 2022. It was demolished in late 2025, despite local opposition. Academic and sporting KQAL, Winona State's radio station Krueger Library Maxwell Field at Warrior Stadium, home of Winona State Warriors football and soccer Residence Halls at Winona State University Kryzsko Commons, the primary student center on campus WSU's Performing Arts Center, home to the theatre arts and dance department and the music department; site of the Great River Shakespeare Festival The Integrated Wellness Complex aligns counseling, health, academics, intramurals, fitness and athletics into a single facility. Warrior Hub, home of Winona State University's academic services, including financial aid, registrar, advising, career and account services Athletics Winona State University competes in Division II NCAA athletics and its teams are called the Warriors. It is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference for most sports, except women's gymnastics (Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference). The school's first national championship came in 1985 when the gymnastics team took the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) title, claiming four individual champions and 11 All-American honors, along with National Coach and Gymnast of the Year. The same year, the Warrior gymnastics team competed in the NCAA Division II nationals in Springfield, Massachusetts, taking home the third-place trophy, the first Winona State team to compete in both affiliations at the national level. The Warriors claimed the NAIA national title again in 1987, this time paced by one individual champion and seven All-American honors. Two gymnasts were named Academic All-Americans for their outstanding academic achievements, and the National Coach of the Year award went to Winona State University's head coach. Notable alumni See also List of colleges and universities in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places listings in Winona County, Minnesota Notes References External links Official website Athletics website