Mississippi University for Women history

But on October 22, 1885, the new Mississippi Industrial Institute and College opened under the leadership of President Richard Watson Jones, who also taught physics and chemistry, and seventeen other faculty members.

Ten students earned the first college diplomas in 1889.

There were so many alumnae, faculty, and students pressing hard for a woman president that in 1898 the state banned women from even being considered as applicants for the position.

In 1920, shortly before politically active alumnae of the school helped elect their former president, Henry Whitfield, to the governor’s office, the Mississippi II&C became Mississippi State College for Women.

In addition, elimination of the phrase “for White Girls” from the original name was a fortunate prediction of the college’s racial integration in 1966.

In 1971, Mississippi State College for Women won the intercollegiate women's basketball national championship (the third ever held).

By 1974, as all eight universities in Mississippi began adding and strengthening graduate programs, MSCW became Mississippi University for Women.

But her alumni and friends affectionately call her The W. Admitting men since 1982, MUW still provides a high quality liberal arts education with a distinct emphasis on professional development and leadership opportunities for women.

In 1988, the Board of Trustees reaffirmed the mission of MUW as an institution providing quality academic programs for all qualified students, with emphasis on distinctive opportunities for women.

In 1989 Clyda Rent became the first female president of Mississippi University for Women.

In a 1997 article in Innovative Higher Education, the journalist Dale Thorn describes MUW's successful attempt to avoid a merger with another institution and to remain a separate entity.

In 2009, President Doctor Claudia Limbert announced the possibility of changing the university's name to "Reneau University". The Mississippi State legislature did not approve the change.