Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) is a public university in Marshall, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.

Venue: Southwest Minnesota State University
Address: 1501 State St, Marshall, MN, 56258-5468
Town: Marshall, US

Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) is a public university in Marshall, Minnesota, United States. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. The university has an enrollment of approximately 8,700 students and employs 148 faculty members. It is divided into two major colleges, the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences and the College of Business, Education, and Professional Studies. The university was founded in 1964 as "Southwest Minnesota State College" (SMSC). It admitted its first class of students on September 19, 1967. The college became "Southwest State University" (SSU) on August 1, 1975, and kept that name for nearly 30 years until adopting the name Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) on July 1, 2003. The first issue of the student newspaper, originally called The Impact, was published on May 10, 1968. The name was changed to The Reader in 1974 and back to The Impact in 1980. In 2003 the name was changed to The Spur to be more consistent with the Mustang theme and to spur students into action. The R/A (Recreation/Athletic) Facility was built in 1996 and is a 4,000-seat multi-purpose venue. On January 2, 2002, a fire destroyed the Student Center. The dome's concrete framework was incorporated into the new student and conference center and is still visible in the food court area. The new center was completed in 2005. It features a replica of the original dome with the words "Student Center Dome: 1972-2002" written on it at the Alumni Heritage Center, near the Mustang Zone in the upper level. In 2005 SMSU developed the first bachelor's degree culinology program in the nation to be approved by the Research Chefs Association. On September 6, 2008, the new Regional Event Center officially opened on the western edge of campus. The athletic field was named Mattke Field after the old field, and in honor of past athletic director Glenn Mattke. The center is used by the Mustang football and soccer teams, as well as teams from