College History Garden

(In)Visible History Tours at Princeton

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 16:59:00 +0000

Princeton University’s (In)Visible History tours provide a glimpse into the prestigious Ivy League experience and also provide a way for participants to explore the campus in a way that encourages a re-examination of the past and its implications for the present and future.

The tours were initially developed by the Campus Iconography Committee in 2018. The tours offer a guided exploration of the Firsts at Princeton, Traditions at Princeton, Women at Princeton, African Americans at Princeton, and Asians and Asian Americans at Princeton. The tours focus on aspects of Princeton’s history that have been less frequently discussed but have significantly contributed to shaping the campus and its community into what it is today.

Users can access the tours via mobile devices or personal computers, allowing individuals or groups to take a self-guided walking tour on campus or follow the audio tour remotely.

Each tour stop features multimedia elements, including audio, images and videos, that enhance the storytelling and provide a richer understanding of the narratives featured.

A new exhibition, four years in the making, celebrates the oldest building at the University of Delaware

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Thu, 06 Feb 2025 20:52:00 +0000

Colors of Old College, is an exhibit from Feb. 4th through May 18th, 2025, featuring photos, blueprints, oral histories and immersive performances. Visitors will discover the significance of the entire Old College Historic District to the University of Delaware and the broader community.

Edgewood College to become Edgewood University

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 15:28:00 +0000

Edgewood College in Madison, WI announced that it will become Edgewood University in July 2025.

Edgewood traces its roots to St. Regina Academy founded by the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. The college was founded in 1927 as a junior college for women with a two-year liberal arts curriculum. The first baccalaureate degree was awarded in 1942.

East Texas A&M University

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 15:04:00 +0000

East Texas A&M University (ETAMU) unveiled its new name on the stone signs at the campus’s main entrance. East Texas A&M, formerly known as Texas A&M University-Commerce, adopted its new name on November 7, 2024, following a vote by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.

The institution was founded in Cooper, TX in 1889 as East Texas Normal College. It moved to Commerce, TX in 1894. The name changed to East Texas State Normal College in 1917, to East Texas State Teachers College in 1923, to East Texas State College in 1957, to East Texas State University in 1965, and to Texas A&M-Commerce in 1996.

Marist College Changes Name

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 31 Jan 2025 14:51:00 +0000

WXXI public radio provided interesting reporting on January 20, 2025 in "Marist College officially becomes "Marist University," with reporting by Jesse King.

Marist, located in Poughkeepsie, NY, was founded as Marian College in 1946. The name was changed to Marist College in 1960.

Seattle University and Cornish College of the Arts Announce They Will be Joining Together

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Sat, 25 Jan 2025 15:32:00 +0000

Seattle University and Cornish College of the Arts announced last month the signing of a Letter of Intent for joining the institutions, with Cornish becoming the Cornish College of the Arts at Seattle University and continuing to educate students at its South Lake Union campus.

Both institutions are non-profits with Cornish College enrolling 502 students and Seattle University, a Jesuit institution, enrolling 7,182 students.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers, and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Cornish was founded as Cornish School of Music in 1914. It was briefly advertised as Cornish School of Music, Language, and Dancing in 1915 and later, Cornish College of the Arts in 1921. After the Depression era it referred to itself as the Cornish School. In 1955, the name changed to Cornish School of the Allied Arts and in 1977, to Cornish Institute of Allied Arts. Then in 1986 it became Cornish College of the Arts.

Seattle University was founded in 1891 as the School of the Immaculate Conception. The name changed to Seattle College in 1898 and then to Seattle University in 1948.

Duke Offers App for Campus History Tours

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 16:15:00 +0000

Duke Campus History Tour launched this month on the Duke Explore app. The tour was developed as part of Duke’s Centennial Celebration to provide a deeper understanding of Duke’s history for the campus community and visitors.

You can download the app on your phone for an engaging, informative introduction to key moments and people in the history of Duke University and Trinity College. The experience offers three separate tours—West Campus (with 10 stops), East Campus (8 stops) and Athletics (4 stops). Users can select the tours that match their time and interests. Each stop or location provides a brief description, audio narration, photos and links to learn more.

For users walking around campus, the app uses geolocation technology to guide the tour and signal the approach to the next stop.

Duke University was established in 1924 when James B. Duke, through the Indenture of Trust, designated a gift that transformed Trinity College into a comprehensive research university. Learn more about centennial activities by visiting the Duke Centennial web pages.

60 Years Later: Reflections on South Dakota State's Transition from State College to University

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Mon, 29 Jul 2024 15:58:00 +0000

The Brookings Register posted a series of interesting articles reflecting on changes at South Dakota State University as the institution transitioned from a state college to a regional university.

