Highland Community College (HCC) is a public community college in Highland, Kansas, United States.
History
The college considers Highland University the precursor to Highland Community College, making it the first college in Kansas.
Founding In November 1857 the Highland Presbytery was organized as part of the Missouri Synod and at the synods first meeting it was decided that a Presbyterian Academy would be established; By December the board had voted to establish Highland University in place of the academy to satisfy the founders' goal for highland to become an Educational and Religious center for the new territories. James Cambell acted as board president and Irvin acting as Secretary.
The Highland Town Company set aside four blocks on the western side of town for the college. The school was chartered by an act of the Kansas Territorial legislature, signed by Territorial Governor James W. Denver on February 9, 1858—making it one of the first three institutes of higher education incorporated in Kansas Territory, all of which were incorporated on that date.
1858–1860 James Cambell became headmaster of the college in 1858. Cambell Travelled back east to raise funds due to the campus' first building Irvin Hall going almost double the projected budget. Campbell was largely unsuccessful at obtaining funds and resigned in March 1859. Cambell was followed by two more headmasters in quick succession, but his board seat was filled by John Bayless for the next 10 years.
1860–1865 J.D. Paxton became headmaster in the fall of 1860. Women were permitted to attend classes at highland during this time but were supposed to be supervised by female instructors. Paxton wanted to expand the curriculum to include college courses that fall but his plans were squashed by the onset of the American Civil War. Most of the income of the college during the war was from the rent of the Mission's farm that was relinquished to the university. The war reduced student populations thus lowering Paxton's salary. Despite Paxton being permitted to live in Irvin Hall it wasn't enough causing his resignation in December 1861.
Samuel Irvin became headmaster from 1861 – 1863. Reverend H.P Johnson succeeded Irvin and founded the Highland Congregational Church. In 1864 the synod of Kansas was formed; the synod consisted of the Leavenworth, Topeka, and Highland Presbyteries. The university was handed over to the synod in 1865 believing that the support of the synod would grow the university.
1865–1870 Reverend William Bishiop was headmaster from 1864 to 1865 with Professor JC Mcelroy acting as headmaster until Samuel Irvin picked up the reins again for the 1866–67 school year. Academy classes were included in the 1865 curriculum but still no college courses. William T. Gage was headmaster from 1867 to 1870 and was relatively popular with one of his most prominent moves being the purchase of the school's bell.
John powers Johnson became the board of trustees' president in November 1869 following Bayless' return to his home state of New York. Johnson due to his large investment in the town of Highland (including the bank) knew that his livelihood rode on the success of the college. The Highland Presbyterian Mission was purchased by Johnson from the university in April 1868. Johnson Authorized the partial demolition of the mission (roughly 1/4) and then later authorized more resulting in the 40% of the building we see today.
Since the colleges inception until 1870 there was no dorms or eating facilities forcing students to find room and board in town. The first dorm on campus was completed around the same time as Johnson's ascension to presidency. This Dorm was a female dormitory and sits on the president day site of Culbertson Auditorium and was named for Sophie Rubeti. The second dormitory was called the square house, it sat on the corner of Prairie and Pennsylvania street. The square house was a boys' dorm and was constructed using the missions' building materials. The rest of the building materials were sold off to help ease the debt burden on the college despite the original plan of further campus expansion with them.
1870–1875 John A. Mcafee was hired as the college headmaster in 1870. Mcafee stressed Latin and Greek in his curriculum and had a desire to build a Christian college. Students under Mcafee were required to participate in chapel services each morning and attend church on Sunday. Mcafee however was bad in terms of finances believing that God would supply all his needs including financial ones. The college was still recognized by the Synod but was receiving no funds with solicitation efforts being largely unsuccessful. The first graduates from the university completed their degrees in 1872. The board of trustees had little faith in Mcafee's administration and was asked to resign by the board in 1874. Mcafee did retain his job as professor until he was let go in 1875. After Mcafee's departure he went on to found Park University where he died in its presidential position.
William C. Falconer replaced Mcafee in 1874 and was the first headmaster to have the presidential title. Non highland resident Presbyterians were dissatisfied with the amount of power the locals had on the synod school and was put up to a vote if the college should be moved to a more central location. The vote in 1874 to move the college failed with the majority sentiment being that the location was "the will of god". A drop in enrollment came after the 1874 grasshopper infestation shortly after his ascension and further put the college in debt. In 1875 Falconer resigned. His resignation was in large part due to the college being roughly 20k in debt by the fall of 1875.
