Armand Hammer United World College of the American West

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Students from many nations gathered for graduation in May 2003
Students from many nations gathered for graduation in May 2003

The Armand Hammer United World College of the American West 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, residential high school has about 200 students representing 80-90 countries at any time. The vast majority of these students receive full scholarships. The largest block of these scholarships has been made possible by an endowment by investment manager Shelby 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 the 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. A generous fellowship program established by the Davis family cover the tuitions of many graduates at 65 colleges and universities in the United States, including Amherst College, Brown University, Columbia University, Cornell University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Oberlin College, 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
The Davis International Center, formerly the Montezuma Hotel, on the campus of the Armand Hammer United World College, May 2003

The school's somewhat unwieldy name is commonly replaced with "UWC-USA." Older alumni may call the school "Armand Hammer" or "AHUWC".

Contents

[edit] History

The school's founding president was Ted Lockwood, who served from 1982 until 1994. He published a book about the school in 1997. Phil Geier served as president from 1994 until 2005, when he passed the reins to Ms. Lisa Darling.

[edit] Location

The school is located at 35°39′15″N, 105°16′52″W in the village of Montezuma, New Mexico in the foothills of the Sangre di 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
  • Dreams & Promises: The Story of the Armand Hammer United World College : A Critical Analysis, Theodore D. Lockwood, 1997


[edit] Famous Graduates

Lousewies van der Laan, Dutch Politician

[edit] External links


United World Colleges

United World College of the Atlantic · United World College of South East Asia · Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific · Waterford-KaMhlaba United World College of Southern Africa · Armand Hammer United World College of the American West · United World College of the Adriatic · Simón Bolívar United World College of Agriculture · Red Cross Nordic United World College · Li Po Chun United World College  · Mahindra United World College of India · United World College of Costa Rica · United World College in Mostar

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