The first, "From college to State: 60 years later: New name at South Dakota State was harbinger of 60 years of change," was published on June 11, 2024.

Then, "From college to State: 60 years on: Challenges during name-change phase successfully overcome," followed on June 18, 2024.

Video Focuses on History of Highland Park College

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:12:00 +0000

The Des Moines, Iowa Historical Society offers a very interesting presentation on their YouTube channel focusing on the history of Highland Park College. This has been researched and presented by L.M. Elm who also maintains a blog College on the North Side that includes photos and links to Highland Park yearbooks. The presenter lays out a story common to many institutions founded across the midwest.

Freedom Footprints: A self-guided walking tour through Elon University's Black History

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Wed, 17 Jul 2024 16:17:00 +0000

Elon University recently posted "Freedom Footprints: A Juneteenth Journey through Elon’s Black History" a self-guided walking tour. The web page includes a map created in Google Maps and detailed information for a number of tour stops are denoted by number.

You can read more about the walking tour in "Elon celebrates Juneteenth with tour, discussion," with reporting by Michaela Zeno.

American Academy of Art College Announced Closure in early July

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 19:40:00 +0000

The American Academy of Art College announced that it will be closing. You can read more in "After 101 Years, Chicago’s American Academy of Art College to Close," posted on July 2, 2024 by WTTO with reporting by Marc Vitali.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers, and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Closure Announced by Northwestern College

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 15:59:00 +0000

Northwestern College in Oak Lawn, IL announced this past week that it will close.

Northwestern Business College was founded in 1902 on what was then 1747 N. Robey Street in Chicago by J.F. Fish. And while it changed owners and locations over the years, it remained a family-owned educational enterprise.

The college relocated to the Logan Square area of Chicago after 1918 and was sold a time or two before Myrtle M. Voss assumed ownership in the 1930s. In 1958 Violet and Edward Schumacher purchased the college. Then in 1977, Lawrence Schumacher and Nancy Schumacher Kucienski formed Lancelot Inc. and purchased the college. The curriculum expanded to offer programs in computers and word processing.

The institution relocated in in 1981 to the northwest side of Chicago and in 1987 a second campus was opened in Palos Hills, IL. Then in 2001 a third campus was added in Naperville. Accreditation was gained through The Higher Learning Commission. Lawrence Schumacher assumed sole ownership in 2007 and the name changed to Northwestern College. The institution moved in 2022 to the Oak Lwn campus on the corner of 95th and Cicero Avenues.

Clarks Summit University Announces Closure

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 16:16:00 +0000

Clarks Summit University in Pennsylvania announced on July 1, 2024 that it will be closing.

The institution was founded as Baptist Bible College and Seminary in 1932 in Johnson City, New York. It moved to Pennsylvania in 1968 and changed its name to Clarks Summit University in 2015.

You can read more in "Grief, gratitude at Clarks Summit University as school announces closure," posted by West Virginia's public radio affiliate WVIA.

Eastern Nazarene College Announces Plans to Close

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 20:01:00 +0000

Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, MA announced this week that it intends to close by the end of the year.

The institution was founded in 1900 as Pentecostal Collegiate Institute in Saratoga Springs, NY. It moved to Massachusetts and changed name to Eastern Nazarene College after 1918.

Read more about ENC on their Our History page.

Or, visit Quincy's The Patriot Ledger for more information on the closure in "After more than 100 years in Quincy, Eastern Nazarene College plans to close," with reporting by Peter Blandino.

Walking Tour of Black Life and History at UNC

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Thu, 27 Jun 2024 16:03:00 +0000

A walking tour of black life and history on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill campus is offered by UNC University Libraries. The Black and Carolina Blue Tour was initially developed as a class project and has now been been updated by staff in the Wilson Special Collections Library.

ArcGIS StoryMaps was used to support web pages with revised and expanded entries offering additional information, citations, and suggestions for further reading.

You can read about other opportunities for walking around Chapel Hill in an article from The Daily Tar Heel, "Walking tours in Chapel Hill and Carrboro showcase unique history," with reporting by Brigette Bagley that was published June 26, 2024.

The College History Garden also posted information on Walking Tour Highlights Archaeology of Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina that may be of interest.

Illinois Valley Community College Celebrates Centennial

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Wed, 26 Jun 2024 16:35:00 +0000

Illinois Valley Community College is celebrating the centennial of its founding in 1924 with classes held in the La Salle-Peru High School. IVCC President Tracy Morris dedicated a mural as part of activities surrounding the anniversary and you can read more in an article, "History in the details: IVCC dedicates 100th anniversary mural. Dots represent 160 programs taught in the past, present at the college," with reporting by Maribeth M. Wilson.

