Before We Were M State: A Look Back
The earliest days of our four unique campuses
M State was fortunate to have a solid foundation of excellence to build upon as it worked to create a fresh new identity as a comprehensive, multi-campus college – a foundation that had been established decades prior by all four of the campuses it now encompassed. Each campus brought its own unique history and distinct strengths to M State, and all had been serving their communities’ educational and workforce needs for at least half a century by the time M State was formed.
The Detroit Lakes, Moorhead and Wadena campuses were established in 1966, 1965 and 1959, respectively, as community and government leaders recognized the state’s need for more technical education and training to meet workforce demands. The Fergus Falls campus was established in 1960 by a community group that wanted to start a junior college in town where area students could complete the first two years of a four-year degree.
The initial goals, values, missions and motivations behind these campuses are the bedrock M State still stands on.
Here, we take a look back at the people, events and circumstances that came together to bring each of our four campuses to life – decades before those campuses came together to make M State the institution it is today.
Click the links below for more information and pictures about each of the four campuses:
