The College is pleased to have an active and very engaged chapter of Young Americans for Freedom (YAF). A project of the Young America’s Foundation, YAF works hard to advance the ideals of “limited government, individual freedom, free enterprise, traditional values and a strong national defense,” (http://www.yaf.org/YoungAmericansForFreedom.aspx, 2015).
The C of O YAF chapter works hard on campus to promote conservative ideals and to celebrate freedom. Activities include creation of a large replica of the U.S.. Constitution for students to sign on Constitution Day, reading of the Names on the Wall at the Missouri Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day, and the building of a replica of the Berlin Wall to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its fall, just to name a few.
YAF members attend conferences in Washington, D.C., and at the Regan Ranch, Rancho del Cielo, in Santa Barbara, California, to interact with key players in the conservative movement. In recent years, two students secured valuable summer internships at YAF’s national headquarters in Reston, Virginia, just outside the nation’s capital.
Students at the College's classical laboratory school, School of the Ozarks (S of O), operate Pitch in for Patriots. These patriotic high school students raise funds to assist Veterans with special needs. In 2013, S of O raised nearly $15,000 to purchase a specialty track-chair for a southwest Missouri veteran.
Each year the College of the Ozarks students are invited to leadership conferences at the military academies throughout the United States. Our students have had the privilege of visiting the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado; the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut; The United States Military Academy at West Point, and the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD.
The College is proud to have a general education course that focuses on American heritage, civic responsibilities, love of country, and willingness to defend it. For more information on this course, please click here.