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Morningside University

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Coordinates: 42°28′28″N 96°21′42″W / 42.47444°N 96.36167°W / 42.47444; -96.36167
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For the college of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, see Morningside College.

Morningside University
Former names
Morningside College (1894–2021)
TypePrivate university
EstablishedDecember 5, 1894; 129 years ago (1894-12-05)
Religious affiliation
United Methodist Church
Endowment$60 million (2020)[1]
PresidentAlbert D. Mosley
Academic staff
250
Total staff
250
Students2,400
Location
Sioux City
,
Iowa
,
United States

43° 31′ 36.7″ N, 96° 44′ 13.3″ W
CampusUrban
100 acres (0.40 km2)
Colors   
Maroon & White
NicknameMustangs
Sporting affiliations
NAIA – GPAC
MascotMonte the Mustang
Websitewww.morningside.edu
Morningside College Historic District
Morningside University is located in Iowa
Morningside University
Morningside University is located in the United States
Morningside University
LocationRoughly bounded by Vine, Morningside, Garretson, Peters, and S. Paxton Aves. and Sioux Trail
Coordinates42°28′28″N 96°21′42″W / 42.47444°N 96.36167°W / 42.47444; -96.36167
Area41 acres (17 ha)
ArchitectCharles P. Brown
Architectural styleRomanesque Revival
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals
NRHP reference No.97000387[2]
Added to NRHPMay 14, 1997

Morningside University is a private university affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Sioux City, Iowa. Founded in 1894 by the Methodist Episcopal Church, Morningside University has 21 buildings on a 68-acre (280,000 m2) campus in Sioux City (area population 143,157 in 2008).[3] The Morningside College Historic District, which includes most of the campus, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Morningside College officially became Morningside University on June 1, 2021.

History

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Morningside College in the 1910s. The building on the left is known today as Lewis Hall, while on the right is Charles City Hall
Lillian Dimmitt House (1921)

A group of Sioux City business leaders and Methodist ministers established the University of the Northwest in 1889 to provide educational, cultural and economic growth in the community.[4][5] The location of the campus was the northern section of the farm of Edwin C. Peters, the founder of the suburb of Morningside. The university was plagued with financial problems, and it became a victim of the financial Panic of 1893. It closed in 1894, the same year that the Methodist Episcopal Church incorporated Morningside College and took over the campus. Charles City College in Charles City, Iowa, was a German Methodist college that was absorbed into Morningside College in 1914.[6]

Historic district

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Part of the campus has been set aside in 1997 as a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] At the time of its nomination it contained 26 resources, which included nine contributing buildings, one contributing site, five contributing objects, nine non-contributing buildings, and one non-contributing object.[4] The focus of the district is a broad hilltop that overlooks the Missouri River valley. Charles City College Hall (1890), Lewis Hall (1900), the Vice President's House (pre-1914), Hickman-Johnson-Furrow Library (1914), Lillian Dimmitt House (1921), Dimmitt Residence Hall (1926), Jones Hall of Science (1948), Alice Gymnasium (1949), Roadman Hall (1953), and O'Donoghue Observatory (1953) are the contributing buildings. The contributing objects are The Spoonholder (1908), a curved cement bench with footpad and backrest; Class of 1922 Sundial; and the three Harmony Lane Lampposts.

This is the largest concentration of educational buildings in Sioux City, and it also contains some of the best examples of Richardsonian Romanesque, Italianate, and Moderne architecture in the city.[4] The district is also linked to the Morningside neighborhood, which was developed as a streetcar suburb. When the University of the Northwest was being developed, there was a conscious effort to pattern it and the neighborhood after Northwestern University and Evanston, Illinois.[4]

Athletics

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The Morningside athletic teams are called the Mustangs (formerly known as the "Maroon Chiefs"). The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 2003–04 academic year. The Mustangs previously competed as an NAIA Independent during the 2002–03 school year; and in the defunct North Central Conference (NCC) from 1922–23 to 2001–02, which was affiliated in the NCAA Division II ranks.

Morningside competes in 27 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, bowling, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading, dance and eSports.

