Prescott College

Prescott College

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Former name	Prescott Center for Alternative Education
Motto	For the Liberal Arts, the Environment, and Social Justice
Type	Private
Established	1966
Academic affiliation	CIEL, Ecosa, SOS Cons. Proj., Eco League
President	John Flicker
Vice-president	Paul Burhardt
Students	840 (Fall 2018)
Undergraduates	350 (Fall 2018)
Postgraduates	318 (Fall 2018)
Doctoral students	70 (Fall 2018)
Address	220 Grove Ave. , Prescott , Arizona , 86301 , United States
Campus	Rural
Sporting affiliations	USA Cycling
Website	www.prescott.edu

Prescott College is a private liberal arts college in Prescott, Arizona. In 1963, the Ford Foundation challenged the country’s most innovative educators to come together and design an “ideal college for the future that would prepare students for contributing in an ever changing, and ever faster moving, world.” Founded in 1966, Prescott College is a four-year liberal arts college made up of a community of intellects and explorers whose connecting threads are a passion for social justice and the environment, and a keen sense of adventure. Prescott College is located in a resort town and surrounded by Granite Mountain, the Granite Dells, The Prescott National Forest and Thumb Butte, making the area attractive to students who seek outdoor adventure. The college includes the main campus and multiple field stations including Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies and Jenner Farm. The approximately 1,000 students that attend Prescott College participate in the many cultural, educational, and recreational opportunities that Prescott College and the surrounding area offer.

Prescott College prepares students to be life-long learners and critical thinkers in a broad, interwoven range of models in inquiry including literary, scientific, artistic, social, spiritual and physical. By offering undergraduate degrees in six interdisciplinary Areas of Study, students can pursue a wide variety of disciplines, in addition to incorporating interdisciplinary study. Additionally, Prescott College offers several Master’s and Doctorate level programs. Through experiential learning and self-direction within an interdisciplinary curriculum, Prescott College strives to educate students of diverse ages and backgrounds to understand, thrive in and enhance our world community and environment. At Prescott College, the best learning is collaborative and the best teaching is individual.

History

In 1965, the Ford Foundation brought together a group of educators from around the United States. Prescott College was the result of this gathering.

The college was originally built in 1966 on 200 acres (0.81 km²) outside of Prescott, Arizona. In 1974, despite dedicated faculty and students, the college went bankrupt due to poor fiscal management and the loss of anticipated donor funds. A core of determined faculty and students refused to see the college fold, and after a series of emergency meetings, formed the Prescott Center for Alternative Education. This earned the school national publicity as "The College That Wouldn't Die."

Image of the Crossroads Center on the main campus of Prescott College.

During the spring semester of 1975, classes were held in the basement of the historic Hassayampa Hotel in downtown Prescott, Arizona, as well as in the homes of both faculty and students. Over the succeeding years, the college was able to once again obtain the legal right to the name Prescott College and began acquiring the property and buildings which constitute the current main campus. Prescott College has an agroecology program that uses Jenner Farm, an international center in Kino Bay, Mexico, programs in regenerative design in partnership with the Ecosa Institute, the Prescott College Art Gallery at Sam Hill Warehouse and the college also has a Tucson, Arizona location.

Most of the current Prescott location buildings are recycled buildings converted to classrooms from their previous purposes (e.g., furniture stores and dental offices). The Village residence hall is a townhouse style houses groups of 7-8 students per unit with shared common areas. The Crossroads Center, is built from reclaimed timber, CORTEN steel, compressed earth with solar panels and rooftop gardens. It houses the Crossroads Cafe, classrooms, meeting facilities, the Fanon Center, the college library as well as computer labs.

Academics

There are four general degree programs at Prescott College: the Resident Undergraduate Program (RU), Limited-Residency Undergraduate Program (LRU), the Resident Masters and Limited-Residency Masters Program (RM/LRM), and a Limited-Residency Ph.D. program (PhD) in Sustainability Education.

Within the resident undergraduate program, students can earn a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies, or a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Visual Arts or Interdisciplinary Arts & Letters.

Resident students live in Prescott and attend classes at the main campus. Students enrolled in the Limited-Residency program work with community based mentors and Prescott College faculty.

Prescott College was an early adopter of Prior Learning Assessment and in 2014 was certified as a Veteran Supportive Campus by the Arizona Department of Veterans Services. The college was the first private college in Arizona to receive such a designation. The college uses the system of narrative evaluation in addition to or as a substitute for the conventional grading system of A-F letter grades.

