TIMELINE OF WOMEN'S COLLEGES IN THE UNITED STATES

The following is a 'timeline of women's colleges in the United States'. These are institutions of higher education in the United States whose student populations are comprised exclusively or almost exclusively of women. They are often liberal arts colleges. There are approximately sixty active women's colleges in the U.S.

Contents

Overview

Lists of schools

Alphabetical lists

References

Notes

External links

Overview

Education for girls and women was initially provided for in the 18th Century by Moravian settlements in Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Moravian College, founded in 1742 in Germantown and later moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
was originally called the ''Bethlehem Female Seminary''. It received its collegiate charter in 1863 and became the ''Moravian Seminary and College for Women'' in 1913. In 1954, it combined with the boys school, ''Moravian College and Theological Seminary'' and became coeducational. The Moravians of Winston-Salem, North Carolina (then Salem, North Carolina) began the ''Little Girls' School'' (now Salem College) in 1772.
Institutions of higher education for women, however, were primarily founded during the early 19th century, many as teaching seminaries. As noted by the Women's College Coalition:
:The formal education of girls and women began in the middle of the nineteenth century and was intimately tied to the conception that society had of the appropriate role for women to assume in life. Republican education prepared girls for their future role as wives and mothers and taught religion, singing, dancing and literature. Academic education prepared girls for their role as community leaders and social benefactors and had some elements of the education offered boys. Seminaries educated women for the only socially acceptable occupation: teaching. Only unmarried women could be teachers. Many early women's colleges began as female seminaries and were responsible for producing an important corps of educators. ^[1]
Irene Harwarth, Mindi Maline, and Elizabeth DeBra further note that, "women's colleges were founded during the mid- and late-19th century in response to a need for advanced education for women at a time when they were not admitted to most institutions of higher education."^[2] Early proponents of education for women were Sarah Pierce (Litchfield Female Academy, 1792); Catharine Beecher (Hartford Female Seminary, 1823); Zilpah P. Grant Banister (Ipswich Female Seminary, 1828); and Mary Lyon. Lyon was involved in the development of both Hartford Female Seminary and Ipswich Female Seminary. She was also involved in the creation of ''Wheaton Female Seminary'' (now Wheaton College, Massachusetts) in 1834. In 1837, Lyon founded ''Mount Holyoke Female Seminary'' (Mount Holyoke College), the "first of the Seven Sisters."^[3] Harwarth, Maline, and DeBra note that, "Mount Holyoke’s significance is that it became a model for a multitude of other women’s colleges throughout the country."^[4]. Both Vassar College and Wellesley College were patterned after Mount Holyoke. ^[5] Wesleyan College was the first college chartered for women, receiving its charter in 1836. Vassar was the first of the Seven Sisters to be chartered as a college in 1861.
While there were a few coeducational colleges (such as Oberlin College founded in 1833, Antioch College in 1853, and Bates College in 1855), most colleges and universities of high standing at that time were exclusively for men. The first coordinate college, H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, (with Tulane University), was founded in 1896. It was followed a year later by Evelyn College for Women, the coordinate college for Princeton University. Other notable coordinate colleges included Douglass (with Rutgers University), Pembroke (with Brown University) and Radcliffe College (with Harvard University).

Lists of schools

Colleges are listed chronologically by the date in which they opened their doors to students, since many of them began as either a girl's school, an academy (which during the late 18th and early 19th centuries was the equivalent of a secondary school), or as a teaching seminary (which during the early 19th century were forms of secular higher education), rather than as a chartered college. They are also listed alphabetically in templates at the bottom of this page.
Current women's colleges are listed in 'bold' text. Colleges that are closing or transitioning to coeducation are listed in ''italics''. Former women's colleges which are now coeducational are listed in plain text.
===Colonial-era colleges===

★ Moravian College, founded in 1742 in Germantown and later moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. It began as ''Bethlehem Female Seminary'', the oldest institution of higher education for women in the United States. It received its collegiate charter in 1863 and in 1913, it became the Moravian Seminary and College for Women. In 1954, it merged with the male institution ''Moravian College and Theological Seminary'' and became coeducational. ^[6]

★ 'Salem College' founded in 1772 in Winston Salem, North Carolina as the ''Little Girls' School.'' In 1802, it became a boarding school for girls and young women; in 1866, it was renamed Salem Female Academy. In 1907 the name was officially changed to ''Salem Academy and College'' and to this day both Salem Academy and Salem College share the campus in Old Salem.
===1790s===

★ Litchfield Female Academy founded in 1792 by Sarah Pierce in Litchfield, Connecticut, it closed in 1833.
===1810s===

★ Elizabeth Female Academy – First degree-issuing institution of higher learning to educate women in America; founded in 1812. The site is located along the newly opened section of the Natchez Trace Parkway just outside Natchez, Mississippi. John James Audubon was among the members of the faculty, according to an historical marker at the site.

