Although the University is celebrating its first 100 years, its history actually goes back much farther. Gov. Joseph W. Folk signed the bill creating the Fifth District Normal School on March 25, 1905, but the first proposal made in the state Legislature to create such an institution was recorded nearly 30 years earlier, in 1874.

Thirteen years later, on July 6, 1887, a group of citizens filed articles of incorporation for the Northwest Missouri Educational and Scientific Association. In October 1889, this group opened the Maryville Seminary and began work on a building.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Nodaway County and the City of Maryville – along with those in other Northwest Missouri communities – persevered until the 43rd General Assembly passed the 1905 legislation, and the governor signed it into law.

Although the Legislature had paved the way for a school in the Fifth District, the location was to be determined by a state commission. In mid-summer 1905, the commission visited several communities, including Maryville, that had submitted bids.

Through the efforts of many local citizens and organizations, the commission was persuaded that Maryville was indeed the best location for the normal. The Governor approved the commission’s recommendation on Aug. 4 and soon after named a board of regents, which met for the first time on Sept. 12.

The first president, Frank Deerwester, was named in January 1906 and arrived in town in time for the school’s opening on June 13. Deerwester moved into the Gaunt House, the oldest structure on campus, which would eventually be home to all nine Northwest presidents and their families. The first commencement was conducted on Aug. 6, just two months after classes began. The graduates were awarded teaching certificates.

In early 1907, the regents paid a contractor to lay the foundation for the Administration Building. Financial difficulties delayed – and occasionally halted – construction, but the structure was finally completed in 1910.

Since those beginning years, Northwest has built new classrooms, new living spaces, libraries, a student union, sports facilities and fine and performing arts venues. Though the University long served a traditional catchment area embracing 19 counties in Northwest Missouri, today’s students come from across the United States and about 50 other nations.

In 1987, Northwest became the first public university to create a truly electronic campus. The University has also twice won the prestigious Missouri Quality Award and boasts one of the nation’s highest retention rates – a measure of student success – among public institutions of higher learning, according to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities.

Northwest is home to the Missouri Academy of Science, Mathematics and Computing, a two-year residential program serving the state’s brightest juniors and seniors.

The University is also a leader in providing access to promising students who may lack the financial resources to attend college. The American Dream Grant, established in fall 2005, provides tuition, room and board, a computer and textbooks to freshmen from lower-income families. Successful students may renew the grant for a second year.