Forsythe was said to have been inspired to make the proposal after encountering a boy on a squirrel hunt who told him that his parents couldn't afford to send him to the closest high school 40 miles (60 km) away in Springfield, Missouri.

[12][13] In the 1920s what would become the Ralph Foster Museum depicting Ozark heritage had its start in the basement of the boys dormitory: Abernathy Hall.

The campus expanded to 1,400 acres (567 ha), the school's Gothic chapel was built on the location of the original Dobyns Building and a hospital was added.

[15] Among the exhibits is an original George Barris 1921 modified Oldsmobile Beverly Hillbillies truck donated by series creator Paul Henning who was inspired to do the show after a Boy Scout camping trip in the Ozarks.

The College of the Ozarks has faced numerous controversies, particularly regarding its policies against LGBT people,[20] its strict biblically inspired moral code,[21] lack of ethnic and racial diversity, and its boycott of Nike products following an ad campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.

[22] Former LGBT students recounted pressure to undergo conversion therapy, a widely condemned practice based on pseudoscience that claims to change sexual orientation.

The professor was suspended and later terminated for bringing this to light, while the college's then-president, Jerry C. Davis, defended the dean.

[28][29][30] Additionally, the college's decision to boycott Nike products after the Colin Kaepernick ad was criticized for racial overtones.

[32][20] In response, public relations director Valorie Coleman stated that the school does not consider itself hostile, though it enforces strict rules against "sexual immorality".

The institution's rigid enforcement of conservative Christian values has drawn sharp criticism for promoting harmful practices and stifling the expression of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.

However, this practice, coupled with the college's ongoing lawsuit against the Biden administration over dormitory segregation policies, demonstrates its continued resistance to contemporary interpretations of equality and anti-discrimination laws.

[41] The Bobcats are also a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent (full-time from 2021–22 to 2022–23) in the Central Region of the Division I level.

The 2005–06 men's basketball team won the NAIA Division II national championship, while the Lady Cats were the runner up.

[44] In response, College of the Ozarks chose to withdraw from hosting the Division II men's basketball champion game and agreed to aid in moving it to another venue.

"[46] In March 2021, mid-season, former college president Jerry C. Davis decided to drop out of NAIA athletics competition (effective immediately during the 2020–21 school year), with no prior warning or discussion with players, coaches, or administrators.