Connors State College: A Legacy of Agriculture and Education in Oklahoma
Connors State College, located in Warner and Muskogee, Oklahoma, has a rich history deeply intertwined with the state's agricultural roots and commitment to higher education. From its humble beginnings as a district agricultural high school to its current status as a comprehensive community college, Connors State College has played a vital role in shaping the lives of countless students and contributing to the economic and social development of the region.
Origins and Establishment
The story of Connors State College begins with Oklahoma's statehood in 1907. Recognizing the importance of agriculture to the state's economy, the Oklahoma Constitution mandated the establishment of agricultural schools in each of the State Supreme Court Judicial Districts. These schools were to be governed by Oklahoma's Board of Agriculture and granted at least 80 acres (32 ha) of land.
In the First Judicial District, a heated competition emerged between Warner and Muskogee for the location of the agricultural school. Led by State Senator Campbell Russell, Warner residents rallied together to secure the coveted spot. They donated 160 acres (65 ha) of land for the school, demonstrating their strong commitment to agricultural education. The local citizenry subscribed nearly $8,000 at $40 an acre to donate 160 acres west of Warner for the institution’s site.
Ultimately, Warner was chosen as the site for the new school, thanks in large part to Russell's influence and the community's unwavering support. In recognition of his contributions to agriculture in the state, the institution was named in honor of John P. Connors, the first president of the Board of Agriculture. Russell proposed the school located in Warner be named after John Pierre Connors.
Connors State School of Agriculture came into existence with the act of Oklahoma’s first Legislature in 1908. Connors was one of six state agricultural secondary schools created. J.P. Campbell Russell (1863-1937) is considered by many to be the founder and most passionate booster of Warner. He was Muskogee County’s first state senator, and served in the first, second, fourth and fifth Oklahoma Legislatures. Russell and members of the local area citizenry demanded and were granted open hearings on where one of the new agricultural schools was to be located. Petitions were circulated, signatures obtained and the group took the protest to the State Capitol in Guthrie. Russell and the citizens pleaded that students of the proposed agricultural school would be better served in a ranching community such as Warner as opposed to Muskogee or another city.Russell is credited with pushing through the final decision on the school’s location with the help of first Chairman of the State Board of Agriculture (1907-1911), John P. Connors. The State Board of Agriculture served as the original governing body of all six state schools of agriculture for several decades.
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Early Years and Transformation
Connors State School of Agriculture's first session opened in February 1909 in the Warner Public School Building. The school began with President Jefferson Adolphus Liner and four faculty members. Fifteen students were enrolled in grades 6-11. Three weeks later, enrollment had grown to 35 students. The first decade of Connors State School of Agriculture can be best described as a decade of uncertainty and constant change. The State Board of Agriculture, the governing entity of all six state schools of agriculture, monitored enrollments, spending and politics threatening to close schools that seemed to be under-performing. The board considered Connors first enrollment of 15 students in February 1909, as unsatisfactory and the school was threatened with closure if enrollment did not increase. Administrators responded and enrollment immediately jumped to 35 students and eventually reached 75 the following year. In 1912, the political antics of Campbell Russell concerning Superintendent J.S. Murray and members of the State Board of Agriculture resulted in a Board committee meeting held in Muskogee, “Relative to the recent order closing the…agricultural school at Warner.” More than 200 area citizens signed an invitation to petition the Board to hear their concerns in order to save the beloved school. From 1911-1919, leadership changed six times. Despite the constant changes, CSSA continued to provide the citizens of the new state with the tools and knowledge necessary to work the land, raise the crops and livestock. Early education provided by Connors was predominantly of a practical nature and was drawn along gender lines, providing courses of study for boys and girls.
Early day course announcements included such classes as farm machinery and implements, road making, farm crops, curing meats, farm accounts, cooking, sewing, needlework, laundering, millinery, as well as English, mathematics, history and civics.
Hiram C. King (1918-1933) became the ninth and first long-term Superintendent of CSSA. He could also be considered the first “building” administrator. An article in Harpers Weekly in 1929 gave a John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath description of Connors prior to the arrival of King. Shutters hung precariously, windows were broken, weeds were growing everywhere, no running water or electricity and a general atmosphere of desolation and despair. An additional 60 acres of farm land was obtained from area citizens. The boys of the class of 1924, under the direction of Industrial Arts Instructor, Burt Huckleberry built a stone bench that still stands in front of the Connors’ original Administration/Classroom Building.
