In 1913 the school began advertising itself as the University of Southern Minnesota to compete with the teachers colleges in Mankato and Winona.

The school closed in 1925 due to financial difficulty caused by the rate of declining enrollment.

The legacy of the college resulted in a need for skilled trades education in the area.

[3] Later the name University of Southern Minnesota became synonymous with Mankato State Teachers College as a result of a regional effort to establish a research university to address the growing needs of graduate education in southern Minnesota.

That effort eventually stalled due to direct opposition by the University of Minnesota.