San Francisco College for Women (CA)

The Internet Archive offers a wonderful 12+ minute video from the Prelinger Archives of students involved in various campus activities during the mid-1940's.

The institution was founded in 1898 as Sacred Heart Academcy in Menlo Park, CA. It became the College of the Sacred Heart in 1921.  After a move to San Francisco, CA in the 1930's, the name was changed to San Francisco College for Women.  The name was changed again to Lone Mountain College in 1969 and the institution became co-educational.  It was acquired by the University of San Francisco to become USF's Lone Mountain Campus in 1978.

Historical Marker for Okolona College (MS)

Lena Mitchell has an article from July 27, 2014 on the djournal.com web site covering the unveiling of a roadside marker commemorating the history of Okolona College in northern Mississippi.

Mitchell writes that, "Nellie Minor Adams, a graduate of the high school in 1945 and the college in 1947, read the inscription from the historical marker:  The Okolona Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1902 by Dr. Wallace A. Battle. It educated African-Americans through high school and provided industrial training for young adults. At its peak the school’s enrollment topped 200 students annually. In 1921, the school became affiliated with the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi and a member of the American Church Institute for Negroes. The school changed its name to Okolona College in 1934 and closed in 1965.”

See an earlier post on the College History Garden with links to photographs and other resources.

Barat College Alumni Reflections

Gregory Trotter of the Chicago Tribune reports on reflections of Barat College alumni who recently gathered for a reunion.  Barat was located in Lake Forest, IL and was one of seven women's colleges operated by the Society of the Sacred Heart in the 1960's.

Institution	State	Date Founded	Notes
Newton College	MA	1946	merged with Boston College in 1975
San Diego College	CA	1950	merged with University of San Diego in 1972
College of the Sacred Heart	CA	1898	founded as Sacred Heart Academcy in Menlo Park, CA; became College of the Sacred Heart in 1921; moved to San Francisco, CA and changed name to San Francisco College for Women in 1930's; changed name to Lone Mountain College in 1969 and became co-educational; acquired by the University of San Francisco to become USF's Lone Mountain Campus in 1978;
Maryville University	MO	1872	founded as Convent of the Sacred Heart; later Maryville College of the Sacred Heart after 1927, name change to Maryville College in 1972; then Maryville University of Saint Louis in 1991
Manhattanville College	NY	1841	founded as the Academy of the Sacred Heart; in 1917 charted as a college by state;
Barat College	IL	1858	founded in Chicago as Sacred Heart Academy; relocated to Lake Forest in 1904 and served as foundation for Barat College that opened in 1918; merged with DePaul University in 2001; decision by DePaul's trustees to close the institution June 2005
Duchesne College	NE	1881	accredited by NCA as a junior college in 1937; accredited as a senior college in 1939; closed in 1968

The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Seeks Reclassification and a Change in Name

The Board of Trustees for The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey voted this month to seek reclassification of the institution as a comprehensive university.  The announcement of the action on the institution's web site provides an extensive review of the process leading up to the decision.  A link to additional web pages provides access to a FAQ and more details that will be of interest to anyone considering a similar change in mission and name.

Richard Stockton State College was established in 1969 with classes starting in 1971.  The name was changed in 1993 to The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.

Liberal Arts Colleges in the South: Case Study Analysis of Recent Strategic Decisions

The September 2014 issue of Business Officer includes an interesting article by Michael Horan, "The Upside of Strategic Discipline."  The article focuses on issues faced by Sewanee: The University of the South and Oglethorpe University during the past decade.  The September issue is not currently visible on the NACUBO web site so you will need to find a campus business officer or other administrator who has a subscription.

Horan uses a case study approach and identifies a number of key lessons.  I particularly appreciate his conclusion that the "...lack of an 'endless good argument' between all of the stakeholders can spell disaster..."

The article refers to Horan's more extensive research in his 2013 dissertation from the University of Georgia where he focused on Sewanee and two other institutions, Birmingham-Southern and Greensboro College.

SUNY Polytechnic Institute

SUNY Polytechnic Institute was approved on September 9, 2014 by the SUNY Board of Trustees as the new name for SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering in Albany and the SUNY Institute of Technology in Utica.  The merger of the two institutions was approved in March.

Valley Forge Christian College becomes University of Valley Forge

Valley Forge Christian College will become the University of Valley Forge on September 16, 2014.  The institution is located in Phoenixville, PA and is affiliated with the Assemblies of God.  It grew from the Marantha Bible School founded in 1932 and was initially chartered in 1939 in Green Lane, PA.  

Over time, a number of schools consolidated into what was known as the Eastern Bible Institute:  Beulah Heights of North Bergen, NJ, which began in 1912, Metropolitan Bible Institute of Suffern, NY, New England Bible Institute of Framingham, MA, and Pine Crest Bible Institute of Salisbury Center, NY.  The name was changed to Northeast Bible Institute in 1967 and Northeast Bible College in 1975.  The institution moved to the site of the former Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, PA the following year and the name of the college was officially changed to Valley Forge Christian College.

History of the University of South Florida System

The University of South Florida digital archive offers the remarks delivered  by James Schnur, An Accent on Learning, Accentuated by Excellence : A Brief Overview of the History of the University of South Florida System.  The presentation was prepared for the September 2014 Meeting of the USF University Board of Trustees and is available for download as a .pdf.

There is also a .pdf with many fascinating historical images that was prepared to accompany the remarks.

Morrison University in Reno, NV is Closing

Aurora Sain reports for the Reno Gazette-Journal that Morrison University will close.  Morrison was founded in 1902 as the Nevada Business Institute.  In recent years it was owned by Education Training Corporation after an acquisition of Anthem Education in 2012.  

Charlie Tyson provided details for Inside Higher Ed as Anthem Education filed for bankruptcy August 25th after attempting to sell a number of campuses around the country.