In March 1927, the Oklahoma Legislature recognized the growing demand for higher education and transformed the school into a state-accredited junior college. The institution was renamed Connors State Agricultural College, marking a significant milestone in its evolution. Also, the first issue of the Connors Collegian newspaper was created and produced by students, J.K. McClarren and Edd Lemons. The lack of electricity, plumbing and reliable water supply created challenges for the struggling school. An electric high line was run to the school in the late 1920’s. College announcements in the early 1930’s advertised the fact as a draw for prospective students. The school’s allotted maintenance budget of $600 annually would not be enough to furnish a water supply.
Presidency of H.C. King continued into the first three years of the 1930’s. He continued building and remodeling projects. One of the main projects in the early thirties was the renovation of the dining hall into a Science Labs Building.
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In 1933, Jacob Johnson became the tenth and longest serving president, with 32 years at Connors and two additional years at Oscar Rose Junior College (now Rose State College) in Midwest City. Johnson was referred to as “The Dean of Junior College Presidents” because of his years of service in Oklahoma Higher Education. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1965. During the 1930’s several projects were taking place. In 1934 the first Connors’ annual, the Connohoma, was published. Five years later the name was changed to the ConAgri. It was in 1937 that George A. Coffey made his greatest contribution to the school he once led. In 1936 he was elected to the Oklahoma House of Representatives. Due to Connors’ water supply issues, some members of the legislature were clamoring for the closure and/or consolidation of CSAC. Coffey sponsored a bill to create a water supply for the institution and gave an impassioned speech in an effort to stop the consolidation. His efforts paid off and money was appropriated to build a reservoir to supply the college with drinking water. It is known today as Warner Lake and is often referred to by students as Jake’s Lake. Throughout the decade sports programs became more organized, music and fine arts grew in popularity, and the Agriculture Department continued to develop.
Navigating the War Years and Post-War Growth
In contrast to the building boom of the 1930’s, the decade of the 1940’s is defined primarily by World War II and its aftermath.
In 1941, Connors was one of nineteen state schools to offer civilian pilot training by the Civil Aeronautics Administration. The course included 72 hours of ground training taken on campus followed by flight training at Hatbox Field in Muskogee. A year later, Connors and six other Oklahoma colleges were called upon by the Army Air Force to assist in the training of administrative personnel in the Army Air Force Technical Training Program or AAFTTC. In eight-week sessions civilian instructors trained students in clerical procedures involving engineering, operations, supplies and military administration. From 1943-45 Jacob Johnson was was called upon to serve in the Armed Forces. True B.
Between the years of 1941-45, campus life at Connors was quiet. Low enrollments were felt in colleges statewide and Connors was no exception. After the War, the campus grew with the influx of soldiers coming back to their homes and farms. In 1946 the Veterans Agricultural Training Program (VATP) became a part of the Connors’ curriculum. VATP was created by congress in 1945 to provide returning veterans with practical and scientific farming information. The goal of VATP was to rebuild farm lands and help the veteran farmer rebuild his life after the war. Beginning in the late 1940’s Connors had its own National Guard Unit. In December 1947, eleven National Guardsmen met in the Agriculture Building under the command of First Lt. John J. Barton. Connors’ group became the nucleus of the First Platoon, N Company 1 of the 179th Infantry Regiment of the 45th Infantry Division known as the Thunderbirds. The 45th Infantry Division was one of four National Guard Divisions activated in 1940 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After the war, organizations started to come alive again, sports teams prospered, and enrollment steadily grew. Football, basketball, and boxing resumed conference play and a wrestling team known as the “Connors’ Grapplers” was created. In 1946-47, the women’s basketball team, The Aggiettes, posted the best season of all Connors teams with a record of 22-4.
The idyllic college experience was born in the postwar period of the late 1940’s and the decades of the 1950’s and the 1960’s. It was an era that today’s colleges attempt to replicate but seems no longer attainable. Too much innocence lost, too many outside influences via technology and transportation, the need for two incomes to pay bills - all work against the 1950’s Happy Days vision as portrayed on television. In retrospect, the decade of the 1950’s was probably not as carefree as it seems from the distance but it was slower paced and more localized. During the 1950’s there were a few major building projects. The Jacob Johnson Library and Science Building was built in 1951 in the center of the campus to house the library, audio-visual area, science labs and classrooms. The need for faculty housing including the president was addressed during the 1950’s. In 1954 a ranch-style home was constructed south of the barracks and yet-to-be built Melvin Self Fieldhouse as the president’s home. Over the years the college provided housing units for faculty and staff. The housing options included modular housing, duplexes, and single housing units. Housing was also needed for returning G.I.’S and their families after World War II. A Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) was activated at Connors in 1951. ROTC had a Rifle Team that competed against other ROTC teams across the state. Sabers and Stripes, the officer’s club of ROTC, sponsored all school dances and the “spit and polish” Military Ball. Connors’ agriculture program was regionally and nationally known throughout the 1950’s. Connors achieved national attention for having one of the five top Duroc “production-accredited” herds in the United States.
