The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (USAO) is a public liberal arts college in Chickasha, Oklahoma. It is the only public college in Oklahoma with a strictly liberal arts–focused curriculum and is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges."Member Institutions," Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges, Retrieved January 21, 2015. USAO is an undergraduate-only institution and grants bachelor's degrees in a variety of subject areas. The school was founded in 1908 as a school for women and from 1912 to 1965 was known as Oklahoma College for Women. It became coeducational in 1965 and today educates approximately 800 students. In 2001, the entire Oklahoma College for Women campus was listed as a national historic district., 2001, Accessed January 31, 2015.
History After Oklahoma was admitted to statehood in 1907, the new state legislature was tasked with establishing institutions of higher education in the former Indian Territory."The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education," Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, p.5, Updated November 2013. Accessed March 2, 2015. Statistics gathered by the State Superintendent of Education showed that many young women from Oklahoma chose to attend women's colleges in Kansas, Texas, and Missouri.Orr, 198 Colonel J. T. O'Neil, the state senator from Grady County, and his daughter, Anne Wade O'Neil, who had graduated from a women's college in Mississippi, appealed to the legislature to authorize the creation of a women's college. The institution was founded on May 16, 1908, with the signing of Senate Bill 249 by Governor Charles Haskell. The bill, authored by Senator N. P. Stewart of Hugo, Oklahoma, authorized the foundation of the Oklahoma Industrial Institute and College for Girls. The legislature subsequently appropriated $100,000 for the establishment of the initial buildings for the school.
A local rancher named J. B. Sparks donated land for the college in memory of his daughter, Nellie. Nellie was a Chickasaw descendant and the land had been part of her allotment. The Nellie Sparks Dormitory, which was among the first buildings constructed at the new institution, was named in her honor.Jefferies, Angie. "Chickasha", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, 2009. Accessed March 2, 2015. In 1912, the institution's authorities renamed the school Oklahoma College for Women. This came about because a probate judge, under the mistaken impression that the "Industrial Institute" was a reform school, sentenced an "incorrigible young woman" to serve time there. This name change was made official by the State Legislature in 1916.Savage, Cynthia. "University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. Between 1910 and 1927, the school was the southwest terminus of the Chickasha Street Railway, the trolleys of which could take the ladies into town or all the way to the Rock Island railroad depot.
The institution initially offered four years of high school work and four years of college; those who completed the college course were awarded bachelor's degrees.Thoburn, Joseph P. A Standard History of Oklahoma. Chicago: The American Historical Society, 1916, p. 1004–1005.Orr, 201-02 It gradually shifted its focus to college only; by the 1925–1926 school year, only college classes were offered. Though the institution's original name implied strictly industrial training, over the next couple decades, it gained a focus on a broad liberal arts education.Orr, 216-217 By 1930, it was awarding degrees in many different fields of study, including art, English, history, music, several languages, natural and physical sciences, philosophy, home economics, and physical education.Orr, 208 The deaf education program increased in size and statewide recognition; today, it continues to be one of the university's important programs.Litton, Gaston. History of Oklahoma at the Golden Anniversary of Statehood, Volume II, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company Inc., 1957, p. 317. On June 6, 1955, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education adopted the policy that all state-supported institutions would be racially integrated.Moon, F.D. "Higher Education and Desegregation in Oklahoma," The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 27 No. 3: Summer 1958, p. 301. That summer, Clydia Troullier became the first black student to enroll at OCW.Guzman, Jessie P. Twenty Years of Court Decisions Affecting Higher Education in the South: 1938-1958, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama: Department of Records and Research, June 1960, p. 21. Accessed March 20, 2015.
