Rocky Mountain College
Encyclopedia
Rocky Mountain College located in Billings
, Montana
, is a private comprehensive college
offering more than 25 liberal arts
- and professionally oriented majors
. In fall 2009, the college had 894 enrolled students. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church
, the Presbyterian Church (USA)
, and the United Church of Christ
.
Rocky is ranked by U.S. News & World Report
as one of the top 10 colleges in quality and a "best value" among comprehensive colleges in the Western United States
. Rocky also maintains a 99% placement rate for students pursuing graduate school
educations.
Mr. Michael R. Mace, Rocky's president, announced in October 2006 that there had been a 20.8% increase in the college's assets over the total from the same time during the previous year. Mace began his presidency in October 2005 and in his first year saw the largest amount of undesignated funds raised in the history of the institution.
Some of Rocky's less traditional academic offerings include aviation programs, equestrian
programs, and physician assistant programs.
Rocky Mountain College competes in 14 sports in the NAIA
's Frontier Conference
. Its athletic teams are known as the “Battlin’ Bears” and compete at the NAIA’s Division 1 level. In 2009 the Men’s Basketball team won the NAIA Division 1 National Championship taking home the school’s first NAIA title. The Battlin’ Bear Men's Ski team, which competes in the USCSA (United States Collegiate Ski Association), won RMC’s first National Championship in 2005, again in 2007 and 2011. The team from 2011 included Olle Fribeg (Sweden), Anton Larsson (Sweden), Harald Carlsson (Sweden), Bjorn Tuaz (France) and A.J Oliver (Salt Lake City, Utah).
. Later renamed College of Montana
, that institution closed in 1916, and in 1923 its assets were incorporated into Intermountain Union College, located in Helena
. Intermountain Union, in turn, relocated to Billings after its campus buildings were destroyed by a series of earthquakes in October and November, 1935. Students and faculty finished the academic year in temporary quarters in Great Falls, after which the college merged with the Billings Polytechnic Institute to create today's Rocky Mountain College. The existence of a private, postsecondary institution in Billings dates from 1908, the year Billings Polytechnic was founded. Since the merger of Intermountain Union College and Billings Polytechnic Institute in 1947, Rocky Mountain College has had the following presidents as leaders:
Rocky Mountain College is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and the Office of Public Instruction for the State of Montana for the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education accredits the physician assistant program for the Physician Assistant ARC-PA, while the Aeronautical Science major and Aviation Management major at Rocky Mountain College are both accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).
Billings, Montana
Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, and is the principal city of the Billings Metropolitan Area, the largest metropolitan area in over...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
, is a private comprehensive college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
offering more than 25 liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
- and professionally oriented majors
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
. In fall 2009, the college had 894 enrolled students. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, the Presbyterian Church (USA)
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Presbyterian Church , or PC, is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination in the United States. Part of the Reformed tradition, it is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the U.S...
, and the United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ
The United Church of Christ is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination primarily in the Reformed tradition but also historically influenced by Lutheranism. The Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches united in 1957 to form the UCC...
.
Rocky is ranked by U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
as one of the top 10 colleges in quality and a "best value" among comprehensive colleges in the Western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
. Rocky also maintains a 99% placement rate for students pursuing graduate school
Graduate school
A graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
educations.
Mr. Michael R. Mace, Rocky's president, announced in October 2006 that there had been a 20.8% increase in the college's assets over the total from the same time during the previous year. Mace began his presidency in October 2005 and in his first year saw the largest amount of undesignated funds raised in the history of the institution.
Some of Rocky's less traditional academic offerings include aviation programs, equestrian
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
programs, and physician assistant programs.
Rocky Mountain College competes in 14 sports in the NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
's Frontier Conference
Frontier Conference
The Frontier Conference is a college athletic conference, founded in 1952 and affiliated with the NAIA. Member institutions are located in the northwestern United States, in the states of Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Utah....
. Its athletic teams are known as the “Battlin’ Bears” and compete at the NAIA’s Division 1 level. In 2009 the Men’s Basketball team won the NAIA Division 1 National Championship taking home the school’s first NAIA title. The Battlin’ Bear Men's Ski team, which competes in the USCSA (United States Collegiate Ski Association), won RMC’s first National Championship in 2005, again in 2007 and 2011. The team from 2011 included Olle Fribeg (Sweden), Anton Larsson (Sweden), Harald Carlsson (Sweden), Bjorn Tuaz (France) and A.J Oliver (Salt Lake City, Utah).
History
Rocky Mountain College indirectly traces its history to the 1878 founding of the Montana Collegiate Institute in Deer Lodge, MontanaDeer Lodge, Montana
Deer Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 3,421 at the 2000 census. The city is perhaps best known as the home of the Montana State Prison, a major local employer...
. Later renamed College of Montana
College of Montana
The College of Montana was a private liberal arts college that existed in Deer Lodge, Montana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in 1878 as the "Montana Collegiate Institute," the school was the first institution of higher learning in Montana. The College of Montana name was...
