Ricker College was a small

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...

located in Houlton,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. 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. 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 recorde ...

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 or UMO) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Orono, Maine. It was established in 1865 as the land-grant college of Maine and is the Flagship universities, flagshi ...

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 (the other being ...

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

Notable alumni

* Bob Davoli, venture capitalist *

Paul Duffie Paul Duffie (born June 14, 1951) is a Canadian former politician, lawyer and judge in the province of New Brunswick. Duffie was born in Neguac, New Brunswick. A graduate of Ricker College in Houlton, Maine with a Bachelor of Science degree and the ...

, Canadian politician *

Ira G. Hersey Ira Greenlief Hersey (March 31, 1858 – May 6, 1943) was a politician from Hodgdon, Maine, who served in the Maine House of Representatives, the Maine State Senate, and most notably in the United States Congress as a Representative for the U.S ...

, politician * Henry L. Joy, politician * David Parks, photographer *

Steve Shea Steven Francis Shea (December 5, 1942 – March 4, 2015) was a 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 Worcester, Mas ...

, 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 American statesman, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign four of the great state papers of the United States related to the founding: the Cont ...

, politician *

Daniel Wathen Daniel Everett "Dan" Wathen (born November 4, 1939 in Easton, Maine) is a Maine lawyer and politician. He was Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from March 1992 until October 2001, when he resigned to run for Governor of Maine as a ...

, Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court * Charles P. Pray, politician * William E. Yerxa, educator and entrepreneur

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. Pi Lambda Phi is headlined by prestigious chapte ...

, ME Kappa Beta *

Tau Epsilon Phi Tau Epsilon Phi (), commonly known as TEP or Tep, is an American fraternity with 14 active chapters, 3 active colonies, and 10 official alumni associations chiefly located at universities and colleges on the East Coast. The national headquarters ...

, Phi Delta Upsilon

References

External links

Ricker.net
- (Defunct site) historical information website Defunct private universities and colleges in Maine Educational institutions 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