Reverend Robert Cruikshank was named president and he, the students, faculty, and townspeople began fundraising. Samuel Irvin being one of the fundraisers went around Missouri, Iowa and Kansas with two Iowa Indians exchanging lectures from the Indians for monetary donations to the college. The fundraising under Cruikshank and the selling of college owned farmland allowed for the college to be debt free through his presidency. Elementary classes were discontinued at the college in the mid-1870s as a grade school was opened in Highland.
1880–1885 In 1882 Presbyterians once again demanded the college be moved to a more central location and then the synod voted to found College of Emporia. Emporia was chosen because the town had agreed to donate 38 acres and $35,000. After the founding of Emporia University many Presbyterians wanted to gut and liquidate Highland University to help support the newly founded university. The people of highland refused, and the board of trustees agreed to try and keep Highland universities doors open without the support of the synod. After the decision was made to keep the university open without the support of the synod it was determined that expenses would need to be cut to keep the college open. One of the expenses was Cruikshank's salary, after learning about the pay cut, he would have to endure he resigned and then found a teaching job at Emporia.
In 1882 H.D. McCarty was chosen as president. McCarty was known as one of the most known educators in Kansas as he was founder and president of the Kansas state teacher's association from 1870 to 1874 as well as the president of the shuttered Kansas state Concordia Normal School in 1875. Mcarty began teaching at Highland University in 1879 and acted as president from 1882 to 1885. During McCarty's presidency the university was very near bankruptcy without synod support. Financial support was hard to come by as it seemed as if everyone had lost faith in the floundering university. Staff during this time went months without pay and attendance plunged dropping from 19 college students and 88 academy students to 5 and 42 respectfully from the 81–85 years. The saving grace to this rocky financial situation was that the highland grade school was crowded. the overcrowded school allowed for the university to reintroduce elementary classes once again and get some financial relief in the form of tuition.
J.P Johnson the board of trustee's head resigned on commencement day 1885 along with H.D. Mcarty. Upon Johnson's resignation he offered $10,000 to the college if supporters could rally enough funds to match his donation. The new president, Duncan Brown, raised enough funds to match the donation securing the endowment fund of $20,000. Johnson stipulated that the funds must be used as an investment and that the interest be used to pay salaries or be given back to the donors.
1885–1890 In 1885 President Brown refused admission of George Washington Carver to Highland University on account of his skin color. Carver was accepted for the fall of 1885 semester as his grades were satisfactory but upon arrival he was greeted to "you didn't tell me you were a negro, Highland College does not take negroes". Carver was then forced to stay in Highland for months as he had no place to go nor any money as he had spent most of it getting to Highland. Carver worked in town and was tutored by former president McCarty who thought Highland should be more inclusive to all races. Carver then moved out of Highland and was accepted at a college outside of Highland and became one of the most famous black scientists in the U.S.
Brown resigned in 1888 to continue his missionary work. The Presbyterian church of highland building was built in 1888. After the church was built the Presbyterian chapel that resided inside Irvin Hall was removed and the building was renovated. Women residing in Rubeti hall during this time were permitted to walk and exercise after the school closed till teatime, after teatime women were to remain indoors for the rest of the night. Boys were to be off the streets by 8pm and was signaled by the ringing of the school bell, this rule however was seldom followed due to difficulty of enforcement. The first instance of a football game on campus occurred in 1889 by local players in highland against a Hiawatha team. In 1889 a campus newspaper was formed called The Nuncio and it published local and campus news as there was no town newspaper.
1890–1895 In 1890 J.P. Johnson offered another $10,000 on the same terms as the last one with the 1890 donation drive reaching $12,000 giving the endowment fund a total value of $42,000. Many of the donors including Johnsons were promissory notes where the donors promised to pay interest until the principal was turned over to the college. Those who discontinued their payment of interest on the promissory notes were sometimes taken to court where they would oftentimes win out on grounds of deception.
Professor Samuel Ensminger became president in 1892. in 1893 the college started collecting donations to build Eliza Irvin Hall after Samuel Irvin's wife. The hall was to be a girl's dormitory and music hall. The foundation was laid but it was never completed due to a recession and a fire destroying a portion of the business district thus hampering funding. The university fought the townspeople wanting to build a bigger grade school as they wanted to continue getting money from their elementary program. The new grade school was finished in December 1893 and the elementary program was discontinued on campus in the fall of 1894. The new grade school also cut into the universities academy program by covering the first two years of high schools well as the public-school providing education for free. Ensminger resigns in 1894 due to stagnant college growth. Rev W.D. Mcfarland became president in 1894 then asked to resign over lack of control over student body. William Boyle then followed in 1895.
1895–1900