Celebrating 60 Years of Prescott College: Preserving Our Stories Through the PCI Oral History Project
As Prescott College approaches its 60th Anniversary, we are reflecting on the people, experiences, and ideas that have shaped our community since 1966. The Prescott story has never been defined by buildings or timelines alone — it lives in the adventures, discoveries, relationships, and personal transformations of our students and alumni.
To help honor this milestone, Prescott College is proud to relaunch its collaboration with the PCI Oral History Project, an initiative dedicated to preserving the voices and lived experiences that define the Prescott journey.
This project invites alumni and community members to help document the history of Prescott College in their own words, ensuring these stories remain part of our shared legacy for generations to come.
Participation in every part of this project is completely optional, and alumni are welcome to engage in whatever way feels meaningful and comfortable.
Honoring the Prescott Legacy at 60 Years
For six decades, Prescott College has fostered bold thinking, experiential learning, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. The Oral History Project allows us to celebrate this legacy by capturing firsthand reflections from those who helped shape it.
Through this initiative, Prescott College seeks to:
- Preserve alumni voices as part of a permanent archival collection
- Celebrate the evolution and impact of the Prescott educational model
- Strengthen connections across alumni generations
- Create historical resources that inspire future Prescott students
Every story contributes to a richer understanding of how Prescott College has influenced lives, careers, communities, and movements over the past sixty years.
What to Expect If You Are Contacted
Prescott College has partnered with PCI to help coordinate outreach and collect alumni stories. If PCI reaches out to you, the process generally includes three stages. Again, participation at every stage is voluntary.
Step 1: Confirming Your Preferred Contact Information
As part of reconnecting with alumni during this anniversary milestone, PCI representatives may contact you to confirm or update your information on behalf of Prescott College. Keeping alumni records current helps the college maintain meaningful and respectful communication with its community.
During this step, you may be invited to:
- Review or update your contact details
- Share your preferred communication methods
- Indicate whether you would like to learn more about sharing your Prescott story
You may decline to update your information or continue with the process at any time.
Step 2: Opportunity to Share Your Prescott Story
Alumni who express interest may be invited to participate in an oral history interview. These conversations are designed to be relaxed, reflective, and centered around your personal Prescott experience.
Participants are encouraged to share stories that may include:
- Academic and field study experiences
- Moments of personal growth or discovery
- Community relationships and lifelong connections
- The impact Prescott College has had on professional or personal paths
As we celebrate sixty years of Prescott College, these stories help illustrate how the Prescott experience has evolved while remaining rooted in curiosity, courage, and community.
Scheduling and participating in an interview is completely optional, and participants may share as much or as little as they wish.
Step 3: Optional Memorabilia Opportunities
After completing an interview, participants may be offered the opportunity to purchase optional commemorative keepsakes connected to their oral history recording. These may include:
- Personal copies of recorded interviews
- Printed story summaries or commemorative materials
- Additional optional memorabilia
Purchasing memorabilia is entirely optional and is not required to participate in the Oral History Project.
A Commitment to Respectful and Voluntary Participation
Prescott College and PCI are committed to ensuring this project reflects the values of the Prescott community — authenticity, respect, and individual choice.
Participants may:
- Choose which parts of the process they wish to participate in
- Decline or discontinue participation at any time
- Ask questions or request additional information before making decisions
Our goal is to celebrate Prescott’s history in a way that honors each individual’s comfort, voice, and experience.
Preserving the Next Chapter of the Prescott Story
Anniversaries invite us to look back, but they also help shape the future. As Prescott College celebrates 60 years of innovative education and community impact, the Oral History Project helps ensure that the stories behind that impact are preserved and shared.
Whether you choose to share your story, update your information, or simply stay connected with the Prescott community, you remain an important part of Prescott College’s continuing journey.
Together, we are honoring the past, celebrating the present, and preserving the Prescott spirit for the next sixty years.