★ Louisburg College – Louisburg Female Academy, North Carolina, founded in 1814; Louisburg Female College, found in 1857. Later merged with Franklin Male Academy.
===1820s===

★ Hartford Female Seminary - founded in 1823, it closed towards the later half of the 19th Century.

★ Ipswich Female Seminary - founded in 1828, it closed in 1878.
===1830s===

★ LaGrange College - LaGrange, Georgia, founded in 1831 as a female academy, it became ''LaGrange Female College'' in 1851, and coeducational in 1953

★ 'Stephens College' - Columbia, Missouri, founded in 1833 as the ''Columbia Female Academy'', it became the ''The Columbia Female Baptist Academy'' in 1856, and was renamed ''Stephens Female College'' at a later date

★ Wheaton College, Massachusetts - founded in 1834 as ''Wheaton Female Seminary'' with the help of Mary Lyon; Wheaton became a college in 1912 and coeducational in 1987

★ University of West Alabama - founded in 1835 as Livingston Female Academy and State Normal College.

★ 'Mount Holyoke College' - South Hadley, Massachusetts, founded as ''Mount Holyoke Female Seminary'' in 1837 by Mary Lyon, it became ''Mount Holyoke Seminary and College'' in 1888 and ''Mount Holyoke College'' in 1893. It is the first of the Seven Sisters and was chartered as a teaching seminary in 1836. ^[7]

★ 'Judson College (Alabama)' - founded in 1838 as the ''Judson Female Institute'', it became ''Judson College'' in 1903

★ 'Wesleyan College' - Macon, Georgia, originally ''Georgia Female College'', it opened its doors to students in 1839. It was renamed ''Wesleyan Female College'' in 1843 and later shortened to the present name Wesleyan College in 1917. It was the first institution of higher education to be chartered as a college for women from inception, receiving its collegiate charter in 1836.

★ Longwood University - Farmville, Virginia, founded in 1839 as ''Farmville Female Seminary Association''. It became coeducational in 1976.
===1840s===

★ 'Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College' - founded in 1840

★ Synodical College - founded in 1842 as the ''Fulton Female Academy'' (closed in 1928)

★ 'Hollins College' - established in 1842 as ''Valley Union Seminary'' (coeducational), it became a school for women in 1852, and was renamed ''Hollins Institute'' in 1855, ''Hollins College'' in 1911, and ''Hollins University'' in 1998

★ 'Mary Baldwin College' - founded in 1842 as the ''Augusta Female Seminary'', it became the ''Mary Baldwin Seminary'' in 1895, and the ''Mary Baldwin College'' in 1923

★ 'Saint Mary's College (Indiana)' - founded by the Sisters of the Holy Cross in 1844

★ Greensboro College - Greensboro, North Carolina, founded as ''Greensboro Female College''. Although it was chartered in 1838, it did not open its doors until 1846.

★ MacMurray College - founded in 1846 as the '' Illinois Conference Female Academy'', in 1851, ''Illinois Female College'' in 1863 and MacMurray College in 1930 (it is now coeducational)

★ 'Midway College' - founded in 1847 as the '' Kentucky Female Orphan School''

★ 'Moore College of Art and Design' - founded in 1848 as ''Philadelphia School of Design for Women''

★ Chowan University - founded in 1848 as ''Chowan Baptist Female Institute''. It became coeducational in 1931.

