Ricker College was a small

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary sc ...

located in Houlton,

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It opened in and closed in . It began as Houlton Academy in 1848, before being subsequently renamed Ricker Classical Institute in 1887. It became Ricker Junior College in 1934 and operated as a four-year liberal arts college between that point and its closing in 1978.It did continue to operate as a secondary school through 1967. The name "Ricker" was taken from Doctor Joseph Ricker, who was at the time the State Secretary of the Maine Baptist Convention. As with many other small,

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

colleges in the US, Ricker College faced financial difficulties in the 1970s and was forced to close its Houlton campus in May 1978. Other off-campus programs in continuing education remained operational after the main campus's closing, but not at the collegiate level. A branch of the

University of Maine The University of Maine (UMaine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine, United States. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universitie ...

system, the

University of Maine at Presque Isle The University of Maine at Presque Isle (UMaine Presque Isle or UMPI) is a public college in Presque Isle, Maine. It is part of the University of Maine System and one of two University of Maine System schools in Aroostook County, Maine, Aroostoo ...

Outreach at Houlton, holds classes in a newly renovated building on Military Street.

Notable alumni

* Bob Davoli, venture capitalist * Paul Duffie, Canadian politician * Ira G. Hersey, politician * Henry L. Joy, politician * David Parks, photographer *

Steve Shea Steven Francis Shea (December 5, 1942 – March 4, 2015) was an American relief pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1968 to 1969 for the Houston Astros and Montreal Expos. Listed at , , he batted and threw right handed. Born in Wor ...

, professional baseball player; pitcher with the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, and Montreal Expos *

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an early American politician, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign all four great state papers of the United States: the Continental Association, ...

, politician * Daniel Wathen, Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court * Charles P. Pray, politician

Greek life

Fraternities

Pi Lambda Phi Pi Lambda Phi (), commonly known as Pi Lam, is a social fraternity with 145 chapters (44 active chapters/colonies). The fraternity was founded in 1895 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. History Very little is known about the early ...

, ME Kappa Beta *

Tau Epsilon Phi Tau Epsilon Phi (), commonly known as TEP or T E Phi, is an American collegiate social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity that was founded at Columbia University in 1910. Since its establishment, the fraternity has chartered ...

, Phi Delta Upsilon

References

External links

Ricker.net
- (Defunct site) historical information website Defunct private universities and colleges in Maine Universities and colleges established in 1848 Houlton, Maine Universities and colleges in Aroostook County, Maine University of Maine at Presque Isle Educational institutions disestablished in 1978 1848 establishments in Maine 1978 disestablishments in Maine {{Maine-university-stub