Resident undergraduate degree program

Resident undergraduate students begin with a three-week orientation in Arizona's wilderness, known as wilderness orientation. In their first week, students are introduced to the college and gather supplies before being sent out in groups of 7-14 people, depending on the size of the incoming class. The average distance covered varies from 50–100 miles. There are also options for a community-based orientation where students explore and are educated about their surrounding environment.

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Prescott College students participating in 21-day wilderness based orientation

New Student Orientation: Wilderness and Community Based

Students in the on-campus undergraduate program are introduced to Prescott College, the Southwest, and their learning community through an immersive 21-day Orientation course. Many students choose to enroll in Wilderness Orientation, an expedition in the remote canyons and mountains of Arizona. Other students choose to enroll in Community Based Orientation, which is carried out as a set of multiple mini-expeditions throughout Arizona and is specifically focused on exploring Arizona’s ecological, political, and cultural boundaries. Through Orientation, students develop a sense of place; gain knowledge about the College’s history, values, and pedagogical approach; and become engaged learners by gaining skills in interpersonal communication, leadership, and community building. Most importantly, students cultivate compassion and respect for self, the greater community, and the diverse Arizona environment.

Limited residency degree programs

Students may also choose the limited residency program which allows one to attend a colloquium (or series of such) on campus once a year, work with a primary faculty adviser and a mentor(s) who is usually based in the student's home community. This allows for the student to study from home in a community based setting. Programs are offered for the bachelor's degree, the master's degree and even a Ph.D using this limited residency model.

Degree plan

Students design a degree plan by the beginning of their junior year. Prescott College students fulfill basic requirements (such as math and writing) and then design their Competence (like a major) and Breadth (like a minor). The degree plan is submitted to the student's Individual Graduation Committee (IGC) for review. The IGC consists of at least one faculty member, and another faculty member and a student if desired. The committee will then edit and suggest classes that are needed to enhance and complete the Competence and Breadth.

A student's course of study will fall under one of the following: Adventure Education (AE), Arts and Humanities (AH), Education (EDU), Environmental Studies and Sustainability (ESS), Psychology and Counseling (PSC) or Cultural and Regional Studies (CRS).

Some examples of student degree plans would be: "Environmental Studies with a competence in Ecology and a breadth in Chemistry" or "Global Studies with a competence in Latin American Cultures and a breadth in Psychology".

Real-World Research

Students have ample opportunities to engage in research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Research often happens under the mentorship of faculty and community experts within problem-based, solution-oriented experiential courses. For example, undergraduate students take courses that engage student teams in research on the fire, woodlands, and riparian ecology of the Southwest, working alongside environmental studies professors and management professionals. Fire ecology classes have worked with Prescott National Forest Service researchers on projects examining core samples of ponderosa pines to understand how local fire cycles changed after settlers populated the region. In other courses, students conduct hands-on research in the fields of counseling psychology, political science, sustainable development, indigenous land rights, climate policy, and education practice and policy.

Students also have opportunities to take engage in community-based experiential courses. For example, students can travel to Los Angeles to learn about the social, political, and environmental impacts of globalization, meeting and working with stakeholders from elected officials, artists business leaders, and urban planners to policy-makers, activists, and grassroots community organizations.

All students design and complete a senior capstone project in which they demonstrate academic competence within their individualized programs of study. Through research and other real-world projects, they also demonstrate professional competence in the field of their chosen career. Many students are even offered jobs prior to graduation as a direct result of their capstone projects.

Study Abroad Opportunities

Over the course of decades, Prescott College faculty and students have developed partnerships with communities around the world. Students are able to benefit from these strong ties and rich shared histories that provide unparalleled learning opportunities.

Image of the Prescott College Kino Bay Center in Kino Bay, Mexico

The Kino Bay Center for Cultural and Ecological Studies in Sonora, Mexico, is Prescott College’s field station on the shores of the Gulf of California, one of the most remote and unexplored seas in the world today. At the field station, students engage in cooperative research with the local Mexican and indigenous Seri communities. Throughout the academic year, courses are held at the Kino Bay Center in academic areas such as marine studies, cultural studies, and resource conservation and management.