★ Drexel University College of Medicine -- founded in 1848. It is now, after several changes including becoming co-ed, Drexel University's College of Medicine

★ The Oread Institute - founded in 1849, it closed in 1934

★ Tift College - founded in 1849 as the Forsyth Female Collegiate Institute
===1850s===

★ 'Mills College' - founded as the ''Young Ladies Seminary'' in 1852, it became ''Mills Seminary'' in 1866, and Mills College in 1885

★ Beaver College - founded in 1853, it became coeducational and has now been renamed Arcadia University

★ Ohio Wesleyan Female College - founded in 1853, it merged with Ohio Wesleyan University in 1877

★ 'Columbia College (Columbia, South Carolina)' - founded in 1854

★ Andrew College - founded in 1854 as ''Andrew Female College'' and became coeducational in 1956

★ Elmira College - founded in 1855

★ Western College for Women - founded in 1855 as ''Western Female Seminary''

★ 'Peace College' - founded in 1857 as the ''Peace Institute''
===1860s===

★ Vassar College - founded in 1861, it declined an offer to merge with Yale University and became coeducational in 1969. It was the first of the Seven Sisters to be chartered as a college in 1861.

★ Ottumwa Heights College - founded in 1864 ''Visitation Academy'', closed in 1980

★ 'Cedar Crest College' - founded in 1867

★ Wells College - founded in 1868, it became coeducational in 2005

★ 'Chatham College' - founded in 1869 as the ''Pennsylvania Female College'', it became the ''Pennsylvania College for Women'' in 1890, and ''Chatham College'' in 1955

★ 'Wilson College' - founded in 1869

★ Hamilton College (Kentucky) - founded in 1869, closed in 1932
===1870s===

★ Hunter College - founded in 1870, became co-ed in the 1950s

★ 'Ursuline College' - founded in 1871

★ 'Mount Mary College' - founded as ''St. Mary's Institute'' in 1872, it became ''St. Mary's College'' in 1913, and ''Mount Mary College'' in 1929

★ 'Mount Mary College' - founded in 1872

★ 'Bennett College' - founded in 1873 as a coeducational school, it became a women's college in 1926

★ 'College of Notre Dame of Maryland' - founded in 1873

★ 'Blue Mountain College' - founded in 1873 as the ''Blue Mountain Female Institute''

★ Shorter College - founded in 1873 as ''Cherokee Baptist Female College,'' in 1877 it became ''Shorter Female College'' and in the 1950s it became coeducational

★ 'Wellesley College' - Opened its doors to students in 1875. It was chartered in 1870 as the ''Wellesley Female Seminary'' and was renamed ''Wellesley College'' in 1873 (Seven Sisters)

★ 'Smith College' - opened its doors to students in 1875; chartered in 1871(Seven Sisters)

★ Mount Hermon Female Seminary - founded in 1875, it closed in 1924

★ Mount Vernon College for Women - founded in 1875, merged with George Washington University in 1999

★ 'Brenau University' - founded as the ''Georgia Baptist Female Seminary'' in 1878, it became ''Brenau College'' in 1900, and ''Brenau University'' in 1992

★ Radcliffe College - created in 1879 as the ''Harvard Annex'', it was chartered as Radcliffe College by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1894; Radcliffe is now a part of Harvard University (Seven Sisters)
===1880s===

★ 'Spelman College' - founded in 1881 and called the ''Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary'', it was renamed ''Spelman Seminary'' in 1884 and ''Spelman College'' in 1924

★ Seton Hill University - founded in 1883, it became coeducational in 2002

★ Mississippi University for Women - founded in 1884; is the first public college for women; became coeducational in 1982 as a result of the Supreme Court's Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan case.

★ 'Cottey College' - founded in 1884 (two-year college)

★ 'Bryn Mawr College' - founded in 1885 (Seven Sisters)

★ Goucher College - founded in 1885 as ''The Women's College of Baltimore'' and was renamed ''Goucher College'' in 1910; became co-ed in the 1980s

★ H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College - founded in 1886; became co-ed in 2006 under Tulane

★ Evelyn College for Women - was the coordinate women's college of Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey between 1887 and 1897

★ Alverno College - founded in 1887

★ 'Converse College' - founded in 1889

★ 'Agnes Scott College' - founded in 1889 as the ''Decatur Female Seminary'', it became the ''Agnes Scott Institute'' in 1890, and ''Agnes Scott College'' in 1906

★ 'Barnard College' - founded in 1889 (Seven Sisters)
===1890s===

★ Mount Saint Agnes College - founded in 1890, closed in 1972

★ Pembroke College - founded in 1891 it closed in 1971.

★ 'Meredith College' - founded in 1891 as the ''Baptist Female University,'' it became the ''Baptist University for Women'', in 1891, and ''Meredith College'' in 1909

★ Randolph College - founded as Randolph-Macon Women's College in 1891 and opened its doors in 1893. It become coeducational and changed its name in 2007.

