Founding the Future: A History of Truman State University

In 1867 Joseph Baldwin founded the North Missouri Normal School to train young men and women of the area to teach in the new public schools being established throughout the state. Over the next decades, the school continued to focus on training teachers for the public schools, but also developed a general education program. Gradually, the curriculum expanded into other fields of study and professional training.
Balancing tradition and innovation, the college built a strong foundation by providing a superior liberal arts and sciences education in a student-centered learning environment. In 1985 Northeast Missouri State University was given a new mission as Missouri's premier public liberal arts and sciences institution. This change in mission was reinforced a decade later when the name was changed to Truman State University.