Ruskin Colleges

After cofounding Ruskin College in Oxford, England in 1899, the philanthropist Walter Vrooman returned to the United States.

[2] Faculty included George D. Herron and Frank Parsons, who served as dean of the correspondence course division.

[4] By 1902, however, despite the fact that Vrooman and his associates had spent several hundred thousand dollars supporting the college, it was in financial difficulties.

[2] However, the college quickly ran into financial difficulties, and Miller decided that for a socialist college such as he envisioned to survive, it needed to be away from established businesses antagonistic to its cooperative structure, and it needed enough land to thrive as an independent town.

[6] Miller decided to move the college again, this time settling on an area that developed into the town of Ruskin, Florida.

They acquired some 12,000 acres of pine-forested land that included a turpentine camp, which became their temporary headquarters.

[3] By 1913 the school had 160 students studying literature, music, drama, social sciences, shorthand, and speech.