★ Hood College - founded in 1893, became coeducational in 2002

★ 'Trinity Washington University' - founded in 1897, became Trinity (Washington) University in 2004.

★ Bay Path College - founded in 1897

★ 'Simmons College (Massachusetts)' - founded in 1899

★ 'College of Saint Elizabeth' - founded in 1899
===1900s===

★ 'Sweet Briar College' - founded in 1901

★ Dominican University (Illinois) - founded in 1901 as St. Clara's College by the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. It relocated to what is now River Forest, IL and became Rosary College in 1922. It became coeducational in 1970 and in 1997 became Dominican University

★ Skidmore College - founded in 1903 as Young Woman's Industrial Club, in 1911 became Skidmore School of the Arts, in 1922 established as Skidmore College; it became coeducational in 1971

★ 'The College of New Rochelle' - founded in 1904

★ 'College of St. Catherine' - founded in 1905

★ College of Saint Teresa - founded in 1907 it closed in 1989

★ 'Georgian Court University' - founded in 1908

★ Lesley College - founded in 1909, it became coeducational in 2005
===1910s===

★ 'Pine Manor College' - founded in 1911

★ Connecticut College - founded in 1911 as Connecticut College for Women; it became coeducational in 1969

★ 'Russell Sage College', founded in 1916

★ Douglass Residential College (Rutgers University) - founded in 1918; became a residential college for Rutgers in 2007

★ Emmanuel College, Boston - founded in 1919, it became coeducational in 2001
===1920s===

★ Immaculata University - founded in 1920, it became coeducational in 2005

★ 'Rosemont College' - founded in 1921

★ 'College of Saint Mary', founded in 1923

★ Chestnut Hill College - founded in 1924, it became coeducational in 2003

★ 'Mount St. Mary's College' - founded in 1925

★ Albertus Magnus College - founded in 1925 and became coeducational in 1985

★ Sarah Lawrence College - founded in 1926, it became coeducational in 1968

★ 'Scripps College' - founded in 1926

★ Regis College - founded in 1927, it become coeducational in 2007
===1930s===

★ Bennington College - founded in 1932, it became coeducational in 1969

★ 'Saint Joseph College (Connecticut)' - founded in 1932

★ Marymount Manhattan College - founded in 1936, it is currently coeducational
===1940s===

★ Annhurst College - founded in 1941, closed in 1980

★ Mount Sacred Heart College - founded in 1946, closed in 1997
===1960s===

★ Pitzer College - founded in 1963, it became coeducational in 1970
===1980s===

★ 'Women's College of the University of Denver' - founded in 1982 when ''Colorado Women's College'' was acquired by the University of Denver. ^[8]

Alphabetical lists

References

★ Creighton, Joanne V. ''A Tradition of Their Own: Or, If a Woman Can Now Be President of Harvard, Why Do We Still Need Women’s Colleges?.''

★ Harwarth, Irene B. "A Closer Look at Women's Colleges." National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning, Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, 1999.

★ ---, Mindi Maline and Elizabeth DeBra. "Women's Colleges in the United States: History, Issues, and Challenges: Executive Summary." U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Postsecondary Education, Libraries, and Lifelong Learning.

★ Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research (IUCPR). "New study finds women’s colleges are better equipped to help their students."

★ Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz. ''Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s,'' Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1993 (2nd edition).

★ Rosenberg, Rosalind. "The Limits of Access: The History Of Coeducation in America." In ''Women and Higher Education: Essays from the Mount Holyoke College Sesquicentennial Symposia.'' Ed. John Mack Faragher and Florence Howe. New York: Norton, 1988.

Notes

1. The Rise of Women's Colleges, Coeducation
2. Women's Colleges in the United States: History, Issues, and Challenges Irene Harwarth
3. About Mount Holyoke
4. Women's Colleges in the United States: History, Issues, and Challenges Irene Harwarth
5. Seven Sisters and a Country Cousin Jennifer L. Crispen
6. Moravian College history
7. First Charter of Mount Holyoke
8. Womaen's College of the University of Denver

External links

★ The Rise of Women's Colleges - Women's College Coalition

★ ''In Virginia, three elite women's colleges reinvent themselves and find a new mission in a coed world'' - 06 November 2006 ''Newsweek'' article on Sweet Briar College, Hollins University, and Mary Baldwin College

★ ''New study finds women’s colleges are better equipped to help their students'' - Indiana University