Minnesota State University, Mankato is a public four-year university located in Mankato, Minnesota. The student body is the second largest in the state of Minnesota. The school was founded in 1868 and is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System (Minnesota State). The current President is Edward Inch, who began his term in 2021. The athletic teams are known as the Minnesota State University Mavericks with school colors of purple and gold. Teams primarily compete at the NCAA Division II level in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The exceptions are the Men's and Women's ice hockey teams who compete at the NCAA Division I level, in the highly regarded Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA).