College of the Ozarks

Aerial photo of college of the Ozarks with Lake Taneycomo , Branson , and Table Rock Lake beyond Forsyth The school was first proposed in 1901 as a high school by James Forsythe, pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Forsyth, Missouri . (The college now declares itself to be interdenominational.) Forsythe was from the St. Louis, Missouri area. Forsythe was said to have been inspired to make the proposal after encountering a boy on a squirrel hunt who told him that his parents could not afford to send him to the closest high school 40 miles (60 km) away in Springfield, Missouri . [ 8 ] The School of the Ozarks opened on September 11, 1906, in a 75-by-50-foot (23-by-15-meter) building atop Mount Huggins (named for brothers Louis and William Huggins from St. Joseph, Missouri who were among the founders of Nabisco [ 9 ] and had donated money for the school). In its first term it had enrollment of 180 with 36 boarders. [ 7 ] From the start, the school adopted its practice of having its students work instead of paying tuition. On January 12, 1915, the original building was destroyed in a fire. The school temporarily held classes in the Forsyth public school. [ 8 ]

The school then relocated farther up the White River at Point Lookout, Missouri on a 16-acre (6.47 ha) campus. The campus has changed quite a bit since this era, but has remained at the Point Lookout location ever since. [ 10 ] The central building of the campus was the Maine Hunting and Fishing Club building, which had been transported to the site by sportsmen from the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair where it had been the State of Maine exhibit. It was renamed the Dobyns Building in honor of W. R. Dobyns, president of the trustees at the time. The building burned on February 1, 1930. [ 11 ] [ 12 ] In the 1920s what would become the Ralph Foster Museum depicting Ozark heritage had its start in the basement of the boys dormitory: Abernathy Hall. In 1934 the Fruitcake and Jelly Kitchen opened to offer work for students. It is now one of 90 work stations. More than 100 fruitcakes are now baked daily. [ 7 ]

The Williams Memorial Chapel, built in 1956 In the 1950s under Robert M. Good and M. Graham Clark the school dramatically changed. The campus expanded to 1,400 acres (567 ha) , the school's Gothic chapel was built on the location of the original Dobyns Building and a hospital was added. In 1956, with high schools becoming increasingly available in the area, the school became a junior college . The Museum of the Ozarks took over the entire Abernathy Building and was renamed the Good Museum after president Good. It was later renamed for country music pioneer Ralph D. Foster , who donated money and exhibits for it. The museum expanded in 1969, 1977 and 1991. [ 13 ] Among the exhibits is an original George Barris 1921 modified Oldsmobile Beverly Hillbillies truck donated by series creator Paul Henning who was inspired to do the show after a Boy Scout camping trip in the Ozarks. The museum also contains a large firearm display, including a rifle belonging to Pancho Villa . [ 14 ]

In 1965 it became a four-year college, but it did not garner regional accreditation until the 1990s. [ 15 ] In 1994 it was renamed the College of the Ozarks when regional accreditation was conferred. [ 15 ] The former president, Jerry C. Davis, instituted five goals for the college that now stand as their pillars for students to emulate: [ 16 ] Academic Vocational Christian Patriotic Cultural According to the school, out of more than 4,000 applicants, approximately 400 students are accepted to College of the Ozarks each fall semester. [ 17 ] Students are encouraged to have at least a 20 composite on the ACT, or a 1030 on the SAT. A GPA of at least a 3.0 and ranking in the top 50% of their class is also preferred. College of the Ozarks also considers other factors for admission such as leadership, service, and financial need.