delay in widening U.S. Route 71 to Maryville) was perceived in Maryville as an attempt to kill the school and the town with which it is intertwined. Those fears came to the forefront in 1988 when Shalia Aery, commissioner of higher education under Governor John Ashcroft, announced a plan to close the school. The plan was ultimately withdrawn. Northwest Missouri State University On August 14, 1972, Northwest was elevated to university status so that it could offer master's degrees. Its name changed to Northwest Missouri State University. The university currently holds four Missouri Quality Awards, granted in 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2008. Northwest is the only educational institution to receive multiple Missouri Quality Awards. In 1987, Northwest unveiled its Electronic Campus Program, the first such program among public U.S. colleges. Missouri State Arboretum The campus design was inspired by the Forest Park design for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, which evolved into the campus for Washington University in St. Louis. In 1993 the state legislature designated Northwest the official Missouri State Arboretum. Presidents Frank Deerwester (1906–1907) Homer Martien Cook (1907–1909) Henry Kirby Taylor (1909–1913) Ira Richardson (1913–1921) Uel W. Lamkin (1921–1945) J.W. Jones (1945–1964) Robert P. Foster (1964–1977) B.D. Owens (1977–1984) Dean L. Hubbard (1984–2009) John Jasinski (2009–Present) Administration building Design The defining landmark of the campus is the Administration Building, very similar to Brookings Hall at Washington University in St. Louis. Brookings Hall served as the Administration Building of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The master St. Louis design was created by Cope & Stewardson, famed for designing schools throughout the country based on the Oxford University style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010. The Collegiate Gothic structure with its central tower keep design evokes Tattershall Castle and lords over the campus with the motto, "And the truth shall make you free," engraved in stone. Because of this design, the term "Tower" is used frequently throughout campus and is the name of the school yearbook. Work on the building began in 1906 and continued on and off until classes began in it on October 3, 1910. The architect of record for the Maryville building is John H. Felt. On March 15, 1919, a tornado ripped the roof off its auditorium and blew out most of its windows. 1979 fire On July 24, 1979, a fire destroyed 60 percent of the building