Rocky Mountain College

For the college in Alberta, Canada, see Rocky Mountain College, Calgary.
Rocky Mountain College
Type Private
Established 1878
Affiliation United Methodist Church
Presbyterian Church (USA)
United Church of Christ
Endowment 16,586,100[1]
President Dr. Robert Wilmouth
Students 894
Undergraduates 878
Postgraduates 66
Location Billings, Montana, USA
Campus Suburban, 60 acres (24.3 ha)
Athletics 14 sports
Colors Forest Green and Vegas Gold
Nickname Battlin' Bears
Affiliations NAIA
Website www.rocky.edu

Rocky Mountain College (informally Rocky, or RMC), located in Billings, in the U.S. state of Montana, is a private comprehensive college offering 50 liberal arts- and professionally oriented- majors in 24 undergraduate disciplines.[2] In fall 2013, the college had 1069 enrolled students.[3] It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the United Church of Christ.

Some of RMC's less traditional academic offerings include aviation programs, equestrian programs, and physician assistant programs.

History

Rocky Mountain College traces its history to the 1878 founding of the Montana Collegiate Institute in Deer Lodge, Montana. Renamed the College of Montana, that institution closed in 1916, and in 1923 its assets were incorporated into Intermountain Union College, located in Helena. A former president of the College of Montana, Lewis Eaton, founded the Billings Polytechnic Institute (today's RMC campus) in 1908 as the first postsecondary institution in Billings.[4] RMC remains on Poly Drive, which leads to campus from downtown Billings. Intermountain Union relocated to the Billings Polytechnic campus after its Helena buildings were destroyed by a series of earthquakes in October and November, 1935.[5] IUC merged with BPI in 1947, when students named their own school to create today's Rocky Mountain College. 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 – 2012
  • Robert Wilmouth, 2012 - Current

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).

Athletics

Rocky Mountain teams, nicknamed athletically as the Battlin' Bears, are part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) Division I level, primarily competing in the Frontier Conference. Men's sports include basketball, cross country, football, golf, ski racing, soccer and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, cross country, golf, ski racing, soccer, track & field and volleyball.

In 2014, the Battlin' Bears men's basketball team won the Frontier Conference championship and three teammates were named to the NAIA All-America team.[6][7] In 2009, the Battlin' Bears men's basketball team won the NAIA Division I National Championship, the school's first NAIA title.

The Battlin' Bears women's ski team, which competes in the USCSA (United States Collegiate Ski Association), won a national championship in 2014.[8] The men's ski team won RMC's first national sports championship in 2005, and took national championships again in 2007, 2011, and again in 2016.

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ As of June 30, 2009. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
  2. ↑ "Undergraduate Programs". Rocky Mountain College. Retrieved 27 Mar 2014.
  3. ↑ "Fall 2013 Student Body Profile" (PDF). Rocky Mountain College. Retrieved 27 Mar 2014.
  4. ↑ Malone, Michael P. (1976). Montana: A History of Two Centuries. Seattle: University of Washington Press. pp. 276–277. ISBN 0-295-95756-5.
  5. ↑ http://www.seis.utah.edu/lqthreat/nehrp_htm/1935hele/c1935he1.shtml
  6. ↑ Bighaus, Bill (11 Mar 2014). "Rocky men rout Westminster to win 2nd straight Frontier tourney title, 93-64". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 27 Mar 2014.
  7. ↑ Gazette, staff (26 Mar 2014). "3 Bears on NAIA's All-America team". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 27 Mar 2014.
  8. ↑ Gazette, staff (14 Mar 2014). "Rocky Women win first national ski national ski championship". Billings Gazette. Retrieved 27 Mar 2014.

Coordinates: 45°47′47″N 108°33′17″W / 45.796386°N 108.554788°W / 45.796386; -108.554788

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