By the mid-1960s, exclusively female universities were declining throughout the nation. The legislature made the institution coeducational in 1965, and the school was renamed Oklahoma College of Liberal Arts. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education assigned a new mission to the college: it was to be "experimental in nature" and was to "enroll a select group of students whose aspirations and abilities fit them for an intellectually rigorous and accelerated course of study."Coffelt, John J., Dan S. Hobbs, and A.J. Brambaugh. "Goals for Oklahoma Higher Education: Self-Study of Higher Education in Oklahoma-Report 8," Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, State Capitol, Oklahoma City, September 1966, p. 8. Accessed January 31, 2015. Under the direction of the ninth President, Robert L. Martin, the college switched to a system of three equal trimesters. In an attempt to attract students interested in vigorous academics, this offered an opportunity for advanced students to quickly move through their studies and graduate early. During this period the alumni association became active, donating funds for the building of an on-campus chapel. Other buildings housing classrooms, including Davis Hall, were also built around this time. Bruce G. Carter took over administrative duties as president in 1972. Under his direction, the college advanced a system of night classes for local adult learners. New scholarships for freshmen were also made available. Soon after Carter took office, the legislature moved to rename all public institutions of higher education in the state under a new system: two-year institutions would be known as "colleges" and four-year institutions would be known as "universities". This led directly to OCLA's new and current name: the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
Over the next several years, several construction projects were completed, including renovations to Gary, Austin, and Davis Halls and Nash Library. Serious construction continued throughout the 1980s and 1990s, culminating in the opening of a newly remodeled $2.2-million Student Center in 1998. Sparks Hall, the traditional dormitory on campus, was also greatly renovated.
In 2000, John Feaver became the institution's twelfth president. In 2001, the National Park Service approved the listing of the entire campus as a national historic district, the only educational institution in the state to hold such an honor. Historic markers throughout the campus document describe the various historic buildings. New housing options were made available in the early 2000s in the form of the $13.1-million Lawson Court Apartment Complex. Owens Flag Plaza, a centerpiece for the campus 'oval', was opened in 2004. Since 2005, USAO, with the support of the State Regents for Higher Education, has embarked on a Mission Enhancement Plan intended to emphasize the institution's unique role as the public liberal arts college in Oklahoma. As part of the plan, USAO has raised its admission standards so they are the highest in the state of Oklahoma, increased the percentage of full-time students, and created new faculty positions. In Spring 2015, construction of Coming Together Park began in front of Sparks Hall.Lane, Jessica. "World renowned sculptor builds USAO park with students," Express-Star (Chickasha, OK), May 20, 2015. Accessed June 2, 2015. The park will incorporate about of granite, and artist-in-residence and internationally known granite sculptor Jesús Moroles worked with students to sculpt the granite for the park.Griffin, Andrew W. "Granite sculptor Jesús Moroles helps USAO students, campus 'come together,'" Red Dirt Report, May 20, 2015. Accessed June 2, 2015.
Campus Fourteen buildings on the USAO campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oklahoma College for Women Historic District. The buildings are Trout Hall (formerly known as the Administration building), Nellie Sparks Hall, Willard Hall, the President's Home, the President's Home Garage, Austin Hall, the Health and Physical Education building, Senior Hall, the Home Management House, Robertson Hall, Lawson Hall, Canning Hall, Addams Hall, and Nash Library. Many are Public Works Administration buildings designed by different prominent Oklahoma architects, including Paul Harris, Solomon Andrew Layton, John Duncan Forsyth and J.O. Parr.National Register of Historic Places - Grady County, Oklahoma (accessed March 16, 2010).National Register Properties in Oklahoma: Oklahoma College for Women Historic District (accessed March 16, 2010)."The American Indian Arts and Humanities Project," University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Retrieved January 22, 2015.Jim Gabbert, "5 Buildings by John Duncan Forsyth", Preservation Oklahoma News , July 2006, p.5. The Historic District also includes three brick entry gates and the stone bench near Willard Hall donated by the class of 1924, which are designated contributing objects. University property also includes the 145-acre Habitat Area, which is three miles west of the main campus and is used as an outdoor classroom.McNutt, Kathryn. "Oklahoma University's Outdoor Classroom Gets Boost to Foster Education, Inspiration, Recreation," The Oklahoman, February 3, 2015. Accessed February 13, 2015.
Organization and administration USAO is governed by the Board of Regents of the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, which is a Statutory Governing Board in the Oklahoma State System of Higher Education."The Oklahoma State System of Higher Education," Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, p.4, Updated November 2013. Accessed March 2, 2015. The board of regents was established by the Oklahoma State Legislature in 1919.Harlow, 52. The Board's seven members serve overlapping seven-year terms."USAO Board of Regents," University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Accessed March 2, 2015. Board members are appointed by the Governor of Oklahoma with the advice and consent of the Oklahoma Senate. Campus administration is led by a president. The current president is John Feaver."Our President," University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, Accessed March 2, 2015.
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