A local rancher named J. B. Sparks donated land for the college in memory of his daughter, Nellie. Nellie was a Chickasaw descendant and the land had been part of her allotment. The Nellie Sparks Dormitory, which was among the first buildings constructed at the new institution, was named in her honor.Jefferies, Angie. "Chickasha", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, 2009. Accessed March 2, 2015. In 1912, the institution's authorities renamed the school Oklahoma College for Women. This came about because a probate judge, under the mistaken impression that the "Industrial Institute" was a reform school, sentenced an "incorrigible young woman" to serve time there. This name change was made official by the State Legislature in 1916.Savage, Cynthia. "University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma", Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture. The institution initially offered four years of high school work and four years of college; those who completed the college course were awarded bachelor's degrees.Thoburn, Joseph P. A Standard History of Oklahoma. Chicago: The American Historical Society, 1916, p. 1004–1005.Orr, 201-02 It gradually shifted its focus to college only; by the 1925–1926 school year, only college classes were offered. Though the institution's original name implied strictly industrial training, over the next couple decades, it gained a focus on a broad liberal arts education.Orr, 216-217 By 1930, it was awarding degrees in many different fields of study, including art, English, history, music, several languages, natural and physical sciences, philosophy, home economics, and physical education.Orr, 208 The deaf education program increased in size and statewide recognition; today, it continues to be one of the university's important programs.Litton, Gaston. History of Oklahoma at the Golden Anniversary of Statehood, Volume II, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company Inc., 1957, p. 317. On June 6, 1955, the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education adopted the policy that all state-supported institutions would be racially integrated.Moon, F.D. "Higher Education and Desegregation in Oklahoma," The Journal of Negro Education, Vol. 27 No. 3: Summer 1958, p. 301. That summer, Clydia Troullier became the first black student to enroll at OCW.Guzman, Jessie P. Twenty Years of Court Decisions Affecting Higher Education in the South: 1938-1958, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama: Department of Records and Research, June 1960, p. 21. Accessed March 20, 2015.