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Expansion and New Programs
A defining moment in Connors’ history happened in the first half of the 1960’s. It spurred the growth of the Warner campus and, indirectly, planted the seed for Connors’ later expansion into Muskogee. In the early 1960’s, Muskogee Junior College (MJC), created in 1920 as the first municipally-funded junior college in Oklahoma, was on the ropes financially. In 1962-63, Connors absorbed MJC as Connors’ Muskogee branch campus. The politics to move Connors to Muskogee at this time were complex. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education and the Regents for OSU and the A&M system presented President Jacob Johnson with the following proposition: move Connors to Muskogee or build three new buildings on the Warner campus. Johnson’s decision was to build new facilities in Warner. Construction began on McClarren Hall, a women’s dormitory, the Administration/Classroom Building, now known as the Education Building, and the A.D. Stone Student Union.
In 1961-62 Robert Hodges initiated the Bull Performance Project. Area breeders and Hodges organized the first test with the intent of improving the quality of livestock in Eastern Oklahoma. Livestock owners put their bulls into the test to find the most rapid weight-gaining animals in a controlled time period. At the end of each test period, a sale would be conducted that would draw in ranchers and farmers from across the region. During the 1960’s several new organizations appeared on campus, various art, music, drama and journalism productions were at their peak and a very popular Law Enforcement program was initiated. Highlights of the decade include the creation of the college’s official logo for the 1970’s and early 80’s, the Ten Pretty Girls competition and the retirement of Jacob Johnson in 1965.
The 1970’s witnessed continued change marked by significant restructuring of Warner campus buildings and the beginnings of Connors’ permanent presence in Muskogee. One of the first endings came for the Con-Rah Yearbook which published its last edition in 1971. A magazine took its place, first named The Rap and shortly after changed to the Spectrum. The last Spectrum was published in 1986. Dr. Melvin Self served as president until 1978, at which time Dr. Carl O. Westbrook became the 13th president. After a three year fundraising effort, the Student Senate commissioned the purchase of the bronze CSC logo located to the north of the Student Union in 1971. As the campus and student body steadily grew, the college created new departments, renovated buildings for new space and added offices to address the college’s needs. The Classroom Building was renovated, the maintenance barn was built and the third president’s home was constructed during the decade. In 1974 CSC received the first of several Title III HEA-65 multi-year grants. Title III helped expand the college’s curriculum, improve student services and facilitate administrative and fiscal management. The grant helped to create degree programs such as Nursing, Equine Technology and Small Business Management. In 1975 Connors made application with the federal government to become a Vietnamese student refugee re-settlement center, and later that year, 94 Vietnamese refugees began classes in the fall semester. The tenure of two men whose work and mentorship have been the foundation of the continued success of the CSC Agriculture Program began in the late 1970’s: Gary “Doc” Harding in 1977 and Jerry McPeak in 1978. Harding, hired as an agriculture instructor, chaired and reorganized the department; McPeak revitalized the livestock judging program and coached teams year after year, gaining national award-winning recognition.
