Prescott College began in the 1960s, a time of optimism and growth when leaders of a small town in the stunningly beautiful pine and chaparral country of central Arizona searched for a new cultural identity. Dr. Charles Franklin Parker, minister of Prescott's First Congregational Church and Prescott College founder, announced the ambitious project of creating the Harvard of the West – Prescott College. With the group of visionary leaders, Parker drew on the Congregationalist tradition of founding over 50 leading colleges and universities in America, beginning with Harvard in 1636, and including such institutions as Middlebury, Dartmouth, Amherst, Smith, Yale, Oberlin, Grinnell, Whitman, Colorado, Pomona, and Scripps.
Many of the College's core philosophical and educational principles emerged in 1963, in a conference of state and nationally known leaders from higher education funded by the Ford Foundation's Fund for Post-Secondary Education, Business and Industry. These principles crystallized around a central goal: To produce the leaders increasingly crucial to successfully meeting the changing world's challenges. Dr. Parker's vision "for a pioneering, even radical experiment in higher education "and "to graduate society's leaders for the twenty-first century who would be needed to solve the world's growing environmental and social problems" seems especially prescient today, as humanity comes to terms with global warming and its potential for large-scale, adverse health, social, economic and ecological effects. Society looks to new education models to better prepare students of all ages for their role as global citizens.
It is the mission of Prescott College to educate students of diverse ages and backgrounds to understand, thrive in, and enhance our world community and environment. We regard learning as a continuing process and strive to provide an education that will enable students to live productive lives while balancing self-fulfillment and service to others. Students are encouraged to think critically and act ethically with sensitivity to both the human community and the biosphere. Our philosophy stresses experiential learning and self-direction within an interdisciplinary curriculum.
Over a half-century of leadership in developing and refining such new educational models has kept Prescott College at the forefront of schools seeking to address the urgent issues that face human societies right now.
The themes students and faculty have identified over time as central to this effort include environmental awareness, social justice, peace studies, sustainable communities, sustainable agriculture, outdoor leadership, teacher preparation that includes multicultural education, and artistic and critical response to our world. The methods they have developed – collaborative learning, experiential education, and student-designed programs – assure students' impact in their future roles.
The College's tradition of educating with ethics, vision, and sensitivity supports Prescott College students as they become the leaders the world needs now and in the decades to come.
At Prescott College, education is personal. Forget a standard, one-size-fits-all degree. Here, you will have the opportunity to craft a degree plan that is as unique as you are. You will not be limited to a single area of study in building your plan either, so let your passions and interests guide you.
Regardless of your area of study, all Prescott College programs have an experiential component - giving you valuable experience in your field. Whether you are kayaking in the Gulf of California or learning on the streets of Skid Row in LA, you will have plenty of opportunities to explore your world. At the end of your journey, you will not just have a degree; you will have a competence that will help you be successful in your next steps – whether that's in your career or graduate school.
Career Services at Prescott College starts as soon as you begin to get to know your faculty, continue through your academic career, and as alumni. We strive to provide the information, contacts, and resources to our enrolled students and alumni so that each individual can direct their path. Guidance is available along the way through faculty, alumni, and others on campus.
Students who come to Prescott College are vital, engaged people who want to make a difference. They take an active role in their college experience, rather than just letting it happen. Most share a love and respect for the outdoors and a deep concern about social justice and the jeopardized environment. They have inquiring intellects, uncompromising ideals, and soaring spirits.
Over the decades, through active involvement, Prescott College students have impacted and shaped the College and helped make it what it is today. Opportunities for involvement abound—an extracurricular version of the College's experiential education model.
Prescott College requires that all On-Campus Undergraduate students have health insurance coverage. Every student will be enrolled in the Aetna Student Health Insurance Plan available through Prescott College unless they waive out of the plan by providing proof of comparable insurance coverage by the waiver deadline.
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