Milwaukee-Downer College

Last updated
Milwaukee-Downer College
Type Women's College
Active1895–1964
Location, ,
United States

43°04′42″N87°52′43″W / 43.07833°N 87.87861°W / 43.07833; -87.87861

Milwaukee-Downer College was a women's college in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in operation from 1895 until its merger with Lawrence University in 1964.

Contents

History

Milwaukee-Downer College was established in 1895 with the merger of two institutions: Milwaukee College and Downer College of Fox Lake, Wisconsin.

In July 1895, Milwaukee College and Downer College merged to become Milwaukee-Downer College with Downer College's Ellen Clara Sabin as president. A new site was chosen on a tract of about ten acres on the northern end of the city of Milwaukee, halfway between Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River. Two buildings (Merrill and Holton Halls) were constructed, and were first occupied in September, 1899, when Milwaukee-Downer opened in its new quarters. In 1901 a residence hall for students in the college department was completed. According to the report of the state superintendent of public instruction for 1906 the college had 356 students, 32 instructors, and owned property valued at $354,787. [1]

In 1910, the Milwaukee-Downer Seminary high school was separated from the College (prior to that date it was the pre-collegiate section of the College), although a separate corporation was not obtained until 1933. [2]

Leadership

Lucia Russell Briggs Lucia Russell Briggs (page 18 crop).jpg
Lucia Russell Briggs

Three presidents led Milwaukee-Downer College from 1895 to 1964: Ellen Clara Sabin from 1895 to 1921, Lucia Russell Briggs from 1921 to 1951, and John B. Johnson from 1951 to 1964. Under Sabin's leadership, the college established a curriculum emphasizing the liberal arts and the cultivation of moral and religious values. Two of the college's long-lasting curricular specializations were home economics and occupational therapy. The program in home economics was established in 1901, and the occupational therapy program was one of the first in the country, established in 1918-1919. Enrollment peaked during Lucia Briggs' tenure at 444 students in the 1946-47 scholastic year. Briggs was succeeded by John B. Johnson, a political science professor with teaching and administrative experience at only one place, Park College in Parkville, Missouri, before coming to Milwaukee-Downer. Under Johnson, the number of men on the faculty increased in almost every year, and the residence halls were closed to women faculty. Johnson also initiated a policy of hiring part-time, ad hoc faculty to teach one or two courses. Through the 1950s and early 1960s, enrollment declined in almost every year, from 278 in 1951-52 to a low of 176 in 1962-63. [3]

Consolidation

In 1964, the college's trustees agreed to a consolidation with Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin. The 43-acre (170,000 m2) campus was sold to the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, and 49 female students and 21 faculty members transferred to Lawrence. Buildings and land from its former campus still form part of the present-day campus of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. At Lawrence, some Milwaukee-Downer traditions have been adopted, such as the assignment of class colors. [4]

Notable people

Mina Kerr, Dean of Women, Milwaukee-Downer College Mina Kerr (JNEA, v.10, 1921).png
Mina Kerr, Dean of Women, Milwaukee-Downer College

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin System</span> System of public universities in Wisconsin

The Universities of Wisconsin is a university system of public universities in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is one of the largest public higher-education systems in the country, enrolling more than 160,000 students each year and employing approximately 41,000 faculty and staff statewide. The system is headquartered in the state capital of Madison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carthage College</span> Lutheran college in Kenosha, Wisconsin, US

Carthage College is a private college in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, it is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Carthage awards bachelor's degrees with majors in more than 40 subject areas and master's degrees in three areas. Carthage has 150 faculty and enrolls approximately 2,600 students. It is an affiliate of the Wisconsin Space Grant Consortium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence University</span> Private college and conservatory in Appleton, Wisconsin, US

Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducational institution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catharine Beecher</span> American educator and writer (1800–1878)

Catharine Esther Beecher was an American educator known for her forthright opinions on female education as well as her vehement support of the many benefits of the incorporation of kindergarten into children's education. She published the advice manual The American Woman's Home with her sister Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1869. Some sources spell her first name as "Catherine".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee</span> Public university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US

The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and one of the two doctorate-granting research universities of the University of Wisconsin System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concordia University Wisconsin</span> Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin, US

Concordia University Wisconsin (CUW) is a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Concordia University System operated by the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS). The university is organized into six constituent schools in arts and science, business, education, health professions, nursing, and pharmacy. The university had an enrollment of about 5,000 undergraduate and graduate students in 2022. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LeBaron Russell Briggs</span> American educator

LeBaron Russell Briggs was an American educator. He was appointed the first dean of men at Harvard College, and subsequently served as dean of the faculty until he retired. He was concurrently president of Radcliffe College and the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee School of Engineering</span> Private university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US

The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) is a private university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, the university has a primary focus on undergraduate engineering education with additional programs in business, mathematics, and nursing. Its 22-acre (8.9 ha) campus is in the East Town neighborhood of downtown Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgewood College</span> Private Dominican college in Madison, Wisconsin, U.S.