At Prescott College’s field station in Kenya, Africa, students work alongside the Maasai people through the Maasai Community Partnership Project. Students participate in activism led by indigenous community members, learn from the perspectives of Maasai people, and become part of grassroots work for social and environmental policy change. Student research has directly contributed to lawsuit successes that have restored land rights for the Maasai.

Study abroad trips and excursions around the United States are often integrated into many Prescott College courses. For example, in the Explorations of Norway Nature and Culture course, students spend a month abroad exploring the country’s environment, culture, language, and history—students can even continue their studies for an additional semester at the University College of Southeast Norway.  

Additionally, Prescott College is a member of two consortia, the EcoLeague and the Consortium for Innovative Environments in Learning. Through these partnerships, Prescott College students can spend up to two semesters at partner institutions at no additional cost to their tuition. They also have access to the study abroad and career internship offerings at other EcoLeague-affiliated schools. These opportunities allow students to broaden their education by taking advantage of opportunities at nearly 20 colleges around the United States.

Resident undergraduate senior project

To graduate from the college, each student must design and complete a senior project. Some examples include: The creation of Butte Creek Restoration Council, HUB (helping understand bicycles), The Ripple Repeat Project (campus thrift store), The Latin American Studies Scholarship Endowment Fund, The Freedom of Education Fund, an internship relevant to a student's Competence, or a research paper. A student must rigorously justify the project as proof of competence in their field of study.

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Accreditation

Prescott College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and the Association for Experiential Education.

The college's Teacher Education Program is approved by the Arizona State Board of Education and the National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification (NASDTEC).

Consortium relationships

Prescott College has stand-alone student exchange relationships with Telemark University College in Norway, the Ecosa Institute in Prescott, the SOS Conservation Project, and Sail Caribbean, that permit students to study as visitors at other institutions while maintaining enrollment and paying tuition to Prescott.

Prescott College is a member of the Eco League, a five-college consortium of colleges with environmental studies programs: Alaska Pacific University, Green Mountain College (now closed), Northland College, and College of the Atlantic and, since January 2014, Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.[1] The consortium is unique in that each college is in a different geographic area.

Prescott College is also a member of Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), a public interest, not-for-profit environmental law firm founded in 1989 in the USA to strengthen international and comparative environmental law and policy around the world.

Student life

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Prescott College SJCO Student Participating in Political Protest (Fall 2016)

In fall 2012, the college completed a $7.4M on-campus sustainable housing project, the Village, to accommodate up to 104 first-year students. The Village is a LEED Platinum certified facility that consists of 13 new multi-story townhome style apartment units, for up to eight students in each three-level unit. Most other students reside in nearby apartments, condos, and houses.

From 2013 - 2016 Prescott College rented out one of its Village buildings to Embry-Riddle University. In 2016 a student-led initiative resulted in the acquisition of the Frantz Fanon Community Strategy Center for use for student and community organizing and club meetings. Groups that currently meet in the Frantz Fanon Community Strategy Center include the Queer Student Union, The Advocates for Responsible Sexual Culture, the Black Student Union, Mi Familia (a Latino and indigenous group), Yavapai County Planned Parenthood, and others. These clubs have successfully organized many events and demonstrations at Prescott College, and in the community. The Frantz Fanon Community Strategy Center also includes a zine library, a food pantry, a kitchen, and multiple classroom spaces.

Group image of the Prescott College Cycling Team

Prescott College Activists were also able to successfully institute a $30 semester fee to support the Freedom Education Fund scholarship for undocumented immigrants seeking to attend university. Prescott College President John Flicker has said of this project “I am proud that our students take on the role of scholar activists”.

Member of the Prescott College Cycling Team participating in race.

The College also has a Student Activity Center (SAC) which is used by a variety of individual students and clubs to hold meetings and interact. The space is also utilized for the Student Union Board (SUB meetings and includes a lounge area, kitchen area and the Max and Bessie Bakal Memorial Lounge and Library.

Athletics

Prescott College has a mountain biking team registered with USA Cycling that offers scholarships. Most athletics are intramural in general, since the college curriculum is centered on field-based immersion courses.

Notable alumni

• Cody Lundin
• Gary Paul Nabhan
• Charlene Pesquiera
• Lisa Popeil
• Jeff Salz Ph.D.
• Kathleen Stephens
• Tom Udall, United States Senator from New Mexico
• Todd Miller
• Matuschka
• Laraine Herring
• Victoria Steele
• Michael Najarian
• Brendan Buzzard
• Julis Stuble

External links

• Official website