Murray State University
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Murray State University, located in the town of Murray in Kentucky's far-western Jackson Purchase, is an approximately 10,000-student, four-year public university. Having recently adopted the moniker "Kentucky's Public Ivy University," the school has strived to maintain a strong academic reputation and has been rewarded by its high marks when compared with other regional public universities in U.S. News & World Report and other college ranking publications.
Campus
An aggressive building campaign on campus has resulted in the construction of the Regional Special Events Center known as the RSEC (home to its men's and women's basketball teams), a new science building, a Student Life & Wellness Center, and a complete overhaul of its main dining facility, Winslow Cafeteria. Its president is F. King Alexander, son of its previous president, Kern Alexander.
Athletics
Murray State, as it is most often referred to, is particularly renowned for its basketball program, which has made several appearances in the NCAA Division I tournament in recent years. Its athletic teams are known as the Racers, with the exception of the baseball team which is known as the Thoroughbreds. All of its athletic teams compete in the Ohio Valley Conference, whose conference roster includes seven other regional public universities and one private university as all-sports members and two other regional public universities as basketball-only members. Its student newspaper, The Murray State News, has been awarded two Pacemaker awards in the last decade, the highest award given to collegiate newspapers.