Armand Hammer United World College of the American West

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Students from many nations gathered for graduation in May 2003

The United World College-USA (or UWC-USA) is a United World College founded in 1982 by industrialist and philanthropist Armand Hammer. The campus, in the town of Montezuma, New Mexico, just northwest of the city of Las Vegas, New Mexico, includes the historic Montezuma Castle. The two-year, independent, coeducational, boarding school has about 200 students representing 80-90 countries at any time. The vast majority of these students receive full scholarships, being selected by the 124 National Committees that represent The United World Colleges around the globe. The largest block of these scholarships has been made possible by an endowment by investment manager Shelby M.C. Davis and his wife Gale, whose generosity makes this school (and all the other UWCs) 100% free for all American students. This endowment was established with an initial gift of $45 million in 1998, making it at the time the largest private donation to international education^[1][2].

The school's mission is to teach international understanding by bringing together young men and women of diverse ethnic and social backgrounds, in an environment in which they must work together for success. In addition to offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, the school has a strong program in the arts and a significant wilderness program, including mountain search and rescue. Typically, students are between 16 and 19 years old.

Graduates are typically accepted at the most competitive colleges and universities around the world. In late 2007, the Wall Street Journal identified United World College - USA as one of the world's top 50 schools for its success in preparing students to enter top American universities.^[3] A fellowship program established by the Davis family cover the tuitions of many graduates at over 80 colleges and universities in the United States and Europe, including Amherst College, Brown University, Carleton College, Colby College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Lake Forest College, Macalester College, Oberlin College, Smith College, Tufts University, Pepperdine University, Princeton University, and Yale University.

The Davis International Center, formerly the Montezuma Hotel, on the campus of the Armand Hammer United World College, May 2003

[edit] History

The school's founding president was Theodore D. Lockwood, who served from 1982 until 1994. Philip O. Geier III served as president from 1994 until 2005, when he passed the reins to Lisa A.H. Darling.

[edit] Location

The school is located at 35°39′15″N 105°16′52″W / 35.65417°N 105.28111°W / 35.65417; -105.28111 in the village of Montezuma, New Mexico, in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains about 70 miles from Santa Fe.

[edit] References

1. ^ Anon. "S&G Foundation, Founded by Shelby and Gale Davis, Donates $45 Million to United World College, Montezuma, NM," PR Newswire, July 23, 1998
2. ^ Russell, J. "Teaching Global Understanding: Donor Pays For Almost 700 Foreign Students," The Boston Globe, July 21, 2005
3. ^ Staff writer (2007-12-28). "How the Schools Stack Up". The Wall Street Journal. http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/info-COLLEGE0711-sort.html. Retrieved on 2008-07-25. 

• Dreams & Promises: The Story of the Armand Hammer United World College : A Critical Analysis, Theodore D. Lockwood, 1997

[edit] Notable alumni

Lousewies van der Laan, Dutch Politician

Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece

[edit] External links

• Official site
• Davis UWC Scholars Program