Qualla: St. Cloud State University

St. Cloud State University: Introduction

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Xylem22, CC BY-SA 3.0. Herb Brooks had already pulled off the most famous upset in sports history when he arrived in St. Cloud, Minnesota, in 1986. The coach of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team -- the Miracle on Ice squad that stunned the Soviet Union at Lake Placid -- took over the Huskies men's hockey program at what was then a Division III school. In his first season, he guided the team to a 25-10-1 record and a third-place finish at the NCAA Division III championship. More importantly, he helped the program make the leap to Division I and championed the construction of the two-rink arena that now bears his name: the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. That a college founded as a teacher-training school in a converted hotel would become home to one of the strongest hockey programs in the country captures the improbable trajectory of St. Cloud State University.

Image: Xylem22 | CC BY-SA 3.0

St. Cloud State University: A Hotel Becomes a University

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Public domain. St. Cloud State began in 1869 as the Third State Normal School, occupying a single building -- the Stearns House, a former hotel that the state legislature purchased for $3,000. The faculty numbered five, led by Principal Ira Moore. Of the first fifty students, forty were women. ...

Image: Public domain

St. Cloud State University: Ice, Mats, and Championship Runs

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ryan Herrboldt, CC BY-SA 4.0. Brooks's legacy transformed SCSU athletics. The men's hockey team has made 19 NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the 2013 Frozen Four. That season, co-captain Drew LeBlanc won the Hobey Baker Award, the most prestigious honor in men's college hockey. The team claimed the WCHA ...

Image: Ryan Herrboldt | CC BY-SA 4.0

St. Cloud State University: The Enrollment Cliff

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ryan Herrboldt, CC BY-SA 4.0. The numbers tell a stark story. In 2010, St. Cloud State enrolled roughly 18,000 students. By 2024, that figure had fallen to roughly 10,000, and only about 5,000 of those were traditional full-time students. The rest included part-time students and approximately 2,500 high schoo...

Image: Ryan Herrboldt | CC BY-SA 4.0

St. Cloud State University: Granite City Frequencies

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Xylem22, CC BY-SA 4.0. KVSC 88.1 FM began broadcasting on May 10, 1967, making it one of the longest-running college radio stations in Minnesota. The station hosts a 50-hour trivia contest dating back to 1980 and produces Granite City Radio Theatre, a live community event that draws on the old traditio...

Image: Xylem22 | CC BY-SA 4.0