History
Truman State University was founded in 1867 as North Missouri Normal School and Commercial College. The school went through a number of name changes and changes in scope over the following century. In 1972 the institution was renamed Northeast Missouri State University. In 1985, the governor formally recognized Truman as Missouri’s only highly selective public liberal arts and sciences university. Ten years later, the institution’s name was changed to honor Harry Truman, the only Missourian ever to be President.
It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. Its mission statement (available online at catalog.truman.edu) says in part that the university “is committed to the advancement of knowledge, to freedom of thought and inquiry, and to the personal, social, and intellectual growth of its students.” The Carnegie Institute classifies it as a Master’s College and University I.