USAO or The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma, is a public liberal arts college located in Chickasha, Oklahoma is a public liberal arts college located in Chickasha, Oklahoma . USAO is the 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 . The college was founded in 1908 as a womens institution, Oklahoma College for Women (OCW), the first college created by Oklahomas first legislature. USAO is one of only seven state institutions with similar missions ever created in the United States. Other than the University of Oklahoma, USAO has the oldest original mission of any state college or university in Oklahoma. from 1912 to 1965 was known as Oklahoma College for Women. It became coeducational in 1965 and today educates approximately 1,000 students. In 2001, the entire Oklahoma College for Women campus was listed as a National Historic District. USAO has been rated as one of the best public comprehensive baccalaureate colleges in the western half of the United States for five of the past six years by US News and World Report.[48] It is also the only public college in Oklahoma to make their Best Values list. In 2015, USAO was ranked 65th on Kiplingers Best Values in Public Colleges list. 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 Presidents Home, the Presidents 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.[4] 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.[4][26][27][28][29] 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.[4] 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
Last Updated on: Nov 25, 2024