College of the Ozarks

College of the Ozarks

File:Collegeofozarks-seal.gif
Motto	Hard Work U
Type	Liberal Arts College
Established	1906
President	Dr. Jerry C. Davis
Academic staff	89
Students	1,600
Address	PO Box 17 Point Lookout, MO 65726 , Point Lookout , MO , USA
Campus	rural - 1000 acres (4 km²)
Nickname	The Bobcatz (men) Lady Catz (women-ish)
Affiliations	NAIA
Website	www.cofo.edu

College of the Ozarks is a private, Christian liberal-arts college in the Ozarks between Branson and Hollister, Missouri at Point Lookout. Located 40 miles (60 km) south of Springfield on a 1,000-acre (4 km²) campus, overlooking Lake Taneycomo, this small college has a student to faculty ratio of approximately 14:1, over 30 academic majors, and degrees in Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. The college is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

Enrollment is 1,500 to 1,600, and all tuition costs for students are covered by a workstudy program. Students put in 15 hours a week throughout the semester at a workstation, and one 40-hour work week is required outside of the semester. There are over 80 campus workstations including the cafeteria, landscaping, laundry, dairy, farm, powerplant, computer lab, alumni, and financial aid.

History

Founded as the School of the Ozarks in 1906, a Junior College was opened in 1956. Four-year degrees began to be offered in 1965, and in 1990 it was renamed College of the Ozarks. Ranked among the top thirty liberal arts colleges in the Midwest by US News & World Report, College of the Ozarks has also been selected to appear on the John Templeton Foundation Honor Roll for Character Building Colleges, a listing of schools that "encourage the development of strong moral character among students." In recent years, more than ninety percent of graduates were offered employment before graduation or shortly after or had chosen to continue their education.

Athletics

The College of the Ozarks Bobcats and Lady Cats compete on the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) level in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference. The 2005-2006 Men's Basketball team won the NAIA Division II national championship, while the Lady Cats were the runner up. Along with the NAIA, the school currently hosts the NAIA Division II National Men's Basketball Tournament.

Facilities of note

• Williams Memorial Chapel
• The Keeter Center
• The Ralph Foster Museum
• Fruitcake and Jelly Kitchen
• Edwards Mill
• McKibbens Hall
• Lake Honor
• Green House
• The Dairy and Tractor Museum
• Kelce Dormitory. Notable staff: Marcos "the Beast" Esteves, Andy "Climber" Thomas, Seth "IRS Agent" Leach, Samuel "Actor" Midkiff, Benjamin "Darius" Wilson, and Brandon "Landing" Hall.
• Youngman Dormitory. Notable for room 307 which is home to two of the most awesomely bodacious pimps to ever roam the earth.

Special recognition

• U.S. News & World Report, "Best College" yearly since 1989; ranked 29 among Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelor's (Midwest) for 2007
• Templeton Honor Roll, "Character Building College"
• Money Magazine's, "Best Buy College Guide"
• Barron's, "300 Best Buys in Higher Education"
• Princeton Review, "The Best 331 Colleges"

Hard Work U

Ever since the Wall Street Journal dubbed College of the Ozarks "Hard Work U" in 1992, it has been the school motto.

Notable alumni

• Willis Ricketts, a 1950 graduate of what was then School of the Ozarks, was a leader in the attempt to establish a viable Republican Party in Arkansas. He was the unsuccessful Republican gubernatorial nominee in 1962 and later the party's secretary.
• April Scott, actress and model

Gerri Bolduc proud one year attendee.

External links

• College of the Ozarks Official Site