Winona State University is a public university in Winona, Minnesota, United States. It was founded as First State Normal School of Minnesota in 1858 and is the oldest member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. It was the first normal school west of the Mississippi River.
The university offers more than 80 programs on its main campus as well as collegiate programs on satellite campuses at Winona State University-Rochester. Its average annual enrollment is approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students. Its sports teams compete as the Winona State Warriors in the NCAA Division II athletics in 14 sports, primarily in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
History Winona State University was founded as the First State Normal School of Minnesota, an institution specifically for educating and producing new elementary school teachers. In the 1850s, Minnesota was on the American frontier and lacked trained teachers. Winona settler John Ford lobbied the Minnesota Legislature to establish normal schools and rallied more than $5,000 in local donations to establish the state's first such institution. It was also the first tax-funded school west of the Mississippi River. On July 17, 1858, James Peckham introduced the bill to create the school. It passed the Minnesota House of Representatives on July 27, 45-4, and the Minnesota Senate unanimously on July 30. Governor Henry Hastings Sibley signed it into law on August 2. On November 9, 1859, the first school officials met and began work.
Classes at Winona Normal School began on September 3, 1860, but the next year most of the male students as well as the principal and other staff left to serve in the American Civil War. The school closed in March 1862 due to the war, then for another two years due to the U.S.-Dakota War. Its first class graduated in 1866. The program soon added a laboratory school in which local children received education from faculty while students observed or, occasionally, led lessons themselves. The normal school quickly outgrew its original four-room building, but state funding and local donations of money and land led to the construction of a proper facility in 1869.
The campus expanded with two new wings on "Old Main" in 1894, a library/gymnasium/kindergarten building—Ogden Hall—in 1909, and a women's dormitory—Morey Hall—in 1910. In 1915 a new building was constructed to house the laboratory school, and a second women's dormitory—Shepard Hall—appeared in 1920.
Winona State Normal School became Winona Teachers College in 1921 and was authorized to grant a four-year Bachelor of Education degree. In December 1922 a fire broke out in Old Main and completely destroyed it. No one was harmed, as it was during a term break. Local public buildings and churches offered space for classes and administrative business until a new main building, College Hall, was constructed in 1924. The student newspaper has been called The Winonan since 1922.
Enrollment declined during the Great Depression, reaching a lowpoint of only 200 students in 1944. The Minnesota Legislature considered shutting down the college. President Nels Minne would lead the college through a 'building boom', constructing 12 new buildings during his tenure. When he resigned in 1967, enrollment had risen to 3,119.
The 1915 Model School Building, now Phelps Hall, and the 1924 College Hall, renamed Somsen Hall in 1937, were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013 for having local significance in education. They were nominated as examples of the normal school movement, which helped shape public education in Minnesota. Winona Normal School was Minnesota's first teacher training school and first laboratory school, and operated from 1860 to 1971.
Name changes
First State Normal School of Minnesota (1858) Winona Normal School (1873) Winona State Normal School (1905) Winona State Teachers' College (1921) Winona State College (1957) Winona State University (1975)
List of university presidents The head of the university was called the "principal" until 1879. Retroactively, they are called presidents.
+ Presidents of Winona State University No. Image President Years Notes1 John Ogden 1860-1861 Resigned to fight in the American Civil War, namesake of Ogden Hall (destroyed in a fire) (position vacant) 1861-1864 Resident Director David Burt and Winona High School principal V. J. Walker are temporarily in charge. John G. McLynn is elected principal, but resigns before the school year begins.2 William F. Phelps 1864-1876 Namesake of Phelps Hall3 Charles A. Morey 1876-1879 Namesake of Morey Hall4 Irwin Shepard 1879-1898 Namesake of Shepard Hall5 Jesse Fonda Millspaugh 1898-1904 Frank A. Weld was initially elected, but declined, resulting in a three-month vacancy in 1898 until Millspaugh was elected.6 Guy E. Maxwell 1904-1939 Namesake of Maxwell Hall and Maxwell Field, died in office7 Oscar Myking Mehus 1939-1943 Fired by the state government, allegedly for political reasons8 Nels Minne 1944-1967 Namesake of Minne Hall9 Robert DuFresne 1967-1977 Namesake of the DuFresne Performing Arts Center10 Robert Hanson 1977-1983 11 Thomas Stark 1983-1988 Namesake of Stark Hall12 John "Jack" G. Kane(interim) 1988-1989 Namesake of the Jack Kane Dining Hall13 Darrell W. Krueger 1989-2005 Namesake of the Krueger Library14 Judith A. Ramaley 2005-2012 Previously served as president of Portland State University and the University of Vermont15 Scott Olson 2012-2023 Resigned to become Chancellor of Minnstate16 Kenneth Janz 2024- Served as interim president between August 2023 and March 2024
Academics
Winona State University offers 65 undergraduate programs and 12 graduate programs. It was one of the earliest universities in the country to offer a "Laptop University" program, now known as the e-Warrior Digital Life and Learning Program. In this program, each student, upon acceptance, is required to lease their choice of either an Apple Macintosh or Microsoft Windows-based laptop from the university. In 2013 Winona State University became the first public university in the Midwest to offer a tablet and a laptop to all students. The program's purpose is to increase the bond between education and technology.
