Hiram Scott College

Infobox_University
name = Hiram Scott College


image_size = 183px
motto = Lux et veritas (Latin)
("Light and truth")
established = 1965
type = Private Liberal Arts College
calendar =
endowment =
staff =
faculty = 30 (1970)
president = Dr. Walter Weese
provost =
students = 1500 (1970)
postgrad =
doctoral =
profess =
alumni =
city = Scottsbluff
state = Nebraska
country = United States
campus = Urban, 280 acres
colors =
mascot =
nickname = Scotties
affiliations =
website= [http://www.hiramscott.com]
footnotes =

Hiram Scott College was a private liberal arts college that operated from 1965 to 1970 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Hiram Scott was one of several Midwestern colleges established by local civic leaders with the support and encouragement of Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa. These Parsons "satellite schools" were by-products of the strong growth and apparent success of Parsons during the late 1950s and early 1960s, and all followed the "Parsons Plan" academic model developed at that school. None of the schools, however, were ultimately successful.

The "Parsons Plan" academic model employed at Hiram Scott was the brainchild of Millard Roberts, who was the president of Parsons College from 1955 to 1967; the multi-faceted plan featured innovative teaching and administrative techniques, and emphasized the recruitment of a geographically and academically diverse student body. Among other characteristics, the "Parsons Plan" schools welcomed unconventional students who had not seen success at other colleges. In the 1960s, the schools were also attended by a substantial number of young men seeking draft deferments that would allow them to avoid military service during the Vietnam War.

Strapped for cash from its inception, to survive Hiram Scott had to keep enrollment at capacity. Each semester 30% of the student body dropped out, dissatisfied with the school's limited curriculum. Instead of looking for ways to keep the students it had, Hiram Scott expanded its recruiting staff to the point that it cost $700 to recruit a student who would pay $2,500 in yearly fees. In December 1970, the trustees declared bankruptcy.

In 1974, the buildings and grounds were acquired by the University of Nebraska and converted to their present use. The college’s main academic building, now known as the J.G. Elliott Building, was converted for use by the University of Nebraska Panhandle Research and Extension Center, while Hiram Scott’s student services building became the State Office Complex. Four large dormitories that flanked the student center have since been removed.

External Sources

* [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,877717,00.html Time article]
* [http://www.panhandle.unl.edu/arboretum/ahistory.htm Current use]