Morningside College
Hallmarks and Quirks
Things I'm Good At:
- Football. What can I say? The Mustangs dominate on the field. I'm great at other sports too, though: my women's and men's basketball teams will rock your maroon socks off. The women even won the national championship title in 2015. Boom.
- Volunteering. For one day I cancel all classes so my students can join in on an all-campus event day called Into the Streets. I encourage them to venture into the community to volunteer. Sharing is caring, you know?
- Bringing people together. I often get called M'side High because I'm so small, but in actuality my size allows my students to really connect with each other.
My Top 5 Must-Haves:
- A laptop. No worries, though—I hook every single student up with one of these puppies at the beginning of their freshman year.
- Morningside apparel. I'm all about campus spirit, so the more maroon you wear, the better.
- Student ID. You'll need this little card to get coffee, chips, and meals at the cafeteria or café. All you do is swipe your ID and—bam—purchases are charged to your student account.
- A parka. If you're from some place cold, then you're probably pretty used to snow days. Those never happen on my campus, though; I believe class is more important than potential hypothermia. Always keep your winter coat handy for those brutal walks to class during the Iowa winter.
- Coffee. With most of students enrolled as student-athletes, they need all the energy in the world to keep up with classes, practices, games, and clubs.
Why You Might Have Heard of Me:
- If you're from the Midwest. I'm pretty famous for my athletics, and I attract students from all over...but especially from this region of the country. There's something about my small campus that makes students feel like they've found their home. Although I highly doubt it's the cafeteria food. It might be the small class sizes and sense of community, though.
- My campus is totally beautiful. Tucked away in the Loess Hills of Iowa, my rolling hills and winding streets can be pretty tricky in the middle of winter when you're driving on icy roads to make a snack run, but it sure does make for a great view.
Favorite Hangouts:
- Most of my students are athletes, so the athletic weight room is pretty much always packed.
- HPER Center is my recreational gym. This is where students who aren't on teams come to get their sweat on.
- The Spoonholder is a café—wait for it—inside the library. That's right. In the middle of winter, once you get your butt to the library, you're pretty much set for the day since you can nosh any time you want. They serve Starbucks here and make a mean blueberry muffin.
Quirks:
Football is a pretty big deal for me. But what you probably don't know is that most of my students don't even go inside the stadium to watch the game—instead they all stand on a huge hill located across the street from the football field. From on top of the hill (known across campus simply as "the hill"), spectators can see the game from a better vantage point.
At the beginning of each year, my president invites each freshman over to his house for dinner. He talks to the new students and really tries to get to know them—in a totally friendly, cool, and non-creepy way. I'm all about community and closeness.
My students have to take a May Term in order to graduate. This is an extra class (outside the regular semesters) that often involves traveling to far-off places to study one particular topic in depth.
Famous Alumni:
- Pauline Phillips, a.k.a. Abby from Dear Abby
- Paul Splittorff, former baseball player for the Kansas City Royals
- Bill Russell, author of Side Show (a Broadway musical)
- Daryl Hecht, judge on the Iowa Supreme Court and president of the Iowa Trial Lawyers Association
- Colonel Bud Day, colonel and pilot in the United States Air Force who earned the Medal of Honor for his efforts while a prisoner of war for five years