Harris-Stowe State University history

In 1863 philosopher Anna Brackett became principal of the school, and it became the first normal school led by a woman in the United States.

A second predecessor institution was Stowe Teachers College that began in 1890 as a normal school for future Black teachers of elementary schools in the City of St Louis.

The College began offering in-service education for St Louis white teachers as early as 1906.

In 1920, Harris Teachers College became a four-year undergraduate institution authorized to grant a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree.

In the wake of the desegregation of public schools, the two colleges were merged into one institution in 1954 and situated on the Harris Teachers College campus.

In response to requests by alumni of Stowe and many in the St Louis community, the St Louis Board of Education in 1977 agreed to add the name of the former black institution to the school’s title and drop “Teachers.” Thus the institution became Harris-Stowe College.

In 1981, the College received state approval for a new degree program — the Bachelor of Science in Urban Education.

In 1993, the State of Missouri signed into law Senate Bill 153, which authorized the College to expand its mission in order to address the unmet needs of Metropolitan St Louis in various applied professional disciplines.

In 2005, the college attained university status, and was renamed Harris–Stowe State University.