The institution changed its name from La Salle-Peru-Oglesby Junior College in 1966. IVCC is the second oldest public community college in Illinois and you can learn more the College History page of their website.

Wells College Announces Closure

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Tue, 30 Apr 2024 13:41:00 +0000

Wells College in Aurora, New York announced that it will be closing. The institution was founded in 1868 as Wells Seminary and the name changed to Wells College in 1976. Wells primarily served young women prior to 2004 when it became coed.

You can read more in "Wells College closing after more than 150 years due to financial struggles, low enrollment," with reporting by Matthew Saffer published initially on April 29, 2024.

Pilgrim's Path: Walking Tour of St. Louis University

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Mon, 11 Mar 2024 15:28:00 +0000

St. Louis University recently unveiled Pilgrim's Path, a 1.6 mile walking tour of the institution's north campus. The tour includes 19 locations on SLU's campus that depict the University’s Jesuit history and Catholic identity.

Those interested can download an app with narrations that is available through the free PocketSights app in the App Store and Google Play. There is also a .pdf map and descriptions of the various tour locations.

Southwestern Assemblies of God University is now Nelson University

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:55:00 +0000

Southwestern Assemblies of God University is changing its name.

The institution was founded initially via merger of three small bible schools as Southwestern Bible Institute in 1943. It later was known as Southwestern Bible College. In 1963 the name was changed to Southwestern Assemblies of God College and then again in 1994 to Southwestern Assemblies of God University. In 2024 the name was changed to Nelson University.

You can learn more about the history of the institution by visiting the "Our History" page on their website.

Union College is now Union Commonwealth University

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 15:16:00 +0000

Union College in Barbourville, KY is changing its name to Union Commonwealth University. Union was founded in 1879 and is affiliated with the United Methodist Church.

Roxbury Community College 50th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:34:00 +0000

Roxbury Community College is marking the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1973. The institution is located in Boston, MA and currently enrolls 1,214 students.

You can visit the Roxbury website for more information.

Notre Dame College Announces Closure

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 15:17:00 +0000

Notre Dame College located in South Euclid, OH announced this week that it will close at the end of the current spring semester. The institution was founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame and initially operated an academy after 1878. The collegiate program was initiated in 1922 and Notre Dame moved to South Euclid, OH in 1928. Enrollment was last reported to IPEDS as 1,444 students (1,329 undergraduate).

Visit the Notre Dame College website for more details on the closing.

Eastern Kentucky University Celebrates Sesquicentennial

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 14:58:00 +0000

Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, KY is preparing to celebrate the sesquicentennial of its founding. You can read more in "Celebrating 150 Years of Teaching on The Campus Beautiful."

EKU is located on the campus of the former Central University was founded on September 22, 1874. "The first campus facility, the University Building, was constructed the same year. Central University merged with Centre College in 1901, leaving behind the eight buildings that made up the campus. After the Centre College merger was completed, the Kentucky General Assembly established the Eastern Kentucky State Normal School."

The name changed to Eastern Kentucky State Normal School and Teachers College in 1922; to Eastern Kentucky State Teachers College in 1930; to Eastern Kentucky State College in 1948; then to Eastern Kentucky University in 1966.

Jamestown Business College will no longer enroll new Students

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Administrators of Jamestown Business College announced this week that the institution will no longer enroll students.

Jamestown Business College was located in Jamestown, NY and it was first opened in 1886 by E.J. Coburn.

You can read more in two articles by Eric Tichy of the Jamestown Post-Journal, "Founded In 1886, Jamestown Business College Plans Closure" from February 2, 2024 and "Jamestown Business College Traces Roots To City’s Earliest Days" published February 3, 2024.

Pictured is the former Gokey Building in Jamestown that once housed Jamestown Business College. The building was destroyed in a March 1910 fire.

The College of Mount Saint Vincent becomes the University of Mount Saint Vincent

noreply@blogger.com (Ray Brown) — Tue, 23 Jan 2024 13:52:00 +0000

The College of Mount Saint Vincent is now the University of Mount Saint Vincent. The institution located on Riverdale Avenue in the Bronx, New York enrolls just over 2,800 students.

Mount Saint Vincent was founded as the Academy of Mount Saint Vincent in 1847 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York. The Academy was located with the Motherhouse at McGowan’s Pass at the northeast corner of what is now Central Park. The campus moved to Riverdale, N.Y. overlooking the Hudson River in 1859. The institutional charter was amended in 1911 to change the name to the College of Mount Saint Vincent