Awards and National Recognition
Connors achieved a number of national honors during the eighties from national rankings for PTK members to All-American honors in the athletic department. Under the guidance of Bob Eichling, history instructor and PTK sponsor, Connors’ Mu Chi Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa was consistently ranked among the top 25 chapters in the nation. The livestock judging team won numerous state, regional and national championships as did the new equine judging team. One of the equine team’s first significant awards was a second place ranking overall at the World Quarter Horse Judging contest held in Oklahoma City in 1983. The equine team ended the decade as national champions at the same event in 1989. Coach and Athletic Director Monte Madewell successfully led the women’s basketball team throughout the 80s. He produced several First Team All-Americans, state and regional championships and national rankings culminating in NJCAA National Cham…
Degree Programs and Academic Offerings
Connors State College recognizes successful completion of a degree program by awarding an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or Associate of Applied Science Degree. Completion of the outcomes assessment requirement. A minimum of 15 semester credit hours must be completed in residence at CSC. Note: Students are subject to degree requirements as stated in the CSC catalog current at the time of a student’s original enrollment. This is in effect as long as a student remains continuously enrolled (excluding summers) until graduation. If degree requirements change while a student is continuously enrolled, the student may elect to meet the new requirements. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. course description. Program Requirements: A minimum of 23 semester credit hours of work shall be applicable to the student’s academic objective/major. These courses include any necessary prerequisites in the student’s anticipated upper-division program. Note: Three (3) hours of personal health and two to four (2-4) hours of physical education are required for graduation at most four-year colleges and universities. The Associate of Applied Science degree represents the completion of study in a technical/occupational program. Students earning this degree generally seek employment following graduation. a. b. c. The graduate must have completed the AAS degree from Connors State College with the majority of the credits for the degree being earned at CSC. The employer must identify deficiencies and certify them in writing within ninety (90) days of the graduate’s initial employment. The education provided by Connors State College will be limited to nine semester credit hours. A Certificate of Achievement is awarded to students who successfully complete a specific list of courses with an overall grade point average of 2.00. Degrees are conferred only once each year during commencement exercises held at the close of the spring semester. All degree candidates shall make application for spring graduation by March 1. Summer or fall semester graduates should make application for graduation during their final semester. Students at Connors State College may follow many diverse paths to complete an associate’s degree. One of the options which students may elect is to complete their degree requirements within two years of their initial freshman enrollment. There are many reasons students may want to complete their degrees in two years. With the encouragement of the Oklahoma State Board of Regents, Connors State College has developed a plan to help students who have a desire to graduate in two years. Students who elect to participate in Connors State College Two-Year Graduation Plan will work closely with their advisers to make sure they know the requirements that must be met and the appropriate sequence in which to take courses. Connors has a long history of helping students plan for, and register in, the courses they need to graduate in a timely manner. These procedures shall constitute the exclusive remedy for the Two-Year Graduation Plan Agreement. Sign a Declaration of Intent while enrolled at a participating vocational-technical school indicating plans to attend the participating high education institution. In April 1994, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education adopted the Policy Statement on Undergraduate Degree Requirements and Articulation. The Policy Statement on Undergraduate Degree Requirements and Articulation states that the general education core curriculum in the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree at CSC will apply directly toward the lower division general education requirements at any state system university or college in Oklahoma. Students are advised to obtain the official catalog of the college or university to which they plan to transfer. It is the student’s responsibility to take the proper courses required for transfer or for completion of an Associate Degree.
The Social Sciences Division offers a wide variety of degrees at Connors. History, Political Science, Psychology, and Sociology departments offers degrees that prepare students for transfer into bachelor’s degree programs. The Child Development Department guides students toward a professional career to meet the specific needs of children, youth, and families. The Social Sciences Division offers associate degrees that prepare graduates for transfer as juniors into bachelor’s degree programs at other colleges and universities.
The Muskogee Campus
In 1977 Connors offered off-campus extension courses in Muskogee with classes held at night in public school buildings. The school leased the Holly Building and purchased it in 1986. By 1988 the college was granted branch campus status. With title to the eight-story Charles N. Haskell Building given to Connors in 1992, the branch campus moved to that facility. In 1993 Connors acquired 1,316 acres five miles south of Warner, where the Harding Ranch and Research Station was established. In 1996 the 28,500-square-foot Ronald D. Garner Science Building was constructed on forty acres in northeast Muskogee.
Connors State College Muskogee previously occupied the Charles Haskell building in downtown Muskogee.
A New Century and Continued Growth
At the turn of the twenty-first century Dr. Donnie L. Nero, as president of Connors State College and the first African American to hold that position in an Oklahoma higher education institution other than Langston University, was charged with responsibility for continuing the college's legacy that had begun in the twentieth century.
In the spring of 2000, Dr. Donnie Nero was appointed as the fifteenth president and the first African-American president of a non-historically Black institution in Oklahoma.
While it can be argued that Connors Second Century actually began in 2009, the arrival of Dr. Tim Faltyn as the sixteenth president in 2012, marked a significant turning point.
Under Dr. With our core values in mind, Connors State College aspires to do three things in our second century. First, we seek to develop degrees and activities that will connect our students with their future. Second, we will do all we can to provide facilities and resources that give our students the confidence they need to think for themselves in any situation. Finally, and most importantly, we will surround our students with people who care as much about their success as they do.
As Connors State College approached its centennial, it claimed a nationally recognized Phi Theta Kappa chapter and national championship men's and women's basketball teams and livestock judging teams.
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