Mayville State University

**Mayville State University** (**MSU** or **MaSU**) is a public university in Mayville, North Dakota, United States. It is part of the North Dakota University System.

## History

Mayville started as a normal school in 1889.  The North Dakota Constitution made the school. Mayville State was given 30,000 acres (12,000 ha). The first Legislative Assembly organized the school.

Classes began in 1889. The Second Legislative Assembly gave money for the Old Main building in 1891. Classes were first held in Old Main in 1894. In 1926, the State Board of Higher Education let Mayville State give a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in education. **Mayville Normal School** then became **Mayville State Teacher's College.**  It gave general education and offered a four-year degree.

In 1948, the B.A. in education became a B.S. in education and the first non-teaching Bachelor of Arts was offered in 1961. In 1973 and 1982, **Mayville State College** started programs in business administration and computer studies. In the early 1980s, the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of General Studies became available. The present name, Mayville State University, was approved by the legislature in 1987.

## Campus

In 1985, some campus buildings were named by the National Register of Historic Places with the creation of the Mayville Historic District.

On April 9, 2010, the university started building  "the first state-funded building in more than 40 years." Agassiz Hall, the largest residence hall, was remodeled to provide suite- and apartment-style rooms for men and women. An addition to the science and library buildings became the new home of the Division of Education and Psychology.

## Sports

Mayville State's sports teams are called the Comets. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).  They mostly play as a member of the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) The Comets previously played as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from 2011–12 to 2012–13; and in these conferences: the Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) from 2000–01 to 2010–11; and the North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) from 1922–23 to 1999–2000.

Mayville State plays in six intercollegiate varsity sports. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, and football; women's sports include basketball, softball, and volleyball.

The Mayville State Comets men's basketball team finished runner-up at the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament in 2007. This is the only men's basketball team in North Dakota history to play in a national collegiate championship game.

Mayville State's softball team appeared in the 1976 Women's College World Series. Mayville State volleyball made a national tournament appearance in 2021. The program has had several All-American players.

## Notable alumni

- Ole Aarsvold - member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 20th district
- Nick Anderson - professional baseball player
- Emil R. Bedard - Lieutenant General in the United States Marine Corps
- Hank Biesiot - college football and baseball coach
- Merle Boucher - minority leader of the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 9th district
- Lynn Frazier - United States Senator and 12th Governor of North Dakota
- Curt Kreun - member of the North Dakota Senate from the 42nd district
- David Moe - college basketball coach
- Roger Moe - majority leader of the Minnesota Senate
- Mitch Ostile - member of the North Dakota House of Representatives from the 12th district
- Gene Roebuck - college basketball coach

## Other websites

- Official website
- Official athletics website