Bulletin of McMurry University, 2011-2012 Page: 10
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Mission
INTRODUCTION TO McMURRY
MISSION OF MCMURRY UNIVERSITY
The mission of McMurry University is to provide a Christian liberal
arts and professional education that prepares students for a fulfill-
ing life of leadership and service.
The University fulfills this mission by fostering a campus
culture that is distinctive in the following ways:
McMurry is shaped by the Christian faith.
As a United Methodist institution grounded in the Wesleyan traditions of
intellectual achievement and vital piety, McMurry nurtures and cares for
each student as a unique individual, helps students through the many
challenges of higher education, and provide the resources necessary to
help students grow as whole persons spiritually, emotionally, morally, intel-
lectually, socially, and physically. Our pursuit of academic excellence is
supported by our belief that truth, in a universe created by God, is nothing
to fear. We honor the Creator when we use our minds for their intended
purpose of learning in ways unhindered by prejudice or ignorance.
McMurry provides a liberal arts education to every student.
We believe that the liberal arts are the foundation of an examined, in-
formed, and worthwhile life. Throughout the general education curriculum,
all students engage questions of goodness, truth, and beauty as they have
been interpreted by the leading lights of ancient and modern civiliza-
tions. Through the liberal arts, our students develop an abiding sense of
personal integrity, an informed appreciation for the perspectives of others,
and a clear vision of their moral and spiritual identity.
McMurry prepares students for a fulfilling life of leadership
and service.
On the basis of our shared liberal arts background, McMurry students
pursue studies that prepare them for a variety of worthwhile careers.
McMurry's extracurricular activities, programs, and organizations give
students practical experience in leadership and service. Whether entering
professional life upon graduation or going on to graduate study, students
leave our campus with a solid basis for a fulfilling life of leadership and
service in their chosen professions and their civic and religious communi-
ties.
McMurry expects and enables excellence throughout the
University community.
We believe that our distinctive campus culture will flourish only if all
members of the McMurry community strive for excellence. We commit
ourselves to high expectations for everyone at McMurry - students, faculty,
administrators, trustees, and staff - and to provide the human and financial
resources necessary for meeting those exacting standards. We aim to
be a community in which students expand their intellectual and cultural
horizons as they develop an enthusiasm for lifelong learning. We pledge
to hold our students accountable to the highest possible standards of
academic achievement and to provide excellent professors who will help
them meet these expectations.
HISTORY.
McMurry College was voted into being at the annual session of the North-
west Texas Conference of the Methodist Church in October, 1920, at Clar-
endon, Texas. The College was established at Abilene upon an offer of
inducements from the Chamber of Commerce and other benefactors. The
construction of the first building, now the Old Main Building, was begun in
the spring of 1922. By action of the same conference which established
the school, Dr. J.W. Hunt was elected its first president. Under his direc-
tion the College opened its doors in September, 1923.
McMurry University is the legal and spiritual successor to four historic
educational institutions of West Texas and New Mexico, namely, StamfordCollege, Clarendon College, Western College and Seth Ward College.
McMurry is now the custodian of some records of these colleges and has
incorporated their ex-students into the Alumni and Ex-Students Associa-
tion of McMurry University. In 1947, the Dallas Institute of Vocal andDramatic Art was merged with McMurry College, contributing increased
strength to the College's academic and fine arts facilities. By action of the
McMurry College Board of Trustees in October 1989, McMurry College
was renamed McMurry University effective with the beginning of the 1990
Fall Semester. This change was accompanied by the creation of a Col-
lege of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, and
the Patty Hanks Shelton School of Nursing, as well as significant curricular
innovations. McMurry University is recognized as an innovative, liberal
arts university offering quality liberal arts, pre-professional, and profes-
sional undergraduate education to its students. Thousands of her alumni
are serving with distinction in significant positions throughout America.
In recent years McMurry has made a particularly enviable record in the
sound preparation of young men and women for careers in business, sci-
ence, education, and the Christian ministry.
CAMPUS BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING. The C.E. Maedgen Administration
Building, completed in 1962, houses the administrative offices of the
University. This structure will remain as a lasting tribute to the late Mr. and
Mrs. C.E. Maedgen of Lubbock, Texas.
BAND HALL. This two-story structure contains a large rehearsal room,
offices, practice rooms, and storage rooms. The funds for its construction
were provided through the generous gifts of foundations and alumni and
friends of the McMurry Band Program. A total renovation was completed
in 2008.
BOBBY LEE CARTER THROWS COMPLEX
Dedicated in April 2011, the Bobby Lee Carter Throws Complex, located
just to the west of Wilford Moore Stadium, is one of the finest small college
state-of-the-art throws facilities for the shot put, discus, hammer throw and
javelin events. The facility has been enclosed by an eight-foot chain-link
fence that surrounds the area. Carter was a 1952 graduate of McMurry
University and Athletic Hall of Honor inductee in 1999 and was the primary
donor for the throws facility.
CAMPUS CENTER. Completed in the fall of 1979, the Shirley L. and
Mildred Garrison United Methodist Campus Center is a $2 million structure
located in the center of McMurry's campus. The campus center is a par-
tially underground structure with grassy slopes rising around its walls.
This structure is used for a wide variety of activities. Weekly campus
worship services are held in its chapel, dances are held in its ballroom,
students' free time may be spent in the Sports Grille, computers and
tutoring are available in the Academic Enrichment Center, and the faculty
relaxes in the faculty lounge. In 2003, the Braniff Lounge became the
Windjammers Lounge honoring a McMurry student band of the 1960s.
The campus center was recently renovated to include new carpet in the
ballroom and new furniture and carpeting in the Windjammer's Lounge.
Other facilities located here are the college bookstore, Campus Activities
Board office, post office, the Religious Life office, and the office of the
McMurry Student Government.
NOEL R. and ANITA HENRY CHAPIN ART BUILDING. Construc-
ted in 1999-2000. The Chapin Building provides instructional space for
ceramics and for student and faculty studios.
CLASSROOM BUILDING. The Harold Groves Cooke Liberal Arts
Building houses classrooms, faculty offices, and computer labs.
DINING HALL. The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Dining hall was completed
in the summer of 1988 at an approximate cost of $1,100,000. It covers
approximately 13,900 square feet and is located adjacent to the northwest
corner of the Campus Center. Food service is prepared to serve in excess
of 2,000 meals per day. The dining hall has a maximum seating capacity
for 500 persons.EDUCATION BUILDING. The Iris Graham Education building, a reno-
vation of the Iris Graham Memorial Dining Hall, was completed in 1989. It
provides offices for the Department of Curriculum and Instruction faculty;
three general purpose classrooms; two demonstration classrooms; and
audio-visual, curriculum, and computer laboratories. A grant from the
10
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McMurry University. Bulletin of McMurry University, 2011-2012, book, May 2011; Abilene, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth354160/m1/10/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting McMurry University Library.