Each Winona State University student pays 43 cents per credit to fund the Minnesota State University Student Association, a student-led nonprofit that advocates on behalf of all Minnesota state university students.
International education
The International Services Office is the initial contact for all international students. Winona State University provides scholarship opportunities for International Students.
Winona State University has established many sister school relations with colleges and universities around the world, including Tamkang University in Taiwan, Hebei University of Technology in Mainland China, Akita University, Tokyo International University, Toyo University in Japan, Soonchunhyang University, Chung-Ang University in South Korea, and universities in Malaysia, Mexico, Spain, Egypt, Hong Kong, Australia, etc.
Winona State facilities Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023 Race and ethnicityTotal White Hispanic Two or more races Asian Black International student Unknown Economic diversity Low-income Affluent
Housing Winona State University hosts on-campus living communities in multiple buildings on its main Winona campus (https://www.winona.edu/student-life/housing-dining/). Three buildings (Lourdes Hall, Tau Center, and Maria Hall) previously formed a West Campus, which was used for on-campus living until 2021.
Foundation Hall
In 2025, Foundation Hall was approved, intended to house an additional 340 students. Plans for the hall date back to 2021, but were delayed for financial reasons. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on January 20, 2026, and was attended by president Janz. The hall is currently still under construction.
Kirkland Hall and Haake Hall Originally named New Hall East and New Center West, Kirkland Hall/Haake Hall opened in 2010 and consists of two adjacent buildings that are mirror images of each other. The coed complex has 106 units, each single-gendered. Kirkland Hall received a permanent name first, being named after alumni Melvin and Lois Kirkland in 2012 after the couple donated their estate to the university. In 2015, Haake Hall was permanently named after Paul Haake, who gifted the university $1.5 million in scholarship money.
Prentiss-Lucas Hall Prentiss-Lucas Hall (commonly called P-L) is one of the six freshmen residence halls. Its two sides are mirror-image duplicates of each other (Prentiss is co-ed, and Lucas women's), linked by a common lobby and lower level. This hall closed down after the spring semester of 2019, but reopened in fall 2020 to accommodate single-occupancy room housing in response to COVID-19.
Lucas Hall is named after Ruth Lucas, who donated her house to the university in 1938. In 1944, Ruth's brother Ward Lucas donated his house, which was named after their father, S. L. Prentiss. Neither original house is still owned by the university. They were replaced by the modern Prentiss-Lucas Hall, built in 1964-1965 to house an influx of new students attending due to the GI Bill.
The Quad The Quad has four residence halls that form a square: Conway, Richards, Morey, and Shepard. The halls making up the Quad contain multiple lounges and house over 500 students.
Conway Hall is a four-story building that has one female floor, one male floor, and two gender-inclusive floors. It is named after Helen Conway, an alumna who served on the Minnstate Board of Trustees.
Morey and Shepard Halls are connected in an "L" shape. Morey-Shepard consists of men and women divided by floor. They are named after university presidents Charles A. Morey and Irwin Shepard. Morey Hall is the oldest housing on campus, completed in 1911.
Richards Hall is a four-story residence hall. It is also co-ed; the first and third floor, excluding the Richards Annex, house men, and the second and fourth women. It is named for Florence L. Richards, dean of women at the university and a member of the English department from 1912 to 1943.
Sheehan Hall Sheehan Hall was completed for Winona State College as a 14-story women-only hall in 1969. It is now co-ed, and houses most freshmen. The second through 13th floors are residential and the first is a lobby and social area with a full kitchen. The hall is named for Frank Sheehan, who served on the Minnstate college board from 1933 to 1937 and as the university's residence director from 1946 to his death in 1951.
Sustainability House The Sustainability House was renovated in 2011-2012. It is used for a cohort of U.S. military veterans and additional students as necessary.
East Lake Apartments East Lake was built in 2002-03 and opened in 2004. It is an apartment complex for both men and women. East Lake typically houses upperclassmen. Students living in East Lake need not purchase a meal plan, but can instead get a "block meal" plan.
Discontinued housing The following buildings were known as West Campus (Residential College). They were also previously owned and operated by the College of Saint Teresa, a defunct Roman Catholic women's college. West Campus was closed for residential purposes in 2021 and put up for sale in 2022.
Winona State acquired Lourdes Hall in the early 1990s. It was completed in 1928 for the College of St. Teresa. Lourdes Hall was put up for sale with Tau Center and Maria Hall in 2022.
Tau Center was acquired in 2003 and served as a coeducational residence hall/conference center. It is behind Lourdes and was previously operated by the Diocese of Winona. It was sold to Cotter Schools in 2022.