Harris-Stowe's History

Harris-Stowe State University (HSSU) is a historically black college and university (HBCU) in St. Louis, Missouri committed to providing affordable, quality higher education to underserved populations in a friendly, inspiring environment. Since its inception 165 years ago, the institution has championed change. Formerly known as Harris-Stowe State College, HSSU sprung out of the 1954 Civil Rights Act that mandated the integration of Harris Teachers College and Stowe Teachers College. Before that Act, the origins of HSSU can be traced back to 1857 when the St. Louis Public Schools founded Harris Teachers College, a whites-only teaching school - the first public teacher education institution west of the Mississippi River.

Over 30 years later, the Stowe Teachers College opened in 1890 as the Sumner Normal School to train black teachers in the city. In 1920, Harris Teachers College became a four-year undergraduate institution authorized to grant a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree, followed by the Stowe Teachers College in 1924. That same year, both institutions received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, followed by many other accreditations. In 1929, the Sumner Normal School’s name changed to honor abolitionist and novelist Harriet Beecher Stowe. In 1979, Harris-Stowe officially became a part of Missouri’s system of public education.

Over the decades, the institution’s focus on training teachers has evolved to include an Urban Affairs major in 1981 and a mandate in 1993 to expand its mission to meet the needs of metro St. Louis in various applied professional disciplines. Having gained university status by state mandate in 2005, HSSU continues to expand to bridge students to exciting careers in education, business, science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) and medical and civic fields.

More info: https://www.hssu.edu/rsp_content.html?wID=95&pID=12661

Harris-Stowe's Culture 

Harris-Stowe is a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located in the heart of St. Louis, MO. Harris Stowe represents a holistic, innovative culture. HSSU has over 30 student organizations, 10 NAIA athletic programs including our Hornet Cheerleading team, a vibrant Greek life with charters to all 9 greek letter organizations and our Honeycomb majorette dance team. In addition, The HIVE serves as the spirit club and our Golden Hornets as HSSU’s Hip Hop dance team. HSSU fosters a family-like environment with supportive and caring faculty and staff. With a 13 to 1 student-to-teacher ratio, students come here and know they are more than a number.

What to know about Harris-Stowe

At Harris-Stowe State University, we value education, academic integration, innovative programs and student-centered services. Our students come here with potential, HSSU shows them endless possibilities and they leave with the Power of HSSU embedded in them. For 165 years, we’ve placed a focus on transforming the lives of our students, providing a high quality affordable and accessible education and preparing distinguished and career ready scholars.

A leader in quality and affordable education, HSSU ranks No. 4 of 13 public institutions in Missouri and No. 7 of 34 Missouri institutions in degree production of African Americans (Missouri Department of Education, 2013). In 2020, The Washington Monthly ranked Harris-Stowe as one of the Top Bachelor’s College in the nation. A leading producer of African-American STEM graduates, Harris-Stowe was voted 2019 STEM Program of the Year by HBCU Digest. HSSU also exceeds standards in terms of its first-time, full-time freshmen retention rate, with 88% of new, full-time freshmen retained from Fall 2019 to Spring 2020.

With over 75% of HSSU graduates achieving gainful employment or grad-school acceptance in less than six months after graduation, HSSU has achieved three years of ‘Sustained Excellence’ in the Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development. In this semester alone, Harris-Stowe State University's TRIO Upward Bound program has secured a five-year, $1.4 million federal grant that will enable the program to continue helping participants graduate high school and successfully pursue postsecondary education. In addition to this, the PNC Foundation awarded Harris-Stowe State University a three-year, $450,000 grant to establish E3 Powered by PNC, an initiative that will help HSSU deliver entrepreneurship and economic empowerment resources to Black students and business founders in Greater St. Louis.

Anthem and Healthy Blue donated $41,000 to HSSU with an emphasis on supporting HSSU’s initiatives around mental health. Two of our students were selected by the National Association of HBCU Title III Administrators as scholarship recipients, two more of our students were invited to attend the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Leadership Institute in New York, and our undergraduate research team received Audience Favorite Poster at the Geo-Resolution 2022 Conference hosted by SLU and the NGA.

Read more: https://go.hssu.edu/rsp_content.html?wid=95&pid=2212

Harris-Stowe State Photo Gallery