Ruter died two years before the school finally opened under a revised charter excluding a religious affiliation.

[1] The school opened on February 1, 1840, with three instructors teaching courses divided among nine departments, including classical, professional, and preparatory subjects.

Increased competition from newly-founded Baylor University (1845) and Chappell Hill Male and Female Institute (1850) decreased enrollment at Rutersville.

To satisfy religious supporters, the college amended its charter in 1849 to give the Methodist Conference authority to fill vacancies on the board of trustees.

However, a sex scandal in 1850 drove the Methodist Conference to abandon Rutersville in favor of establishing ties to Chappell Hill Male and Female Institute.