, that institution closed in 1916, and in 1923 its assets were incorporated into Intermountain Union College, located in Helena
Helena, Montana
Helena is the capital city of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The 2010 census put the population at 28,180. The local daily newspaper is the Independent Record. The Helena Brewers minor league baseball and Helena Bighorns minor league hockey team call the...
. Intermountain Union, in turn, relocated to Billings after its campus buildings were destroyed by a series of earthquakes in October and November, 1935. Students and faculty finished the academic year in temporary quarters in Great Falls, after which the college merged with the Billings Polytechnic Institute to create today's Rocky Mountain College. The existence of a private, postsecondary institution in Billings dates from 1908, the year Billings Polytechnic was founded. Since the merger of Intermountain Union College and Billings Polytechnic Institute in 1947, Rocky Mountain College has had the following presidents as leaders:
- William D. Copeland, 1947 – 1951
- Herbert W Hines, 1951-1958
- Philip M. Widenhouse, 1958-1966
- Lawrence F. Small, 1966 – 1975
- Bruce T. Alton, 1975 – 1986
- James J. Rittenkamp, Jr., 1986 – 1987
- Arthur H. DeRosier, Jr., 1987 – 2002
- Thomas R. Oates, 2002 – 2005
- Michael R. Mace, 2005 – present
Rocky Mountain College is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and the Office of Public Instruction for the State of Montana for the preparation of elementary and secondary teachers. The Accreditation Review Commission on Education accredits the physician assistant program for the Physician Assistant ARC-PA, while the Aeronautical Science major and Aviation Management major at Rocky Mountain College are both accredited by the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI).
Notable alumni
- Valeen Tippetts AveryValeen Tippetts AveryValeen Tippetts Avery was an American biographer and historian best known for her work on Western American and Latter Day Saint history...
, biographer and historian - Bill BowersBill BowersBill Bowers is an American mime artist and actor based in New York City. As an actor, mime and educator, Bill has performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe...
, mimeMime artistA mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
and actor - Lane ChandlerLane ChandlerLane Chandler was an American actor specializing in Westerns.-Early life:He was born as Robert Chandler Oakes on a ranch near Culbertson, Montana, the son of a horse rancher. At an early age, the family relocated to Helena, Montana, where he graduated from high school...
, actor. - Jason EarlesJason EarlesJason Daniel Earles is an American actor, known for his role as Jackson Stewart on the Disney Channel sitcom Hannah Montana and his role as Sensei Rudy in his new Disney XD series Kickin' It.-Personal life and philanthropy:...
, actor on the television series Hannah MontanaHannah MontanaHannah Montana is an American television series, which debuted on March 24, 2006 on the Disney Channel. The series focuses on a girl who lives a double life as an average teenage school girl named Miley Stewart by day and a famous pop singer named Hannah Montana by night, concealing her real... - Al FeldsteinAl FeldsteinAlbert B. Feldstein is an American writer, editor, and artist, best known for his work at EC Comics and, from 1956 to 1985, as the editor of the satirical magazine Mad. Since retiring from Mad, Feldstein has concentrated on American paintings of Western wildlife...
, painter (honorary Doctorate of Arts in 1999) - Arlo GuthrieArlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
, folksinger (did not graduate) - Larry R. HeatherLarry R. HeatherLarry R. Heather is a politician and activist in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. He is a perennial candidate for the Christian Heritage Party of Canada, and has also campaigned in provincial and municipal elections....
, frequent Christian Heritage Party of CanadaChristian Heritage Party of CanadaThe Christian Heritage Party of Canada, also referred to as CHP Canada, is a federal political party that advocates that Canada be governed according to Biblical principles...
candidate - Chris HornChris HornChristopher Michael Horn is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was most recently with the New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League .-Early years:...
, former Carolina PanthersCarolina PanthersThe Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
wide receiver - J. Timothy HuntJ. Timothy HuntJames Timothy Hunt is an American-Canadian author and journalist.- Biography : Hunt was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, and attended university in Montana, receiving a B.S. in Economics and Business Administration from Rocky Mountain College in 1981...
, journalist and author - John LetaskyJohn LetaskyJohn Letasky is an American sportswriter and columnist. Letasky is currently the Club Boxing, MMA and prep wrestling beat writer for the Billings Gazette. He also covers various other sports for the Gazette, including state prep football. In the summer Letasky has written the Gazette fishing...
, sportswriter - Jill McLainJill McLainJillian Christine McLain Korell is a beauty queen from Havre, Montana who has competed in the Miss USA pageant.McLain held the title Miss Montana USA 2006 which she won in September 2005. She had previously placed 3RU at Miss Montana Teen USA in both 2002 and 2003 and competed in the same pageant...
, Miss Montana USAMiss Montana USAThe Miss Montana USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Montana in the Miss USA pageant.Montana is one of the least successful states in Miss USA history, but there has been success in other pageants. Miss Montana USA 2005 Amanda Kimmel was chosen to...
2005 - Michal WisniowskiMichal WisniowskiMichał Wojciech Wiśniowski , known as Michal Wisniowski, is a contemporary artist who works in both fine arts media, such as painting, as well as digital and commercial media.-Life and career:...
, artist