College of the Ozarks, Missouri Trip

"The vision of College of the Ozarks is to develop citizens of Christ-like character who are well-educated, hard-working, and patriotic."

College of the Ozarks is a Christian liberal-arts college, with its campus at Point Lookout near Branson, Missouri. It is 40 miles south of Springfield on a 1,000-acre campus, overlooking Lake Taneycomo. The college has an enrollment of 1,450, over 30 academic majors, and degrees in Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science.

The College charges no tuition for full-time students, due to its student work program and donations. The program requires students to work 15 hours a week at an on-campus work station and two 40-hour work weeks during breaks. A summer work program is available to cover room and board costs. The college refers to itself as "Hard Work U.", and places emphasis in "character" education.

Faith at the Administration Building

We enjoyed a tour of the college campus, visiting the class buildings, walking by Lake Honor, learning about the work program, visiting dorms, and enjoyed the beauty and coolness of the Church after being outside in the heat! After our tour, we spent the rest of the day and the next morning looking at all the college has to offer.

Some of the places we visited were:

 The Keeter Center at College of the Ozarks is the College’s award-winning lodge, restaurant, and conference facility. It has fifteen beautifully decorated suites. You can enjoy a casual lunch or an intimate dinner for two in Dobyns Dining Room offering something for every taste. We visited the College Creamery and enjoyed student-made ice cream made with the College of the Ozark’s fresh dairy cream. Under the expanse of 95,000 square feet, one can find everything from intimate, elegantly-appointed meeting rooms to state-of-the-art conference facilities, all four-star accommodations and exquisite fine dining.

Fruitcake & Jelly Kitchen has produced its famous fruitcakes on campus since 1934, and today student workers, along with supervisors, bake more than 25,000 cakes a year. We were welcomed in the kitchen where a variety of jellies and the College's delicious apple butter are also made and sold. And we got to taste samples of their fruitcake!

Edwards Mill, is powered by a twelve-foot water wheel turned by runoff water from nearby Lake Honor. Student workers grind whole-grain meal and flour, available for purchase inside the building. We also visited with students who were hard at work upstairs in the weaving studio, where students design and produce rugs, shawls, place mats and other items on traditional looms, and students hand-weave baskets.

Williams Memorial Chapel is an outstanding example of neo-Gothic architecture. The structure,  measures 150 feet long and 80 feet wide, with an 80-foot-high vaulted ceiling and impressive stained glass windows. Attached to the chapel is the Hyer Bell Tower. The church was beautiful inside and out!

Lyons Memorial Library provides resources that support the curriculum, activities, and mission of the College of the Ozarks at both the collegiate level and at the School of the Ozarks Laboratory School

Point Lookout offers panoramic views of the Ozark hills, Branson 76 highway, and the beautiful Lake Taneycomo. Located just a short walk from the Willams Memorial Chapel and Ralph Foster Museum, this is a tranquil and breathtaking must-see during your College of the Ozarks visit.

The Ralph Foster Museum is dedicated to the history of the Ozarks region. The museum houses thousands of artifacts representing archeology, history, firearms, antiques, numismatics, natural history, fine arts, geology and mineralogy. One of the more famous exhibits is the original vehicle used in the television series "The Beverly Hillbillies." The Ralph Foster Museum houses one of the largest collections of firearms in the US.

Gittinger Music Center serves as a learning and practice facility for The College Handbell Choir, Chorale, Screaming Bobcats Pep Band, and Chapel Choir. The Edith Gittinger Music Center offers students some of the finest music facilities in the state. It houses acoustically-engineered practice rooms, audio/visually equipped class rooms, a piano lab, electronic music studio, and dedicated choral and instrumental rehearsal rooms.

The Gaetz Tractor Museum features a variety of antique tractors and farm equipment. Noteworthy items include a gray Wallis from 1918 and a reaper produced in 1910. It also has on display a two headed calf that was born at the college dairy.

The W. Alton Jones Dairy is run by College Of The Ozark students. The milk is used at the Keeter Center and they also use the milk in their homemade ice cream - which is very tasty! You can watch the students milk the dairy cows everyday.

The Hoge Greenhouses, are home to the Clint McDade orchid collection. Mr. McDade, one of the School's first students, donated the nucleus of the collection, which today numbers more than 7,000 plants. Individual orchids and other houseplants are for sale at the greenhouse. They also grow all the flowers used in the beautiful landscaping throughout the College Campus.

Places that we didn't have time to visit this trip:

The Lest We Forget 9/11 Memorial features a World Trade Center column which stands as a memorial to the 2,996 lives lost on September 11, 2001. Known as "St. Michael's 37" (in honor of 37 Port Authority officers killed), the column and flanges resemble the body and wings of an angel. It now stands as a memorial to those whose lives were lost in New York City, the Pentagon, and the fields of Pennsylvania.

Patriots Park sits near the entrance of campus and contains The Missouri Vietnam Veterans Memorial which honors the 1,410 servicemen and women from Missouri who gave their lives during the Vietnam War. Built and designed by students, this memorial serves as Missouri’s official Vietnam memorial. The black granite walls are divided – reflecting the division of America. The statue in the middle represents the servicemen and women who stood in the gap and did what their nation asked of them. The red, flower-filled ‘V’ stands for valor and represents the blood that was shed during the war. The Missouri Gold Star Families Memorial, which honors Gold Star Families (those who have lost immediate family members killed in their service to the country), preserves the memory of the fallen, and stands as a stark reminder that freedom is not free.

The College of the Ozarks Bookstore offers College of the Ozarks and Hard Work U. logo items that can be purchased to show your support for College of the Ozarks.

Memorial Field house and Keeter Gymnasium is a 3,500 seat arena.The field house has three basketball courts, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, weight room, racquetball courts, dance studio, volleyball, badminton and table tennis facilities. In 2009 a 21,888-square-foot fitness center was added.

The college also has it's own Fire Department,  Post Office, College Press, Stained Glass Window Business, Nursing Clinic, Plaster Business Building, Science and Agriculture Centers a Farmers Market (seasonal) and more!

We were so impressed. Everyone on campus was friendly, polite and helpful. The grounds were gorgeous and immaculate. The area is maintained by the students under the supervision of the staff. if you are ever in the area, take some time and explore this beautiful campus... you will also be supporting the students who work and study there.

Arial View of the College of the Ozarks Campus