History
editBeginnings
GWU was founded as George Wythe College (GWC) by Oliver DeMille, a Brigham Young University student from Utah who sought to establish a school for the purpose of training statesmen in the way Thomas Jefferson and other signers of the U.S. Constitution were trained by George Wythe, the first law professor in the American colonies.[1] DeMille’s inspiration for such an establishment resulted from his own desire for this kind of education after reading about Jefforson’s tutelage under Wythe in W. Cleon Skousen’s book, The Making of America, and DeMille’s subsequent relationship with Skousen as his own mentor.[1]
Skousen began by assigning books to DeMille and following up with discussion.[1] An associate of Skousen’s, Donald N. Sills, joined in the mentoring of DeMille and later introduced him to Coral Ridge Baptist University (CRBU)[1] a now-defunct liberal arts school in Jacksonville, Florida with a correspondence program. According to DeMille, his studies often consumed over 80 hours per week[2] and set the example for the curriculum he would create during his doctoral studies at CRBU and implement at George Wythe College.[3]
Founding
DeMille and Sills organized the college in 1992 as a subsidiary of the Institute for Constitutional Education with Sills as president and the school opened that fall as a Utah branch of CRBU.[3] With 31 students and little funding, the initial weeks of class were held in remodeled garage space at the Meadeau View Lodge in Duck Creek, Utah while awaiting completion of the adjacent conference center.[4] DeMille served as one of the three original faculty. The semester after moving to the conference center, heavy snowfall ruptured a gas line underneath the structure, leading to an explosion and fire that left the building unusable.[5] No students were injured, and a new location was found in an office building in Cedar City, Utah.[6]
With the initial donors now salvaging their building, the only remaining funding source was tuition itself.[6] This led to a budgetary crisis, leaving DeMille as the sole faculty member in the school's second year while finishing his correspondence courses at CRBU.[6] Only after completing his B.A., M.A and Ph.D. from CRBU would DeMille return to BYU to complete his prior coursework.[7]
In 1997 a steering committee formalized the school’s comprehensive academic program, integrating the methodology, motto and mission into a cohesive educational model which it called the Five Pillars of Statesmanship.[8] In 1999, George Wythe Foundation was created to commence fundraising efforts,[9] and by 2000 the college expanded its faculty and administration to include 13 employees plus support staff.[10]
- (After the Foundation was created, does anyone know why it took so long for them to start holding major fundraising events like the Gala I was able to reference in the next section?)
Independence and expansion
In January of 2002, the college became independent from CRBU through a transfer of ownership to George Wythe Foundation.[9] At this time the school realigned its policies and narrowed its degree programs to the four specific degrees that most closely matched its mission, namely: B.A in Statesmanship; M.A. degrees in Political Economy and Education; and a Ph.D in Constitutional Law. This notably reduced the religious element that existed previously.[9]
In the wake of the economic slump that followed the 9/11 terrorist attacks, enrollment declined and the school was unable to pay its employees. For several months, many faculty and staff volunteered without pay.[11] To financially recover, the college expanded its programs through extension and seminar courses across the Western U.S., established the GWC press, created an audio/visual department to generate revenue from recorded lectures, and pursued a series of corporate speaking contracts.[12]
In 2004 the college held 58 seminars, accepted 12 speaking engagements, and delivered 18 off-campus extension courses. Total enrollment for the Fall 2004 semester was 137 students (campus plus extension courses) and 129 distance students—for a combined student body of 266. Numerous part-time faculty were hired on a semester or annual basis, most of them professors at Southern Utah University, and a few from Brigham Young University, Dixie College and University of Las Vegas.[13]
That same year, GWU held its first fundraising gala and announced plans to acquire a larger facility, resulting in approximately $300,000 in pledges and donations.[13] In January 2005 the school moved to its current location in the Providence Center in Cedar City, Utah.[13]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 7. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 8. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ a b Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 14. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 15. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 17. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ a b c Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 18. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ DeMille (CV, 2008).
- ^ Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. pp. 22-23. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ a b c Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 36. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 27. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 32. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 33. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help) - ^ a b c Brooks, Shanon. "The First Fifteen Years" (PDF). p. p. 41. Retrieved 2009-04-01.
{{cite web}}:|page=has extra text (help)