Missouri Valley College was founded in 1889. The history of Missouri Valley College began during a conference at Sarcoxie, Missouri, on October 27, 1874 where the representatives of the several Presbyterian synods in the state of Missouri met to discuss founding the school. The school is affiliated with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. The college's original building, Old Main or Baity Hall was built in 1889 as a sprawling three-storey brick building with towers, turrets, gables, and Gothic adornments in the Victorian style of the era. It housed all functions of the College: classrooms, offices, gymnasiums for men and women, a chapel, dining hall, library, museum, dorms, and laboratories. Still presiding over the campus today, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places National Register of Historic Places. The Victorian era building is notable for its wooden staircase, vaulted wooden ceilings and stained glass windows located throughout the building, most notably on the third floor. The history of the College is told by the large room on the south wing's third floor. Cruciform in shape with glass windows and vaulted wooden ceilings, it has served as a chapel and gymnasium. Renovated in the summer of 2002, it now serves a "student success" or "Learning Center". In 1890 students planted 1,200 evergreen and deciduous trees on the campus. The arboretum has specimens of many species, including ginkgo biloba trees, American chestnuts, a sycamore, and the state's largest catalpa tree, which stands 89 feet high and 215 inches around with a crown spread of 65 feet.
Presidents
Dr. William H. Black, 1890–1926
Dr. George H. Mack, 1927–1938
Dr. Thomas H. Bibb, 1938–1943
Dr. J. Ray Cable, 1944–1948
Dr. H. Roe Bartle, 1948–1950
Dr. M. Earle Collins, 1951–1968
Dr. W. L. Tompkins, 1968–1974
Dr. Donald C. Ziemke, 1975–1979
Dr. Robert J. Glass, 1979–1983
Dr. Earl J. Reeves, 1983–1994
Dr. J. Kenneth Bryant, 1994–2001
Dr. Chadwick B. Freeman, 2001–2004
Dr. Bonnie L. Humphrey, 2005–present
Nonprofit Leadership Alliance
From 1945 to 1952, Harold Roe Bartle served as president of Missouri Valley. In 1948 Bartle founded and contributed $100,000 toward establishing the American Humanics Foundation, now the Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, a philanthropic organization intended to prepare young people for careers in professional youth leadership in such organizations as the Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and the YWCA. As of 2018, the Alliance had programs at more than 40 college campuses, where students could earn the Certified Nonprofit Leadership credential. Harold Roe Bartle, later served as mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, and is namesake of Bartle Hall. George Miller was also instrumental in the founding of the AHF.
Missouri Valley College's athletic teams are nicknamed the Vikings. The Missouri Valley Athletic Department has an intercollegiate athletic program that supports the college by providing opportunities for its student-athletes in accordance with the rules and regulations of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics as a member of the Heart of America Conference. Football has always been at the forefront of Missouri Valley College athletics, with 17 conference championships, a small college national title, two national runner-up finishes and 13 national bowl games. In the 2006 season, the Vikings advanced to the semi-finals of the NAIA Football National Championships, before falling to the eventual National Champions. The Vikings finished the season with a 13–1 record a # 3 ranking in the final 2006 "NAIA Football Top 25 Poll." Wrestling Team Accomplishments: 1991–1992 14th Nationally 4 All Americans, 1992–1993 20th Nationally 3 AA's, 1993–1994 13th Nationally 3 AA's, 1994–1995 8th Nationally 6 AA's, 1995–1996 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 8 AA's, 1996–1997 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 8 AA's, 1997–1998 National Runner-Up 7 AA's, 1998–1999 5th Nationally 9 AA's, 1999–2000 National Runner-Up 10 AA's, 2000–2001 National Runner-Up 9 AA's, 2001–2002 6th Nationally 7 AA's, 2002–2003 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS 11 AA's, 2003–2004 3rd Nationally 8 AA's, 2004–2005 National Runner-Up 9 AA's, 2005–2006 7th Nationally 5AA's The oldest footage of the game of basketball captured on film is that of a 1904 game involving female students at Missouri Valley College.
The alumni association comprises more than 16,760 members. The Office of Alumni Relations encourages alumni to become involved in alumni and college activities. Alumni are recognized by the college for meritorious activity through the Outstanding Alumnus Award, the Honorary Alumnus Award, and other special recognition. Among the college's notable former students and alumni are:
