Murray State University, is a four-year public university located in Murray, Kentucky. With about 11,166 students, it has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Colleges" as one of the top regional universities in the U.S. for 24 straight years and it has consistently been among the top-ranked public regional universities in Kentucky. In addition to the main campus, Murray State operates extended campuses offering upper level and graduate courses in Paducah, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Henderson.

History

The history of Murray State University can be traced to the passage of Senate Bill 14 by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which created two normal schools to address the growing demand for professional teachers. One would be in the western part of the state, which caused many cities and towns to bid for the new normal school. Rainey T. Wells spoke on behalf of the city of Murray to convince the Normal School Commission to choose his city. On September 2, 1922, Murray was chosen as the site of the western normal school, while Morehead was chosen for the eastern normal school. On November 26, 1922, John Wesley Carr was elected the first president of the Murray State Normal School by the State Board of Education. Believing it had the authority to elect the president, the Normal School Commission picked Rainey Wells to be the first president. On May 15, 1923, The Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled for the State Board of Education, and Carr would become Murray's first president.