Established in 1863 as the state’s first school for training teachers, Emporia State University is a dynamic and progressive student-centered learning community that fosters student success through engagement in academic excellence, community and global involvement, and the pursuit of personal and professional fulfillment.

Thomas Butcher was a president of ESU for a long time. During his tenure the university was granted authority to confer master’s degrees. Moreover, it also became one of the first normal schools recognized and accredited by the North Central Association.

An interesting fact is that the name of the University has changed four times in response to the university’s growth and the increased advantages it provides to students and the citizens of Kansas. The school was founded as Kansas Normal School and later became Kansas State Teachers College (1923), Emporia Kansas State College (1974), and finally Emporia State University (1977).

ESU strives to improve the lives of students from Kansas, throughout the U.S., and around the world. The student body comes from 100 Kansas counties, 45 States, and 55 countries. ESU’s alumni base of more than 38,000 individuals lives in all 50 states and more than 70 countries.

The University provides undergraduate educational opportunities designed to meet the broad goals of basic skill development and general education, as well as the more specific goals of a variety of programs in art and sciences, business, education, and library and information management. Graduate programs serve needs and provide leadership within the region, the state and the Great Plains area. Besides, the University offers programs of national distinction in Education and in Library and Information Management and offers the Ph.D. in Library and Information Management.