City: Branson, MO

Category: Education

Telephone: (417) 836-5000

Address: 901 South National Ave.

Description: Missouri State University (formerly Southwest Missouri State University) founded in 1905, is the state’s second-largest university, and though it offers both bachelor’s and master’s degrees, its focus is on undergraduate education. It is a public, coed university supported by the state, but it has an endowment of $28 million. The university has been the fastest-growing campus in the last decade, and it has an enrollment of 19,489, with an additional 1,834 at the West Plains campus. Since it has a large number of applicants, MSU has been able to raise the standards for admission, with an ACT average of 23.4. It has a faculty of 718. Tuition in spring 2009 was $3,128 per semester for residents and $5,768 for nonresidents. Notable alumni include David Glass, retired CEO of Wal-Mart; actors John Goodman, Tess Harper, and Kathleen Turner; and developer John Q. Hammons. The university figures prominently in the area’s cultural events. The Juanita K. Hammons Center, the home of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra, frequently features cultural events and touring Broadway productions. Individual academic departments often host speakers or programs.The university’s summer Tent Theater offers a repertory bill each year that has become famous. The campus is also home to KSMU, the area’s NPR station, with satellite rebroadcast towers in Branson, Joplin, Mountain Grove, Sarcoxie, Neosho, and West Plains. The campus also hosts the PBS affiliate KOZK.