Ouachita Hills College

Ouachita Hills College is a Christian college in southwest Arkansas. It offers students several unaccredited degrees in biblical studies, Personal Evangelism, theology, business, and elementary and secondary education. Students enrolled in the college program spend part of each day in practical work programs. The program was founded to incorporate apprentice-style learning into religious studies. Many of the students in the program pay their way through school by taking part in the sale of Christian literature, sometimes referred to as literature evangelism or canvassing. The college is southwest of Amity, Arkansas.

Philosophy of the school

In the mid-19th century the Seventh-day Adventist denomination began developing a system of higher education. One of the early schools, Madison College of Tennessee, pioneered a philosophy of education that emphasized a holistic preparation for life.^[1] Students at Madison learned a trade. Their teachers joined them for several hours each day in practical work outside the class room.

Counsels from Ellen White gave significant guidance to the Madison School.^[2]

Ouachita Hills College is built on the philosophy modeled by the Madison school.

History

In 1996 the Board of Directors of Ouachita Ministries voted to form a college; in 1999 the state of Arkansas granted Ouachita Hills College its religious-exempt status.

In the fall of 2000 the College first opened classes with 30 students. Many came from the Center for Evangelistic Canvassing (CEC) in Harrah, Oklahoma, Southwestern Adventist University in Keene, Texas, and from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. The founder and primary instructor of CEC, Eugene Prewitt, joined Harriet Clark and her son Chester Clark III as administrators of the newly formed Ouachita Hills College. The College shares a campus with an affiliated high school.^[3] Both schools are classed as "self supporting" meaning they are not owned and operated by the organized Seventh-day Adventist Church but are supportive of the church.

Lawsuit

In January 2016, two church members affiliated with Ouachita Hills, together with the Arkansas-Louisiana Conference of Seventh-day Adventists filed a lawsuit against the city of White Hall, Arkansas seeking to strike down a city ordinance that required permits for the selling of books and doing what is commonly known among Adventists as door to door literature evangelism.^[4] Such efforts are a significant part of the work experience Ouchita Hills.