by funding from Methodist congregations. The college experienced rapid growth and changed its name to Oklahoma City University in 1924. Despite the success and growth of the university in the 1920s, OCU again fell on hard times during the Great Depression.
=== Post-war era ===
Dr. Cluster Smith became president of Oklahoma City University after the Great Depression. When the United States entered World War II, the school faced new challenges, including mounting debt and a need for new facilities. Enrollment dipped during the war, as men left campus to enlist in the military. By 1942, the student body was 75 percent female. This created a shortage of players and funds causing many of the athletic programs, such as the football team, to end operations. After the war, enrollment increased dramatically and the university began a period of rapid development through the remainder of the 1940s. In the 1950s, OCU received accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. The university …