Accomplishments

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The Mustangs women's basketball team won back-to-back NAIA Division II National Championships in 2004 and 2005. They also won the National Championship in 2009 with an undefeated 38–0 record. Most recently, the Mustangs won the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship in 2015 with a 37–1 record. Morningside's Jake Stevenson won the NAIA 184 lb (83 kg) Wrestling Championship in 2007, and John Sievert won the 197 lb (89 kg) Championship in 2013. The football team was coached from 1948–1950 by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach George Allen.

The 2018, 2019, and 2021 Morningside Mustangs football teams had undefeated seasons and won NAIA national championships. The Morningside Mustangs dance team won their first national title in 2022. The dance team also set a national record for highest score at a dance nationals with a 92.31.

Student life

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Morningside University is on a 68-acre (280,000 m2) campus in the residential neighborhood of Morningside in Sioux City, Iowa. Student organizations include: student government, honor societies, service groups, religious organizations, musical ensembles, student publications, and three national fraternities ( Alpha Omicron Pi women's sorority, Delta Sigma Phi fraternity, and Acacia). The campus is also home to two nationally renowned music fraternities, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia (men's) and Mu Phi Epsilon (co-ed nationally, but strictly women for this campus). Morningside's Department of Mass Communications has a weekly newspaper, the Collegian Reporter, it shares a public-access television cable TV as MCTV, and operates a radio station 24 hours a day at 92.9 on the FM dial, KMSC, Fusion 93.

Residence halls

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Dimmitt Hall is the third oldest building on campus. It was named for Lillian Dimmitt, the 26-year Dean of Women.[7] Roadman Hall was built in the mid twentieth century. It houses about 150 students. The dormitory is named after Earl Roadman, president of the college from 1936 to 1956.[8] In 2005, two apartment-style dormitories opened for upperclassmen, the Waitt and Poppen Halls. Lags Hall, a third apartment-style facility, was added in 2007.[clarification needed]

Additions since 2005

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In 2005, the Hickman Johnson Furrow Library was renovated and a central campus green space and new maintenance facilities were built for $26 million.[citation needed]

The first addition came in the form of the central campus Hilker Green Space. Work began in the summer of 2006 and it opened in late summer of 2007. The space is designed as a split-level area featuring the grand two-level Lieder Family Fountain. Walkways and a 10-foot-wide (3.0 m) access path cut through the upper-lawn making their way by Lewis Hall connecting the Hickman Johnson Furrow Learning and Olsen Student Centers. Near Eppley Auditorium, the Buhler Outdoor Performance Center was built.[citation needed]

A softball complex was added in Fall 2005.[citation needed]

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ US Census Bureau. "Annual Estimates of the Population of Metropolitan and Micropolitan Statistical Areas: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2008".
  4. ^ a b c d Timothy T. Orwig. "Morningside College Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved December 31, 2016. with photos
  5. ^ Amy Hynds (November 2, 2012). "Sioux City sports history". Sioux City Journal. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  6. ^ Paul Batesel. "Charles City College". America's Lost Colleges. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  7. ^ "Dimmitt Residence Hall". The Council of Independent Colleges. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  8. ^ "Roadman Hall". The Council of Independent Colleges. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
  9. ^ Kory DeHaan Stats. Baseball-Reference. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  10. ^ "Greigg, Stanley Lloyd, (1931 - 2002)". Biographical Directory of the United States College. Retrieved August 30, 2012.
  11. ^ Hayworth, Bret (August 2, 2006). "Hecht appointed to Iowa Supreme Court". Sioux City Journal.
  12. ^ Herb McMath Stats. Pro-Football-Reference. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  13. ^ Cory Roberts' Company Profile Archived June 2, 2021, at the Wayback Machine. Company Reference. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  14. ^ Addison E. Sheldon, ed. (1920). THE NEBRASKA BLUE BOOK AND HISTORICAL REGISTER. Lincoln, Nebraska. p. 332.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  15. ^ "Morningside (Iowa) QB Trent Solsma named National Player of the Year". NAIA. December 14, 2018.
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Wikisource has the text of the 1921 Collier's Encyclopedia article Morningside University.
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