Prescott College
Described as filling a "unique niche in education," Prescott College is a private liberal arts college that offers its students experiential learning. It was established in the mid 1960s, and, after going through difficult times in the 1970s, it now has campuses in Prescott and Tucson. Its mission is to "educate students of diverse ages and backgrounds to understand, thrive in, and enhance our world community and environment." A board, currently comprised of eleven members from all over the United States, governs it. In addition to having representation from the community, there are always faculty and student members on the Board.
Like the other post secondary educational institutions in Yavapai County, Prescott College is relatively new and, as a result, has few historically significant artifacts. These are listed below. However, since Prescott College itself has a colorful history, as do several of its properties, we have included these as well. We obtained information about the history of Prescott College from their own archives where we examined newspaper clippings, reports and Board meeting minutes.
History of Prescott College
Planning for the college began in 1962, under the direction of Reverend Charles Parker, a local Congregational minister who had served in the town for twenty-nine years. The national organization of the Congregational Church helped get the school started with a grant of $250,000, but since the church did not want to control the college, it was started with these funds along with $1 million raised by Prescott citizens and a grant of $600,000 from the Kettering fund.
After several years of planning, Prescott College opened in 1966 on a 200-acre campus located near Watson Lake (currently occupied by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University). Architects involved in the building project wanted to construct something that could offer grace and beauty to students.
The college's first brochure noted that the college was looking toward the twenty-first century in an attempt to correct the mistakes of earlier eras. "Twentieth century education tends to fracture rather than unify human knowledge," officials maintained. Designed to combat this educational "schizophrenia," Prescott College intended to educate the citizen scholar and to challenge its students. President Nairn warned prospective students, "If you already have ëall the answers,' and if you are now about to close your mind and open your mouth and start thinking in slogans, we can't teach you anything." Early students described the academic freedom at the college as being "too good to be true." Arizona newspapers were proud of the cultural revolutionaries who wanted to present a "wider perspective about mankind."
Seventy-five students made up the charter freshman class in 1966. The Prescott Courier announced the opening of Prescott College on September 28 of that year, when, under three large photos of happy Prescott College and its students, a large, contrasting headline read: Rioting Negroes Vex San Francisco. Those were tumultuous times.
The College did not grow as rapidly as the founders had predicted, but it did grow and seemed to be doing well when it ran into severe administrative and financial difficulties in the early 1970s. By the spring and summer of 1974, the situation was serious, and in December of that year, Prescott College closed. It was evicted at one hour's notice from its beautiful campus and filed for bankruptcy.
However, the faculty and students would not let the institution die. By January 20 of 1975, they had formed The Prescott Center for Alternative Education, holding classes in the Hassayampa Hotel, in space rented from Yavapai College, and elsewhere. After a few years, the dedicated staff and faculty were able to begin to rebuild a physical campus. They bought the Sisters of Mercy Hospital Convent, and in 1976, the new institution, with Dr. James Stuckey as president, boasted of six graduates. Eventually the school again was known as Prescott College. Although it had lost its NCA accreditation in 1974 during the "crash," it regained full accreditation in 1984.
Prescott College currently has over 450 students in its Residential Degree Program and an equal number in its Adult Degree Program, which began in 1978. Like the early faculty and students, those now at Prescott College also see it as a community of scholars that engages in experiential education and practices academic and intellectual freedom.
ARTIFACTS
Structures
Buildings
Sisters of Mercy Hospital Convent, or the Chapel, is also referred to as the Sisters of Mercy Hospital Dormitory, 220 Grove Street: This building was originally part of Mercy Hospital. Father Alfred Quetu, a vicar sent out by the Santa Fe Diocese, served an area extending from Flagstaff to Wickenburg and from Barstow, California, to Springerville, Arizona. He built the "Cottage Hospital" near the Roman Catholic Church on Marina Street. When there was demand for a larger facility in 1897, a local Episcopalian, F. M. Murphy, helped to construct the new, larger building, called Mercy Hospital, on Grove, a street with a trolley. Over time, the hospital expanded, and the building that is now referred to as the Chapel was constructed in 1917 or 1919. A new surgical wing was added to Mercy Hospital in 1937, but the entire hospital burned down in 1940 and was not rebuilt. Apparently Prescott had stopped growing, and it could not support a hospital. The Chapel area, which was not attached to the main hospital, did not burn and is now owned and used by Prescott College. It purchased the property in June of 1976.
Sam Hill Warehouse is located in the Prescott College Complex, 232 North Granite Street. The building, purchased by Prescott College in 1993, now contains one very large classroom and two smaller ones. Samuel Hill built this structure after the Whiskey Row Fire of 1900 destroyed his original warehouse on Montezuma Street. Constructed in 1903 or 1904, it was once the largest warehouse in northern Arizona.
Personal Symbol
Presidential Lavaliere: silver and turquoise, created by Frank Patania Sr.: The inscription on the back indicates that it has been used by Ronald Charles Nairn 1965; James M. Stuckey 1975-83, Ralph Bohrson 1988-89, Doug North 1989-94, Joel Hiller and Lady Branham 1994-96, and Neal Mangham 1997.
Art
Bust of Dr. Charles Franklin Parker, bronze, approximately 15" from base; created by Scott McCormick: Parker was a local Congregational minister who served on the initial corporate board for Prescott College; he became Founding President in 1962 and served on Board of Directors from 1975-82,
