A look back at the past 10 years reveals a lot to be proud of at Missouri Western, and we wanted to share that with our readers.

New construction and renovations since Dr. Vartabedian has been president include a new math and sciences building, a new residence hall, a completely renovated stadium with one of the largest video scoreboards in NCAA Division II and a new spring sports complex that brought the baseball team’s home field on to campus for the first time in history.

In 2016, with the indoor pool facing major repairs, there was a lot of talk of closing it and filling it in. But thanks to partnerships with the City of St. Joseph, Buchanan County and the St. Joseph School District, the pool was renovated and named for the late Sen. Thomas Eagleton.

Currently, the Centennial Capital Campaign’s facilities goal is focusing on raising funds for  Potter Hall additions and renovations.

MWSU Accomplishments 2008-2017

  • 2008 – Dr. Robert Vartabedian becomes president
  • 2008 – Campus beautification is launched, including new signage, pond fountains, trees and outdoor sculptures
  • 2009 – A unique program begins that gives students the opportunity to earn a franchise business
  • 2010 – Campus becomes the summer home of the Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp
  • 2010 – Named All-Steinway School
  • 2011 – Missouri Western Arts Society founded
  • 2011 – Craig School of Business receives AACSB prestigious accreditation
  • 2011 – The musical, “Phantom,” sells out all four performances. The 2011-12 theatre season draws in more than 7,700 attendees.
  • 2012 – Signed exchange agreement with Xidan University
  • 2012 – Western Playhouse, makes its debut
  • 2012 – Greek living quarters open on campus
  • 2013 – School of Fine Arts founded
  • 2013 – Walter Cronkite Memorial opens and eventually includes three live, multimedia shows
  • 2014 – The Center for Entrepreneurship is founded
  • 2014 – Comprehensive Master Plan work begins
  • 2014 – MWSU receives largest gift in its history – $10 million anonymous pledge
  • 2014 – Spring Commencement ceremony returns to Spratt Memorial Stadium
  • 2015 – Centennial celebration and Centennial Capital Campaign begin
  • 2015 – New sculpture unveiled on campus, “The Next 100 Years …” (sculpture photo)
  • 2016 – School of Nursing and Health Professions founded
  • 2017 – The freshman class in the fall is up 16.3 percent from fall 2016
  • 2017 – Online courses number 303, up from 29 in 2008

Athletic Successes 2008-2017 

  • 2009 – Softball has 32-game winning streak, a school and conference record, and ends the season 47-12
  • 2011 – Football hosts a playoff game for the first time.
  • 2012 – Football advances to quarterfinals in the national championship, breaking more than 40 individual and team records
  • 2013 – Baseball records a 40-12 season and softball goes 38-16
  • 2015 – For the second straight year, volleyball exceeds 20 wins in a season, a mark they hadn’t reached since 2000
  • 2016 – Women’s basketball wins the regular-season MIAA Championship and advances to the NCAA tournament. The team sets new program records and finishes 27-4
  • 2016 – Women’s golf qualifies for the Division II National Championships
  • 2016 – Softball earns both the MIAA regular season and tournament championships, finishing the season 45-13
  • 2017 – Six new sports are added: men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s indoor and outdoor track.
  • 2017 – Women’s soccer (17-5) and volleyball (25-11) teams both advance to postseason. The volleyball team is MIAA co-champion and earns MIAA Coach of the Year and MIAA Freshman of the year.