Edgewood College is a private Dominican college in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. The college occupies a 55 acres (22 ha) campus overlooking the shores of Lake Wingra. It offers more than 40 undergraduate majors and 25 graduate degrees, and has an enrollment of approximately 2,000 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Mary University</span> Womens university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US

Mount Mary University is a private Roman Catholic women's university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The university was founded in 1913 by the School Sisters of Notre Dame and was Wisconsin's first four-year, degree-granting Catholic college for women. Today, the university serves women at the undergraduate level and both women and men at the graduate level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Lawrence Seminary High School</span> Private all male school in Mt. Calvary, Wisconsin, United States

St. Lawrence Seminary High School is a preparatory high school operated by the Province of St. Joseph of the Capuchin Order at Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. The school is in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. It is an all-male boarding school, with approximately 225 students enrolled in grades 9 through 12. The school's mission is to prepare its male students for vocations in the Catholic Church.

The University School of Milwaukee is an independent pre-kindergarten through secondary preparatory school in River Hills and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was founded as the result of the merger of three schools, Milwaukee Country Day School, Milwaukee Downer Seminary, and Milwaukee University School. USM is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

The history of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee dates back to 1885, when the Milwaukee State Normal School opened for classes at 18th and Wells in downtown Milwaukee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlotte Partridge</span>

Charlotte Partridge was an artist, arts educator, community organizer and the co-founder and co-director of the Layton School of Art in Milwaukee, Wisconsin from 1920 to 1954, with her life partner Miriam Frink. They were credited with having developed a nationally accredited art school, recognized for excellence. Partridge was also a State Chair (1933-1934) and Director (1935-1939) of Wisconsin's Works Projects Administration, and published a national survey of art institutions and contemporary art for the Federal Works Agency in 1940. Partridge received a number of awards recognizing her lifetime of contributions to "the cause of art".

Downer College was a women's college in Fox Lake, Wisconsin, chartered in 1855 and opening in September 1856.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Main Hall (Lawrence University)</span> United States historic place

Main Hall is an academic building on the campus of Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin. Constructed in 1853, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milwaukee-Downer "Quad"</span> United States historic place

The Milwaukee-Downer "Quad" is a set of four buildings of collegiate Gothic architecture on the northwest corner of Hartford and Downer Avenues on the Milwaukee, Wisconsin campus of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, designed by Alexander C. Eschweiler and erected between 1897 and 1905 to house Milwaukee-Downer College. The complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen Clara Sabin</span>

Ellen Clara Sabin was the president of the Milwaukee-Downer College in the U.S. state of Wisconsin from 1891 to 1921. She was a well-known advocate for the education of women. Sabin developed her own curriculum and teaching style which she practiced in both Wisconsin and Oregon before accepting the position as college president at Downer College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine Greacen Nelson</span> American geologist (1913-1982)

Katherine Greacen Nelson, born in Sierra Madre, California, was an American geologist. She was one of the first women to receive a degree in geology, obtaining a PhD from Rutgers University. Growing up in a military family exposed to nature and traveling at an early age, Nelson showed an eagerness for geology by devoting her days to learning the various geological processes that encompass the earth, eventually winning a prize for an excellence in geology from Vassar College.

References

  1. Watrous, Jerome A., ed. Memoirs of Milwaukee County . Madison: Western Historical Association, 1909, pp. 424-425.
  2. Kieckhefer, Grace Norton. The History of Milwaukee-Downer College, 1851-1951. Milwaukee: Milwaukee-Downer College, 1950; p. 80
  3. Kleinman, Lynne H. The Milwaukee-Downer Woman. Appleton, Wisconsin: Lawrence University Press, 1997
  4. "Lawrence University Archives, Milwaukee-Downer College".

Further reading