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Northwest Missouri State University is a public, 4-year school located in Maryville, MO, 100 miles north of Kansas City. The school was founded in 1905 as a teachers college and was launched as the Fifth District Normal School. In 1919, the name was changed to Northwest Missouri State Teacher’s College and was shortened in 1949 to Northwest Missouri State College. The school achieved university status in 1972. In 1993 the state legislature designated the campus as the official Missouri State Arboretum. The 370 acre campus features traditional collegiate red brick architecture; the Administration Building is notable for its similarity to Brookings Hall in St Louis, used as the administration building for the 1904 World’s Fair. The campus also features a large quad before the Administration Building and many tree-lined paths and open spaces. Among notable alumni is Jean Bartik, an original programmer for the ENIAC computer.