American mogul
Armand Hammer's The Armand Hammer Foundation purchased the property in Montezuma to establish a United World College in the United States in 1981. Major renovations of existing buildings preceded the school's opening to make it an appropriate site for a residential educational institution. The school opened in the fall of 1982 as the
Armand Hammer United World College of the American West, an event that was attended by
King Charles III, then Prince of Wales, in his capacity as president of the
United World Colleges at the time. The inaugural class of students consisted of 104 young people, from 49 countries. The school's founding president was Theodore D. Lockwood, who served from 1982 until 1993 and had previously served as president of
Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
Dr. William McGill, president emeritus of Columbia University, was the founding chairman of the board of trustees. Andrew Mahlstedt is the interim Head of School while the board considers a permanent replacement for Mora's role. In 1998, the school's endowment was significantly increased through the generosity of investment manager
Shelby M.C. Davis and his wife Gale. Their gift today secures the largest block of the school's student scholarships and provides $25,000 scholarships for all Americans who attend this school (or any other UWC) after being admitted by the U.S. national committee. Their initial gift of $45 million in 1998 was, at the time, the largest private donation ever made to international education. In late 2007,
The Wall Street Journal identified UWC-USA as one of the world's top 20 schools for its success in preparing students to enter top American universities. In 2010, UWC-USA was ranked a “Top Ten Program” by U.S. Center for Citizen Diplomacy. ==Location==