Exhibit Features Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Historic District

 

WTWO-TV of Terre Haute, IN posted a short video segment, "Saint Mary-of-the-Woods exhibit now open through October at Swope Art Museum," featuring comments by Dr. Dottie King, president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College.

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) and the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (SPSMW) are partnering with the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute to present “Stories from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Historic District.”

“Stories from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Historic District” can be viewed in the 2nd Floor Lobby and Education Galleries of the Swope Art Museum, from August 6th through October 4th, 2021. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. and there is no cost for admission. 

You can visit the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Historic District web pages for for more information on the architectural significance and educational or religious importance of the area to the history of the State of Indiana and the United States.

A couple of previous College History Garden posts may also be of interest, 

• October 4, 2017 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Campus added to National Register of Historic Places.
• November 2, 2015 Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Celebrates 175th Anniversary.

You can also visit the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College web site to learn more about the institution's history or you can download maps of the campus and trails.

Newsreels and Year in Review Recordings Provide Window to Purdue's Past

Purdue University Archives and Special Collections maintains a YouTube playlist of Newsreels and Year in Review recordings that are annual audio-visual summaries of academics, student activities, campus structures, athletics, and special events that begin with 1943-45. The videos are 20-25 minutes in length.

IU's Bicentennial Celebration Begins January 20th

The Indiana Daily Student published "IU Bicentennial events honor university's history."  Reporter  Cate Charron provides details for a number of events scheduled on Monday, January 20th to begin a yearlong celebration.

IU was founded as Indiana State Seminary in 1820. The name changed to Indiana College in 1828 and then to Indiana University at Bloomington in 1838.

You can learn more about planned activities or related resources by visiting the IU Bicentennial web pages.

The IU Bicentennial history pages include a timeline and links to essays and podcasts focusing on key events from the institution's past. A number of interesting brief videos are available in a "Bicentennial Minutes" section that includes segments on 19th century student life and IU in the Big Ten. Indian University Press also offers a page with a number of books focusing on different aspects of IU history.

You may also enjoy reviewing several earlier College History Garden posts that feature IU history:

• January 8, 2018, Day in the Life of a College Student in 1890s...and, a few bonus links to other 
• resources...
• July 12, 2018, Impact of Significant Fires at Indiana University
• September 25, 2016, Indiana University Honors Frances Morgan Swain
• March 3, 2018, Tool Permits Easy Comparison of Two Photographs
• June 15, 2012, Indiana University in the 19th Century

Goshen College Celebrates 125th Anniversary

Goshen College is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding in 1894 as Elkhart Institute in Elkhart, Indiana. The name changed to Goshen College in 1903 when the institution relocated to Goshen, Indiana. The college is affiliated with the Mennonite Church U.S.A.

The Celebrating 125 Years webpage includes historical information, biographical sketches of alumni, and news releases for centennial events.

A more extensive historical sketch is available on the History of Goshen College page.

You can also read an article by Susan Fisher Miller, "One remarkable year: 1903-1904," from the Alumni Bulletin. Miller provides an interesting look at the decision to relocate Elkhart Institute to Goshen.

Miller is also the author of Culture for Service: A History of Goshen College, 1894-1994.

Purdue Celebrates Sesquicentennial

Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its founding in 1869.  The institution now enrolls 32,132 undergraduate students and another 10,500 graduates students on the main campus and a number of other sites throughout the state.

Visit the 150 Years of Great Leaps page for more information on Purdue's accomplishments over the years and activities planned to commemorate the anniversary.

You can also view "'John Purdue' tells his own story" through the anniversary pages or via YouTube where author and historian John Norberg provides a first-person account of Purdue's life and the early years of Purdue University.

Two sesquicentennial books are also available.  Ever True: Celebrating the First 150 Years of Purdue University written by John Norberg "...captures the essence of this great university...to delve into the stories of the faculty, alumni, and leaders who make up this remarkable institution’s distinguished history."

The second book, Purdue at 150: A Visual History of Student Life written by David M. Hovde, Adriana Harmeyer, Neal Harmeyer, and Sammie L. Morris "...tells Purdue’s story through rare images, artifacts, and words. Authors culled decades of student papers, from scrapbooks, yearbooks, letters, and newspapers to historical photographs and memorabilia preserved in the Purdue University Libraries Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections."

A previous post on the College History Garden, "Mapping Change on Purdue's West Lafayette Campus," links an interactive map and database that allows users to become familiar with the history of the West Lafayette campus. Users can adjust the slider below the map to see how the campus has changed over the course of the institution's history.

Ku Klux U: An Indiana University briefly considers KKK Control in 1923

Hoosier State Chronicles posted a fascinating article by Stephen J. Taylor on January 6, 2016, "Ku Klux U: How the Klan Almost Bought a University." 

Taylor explores a brief period in 1923 when Valparaiso University, facing seemingly insurmountable financial problems, entered into talks with Milt Elrod, editor of the KKK's The Fiery Cross newspaper. 

While the conversations didn't lead to any serious offer, they did cause quite a bit of concern with opposition to any deal reflected in a number of articles and editorials published in various newspapers. 

Taylor incorporates images of newspaper articles and advertisements into his writing and places them within a broader narrative explaining how the once promising institution of higher education was at a point of desperation where it seriously considered a possibility of KKK control.

JSTOR also offers an article online by Lance Trusty, All Talk and No "Kash": Valparaiso University and the Ku Klux Klan, from the Indiana Magazine of History, Vol. 82, No. 1 (March 1986), pp. 1-36.

Visit the Valparaiso University web site for a timeline and more information on institutional history.

Several previous College History Garden posts provide more information on Valparaiso University history:

• Sunday, September 2, 2012  Valparaiso Male and Female College (IN)
• Tuesday, December 19, 2017  Campus Fires Shape Valparaiso University and Students Present Results of Archival Research
• Sunday, December 13, 2015  Campuses: Four Centuries of Changes and Challenges

IUPUI Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Founding

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1969 through merger of the Purdue Indianapolis Extension Center (1946) and Indiana University Indianapolis (1916).  IUPUI is considered to be one of nine Indiana University campuses, though students also have the opportunity to earn degrees through Purdue.

IUPUI's anniversary web pages include scheduled events, an historical sketch with timeline, along with featured stories of students, alumni, and others who have served the institution.

Your can also find additional historical information through the IUPUI web site or by visiting web pages of the Ruth Lilly Special Collections & Archives.

     

Though it is officially 50 years, IUPUI traces its higher education heritage in Indianapolis back to the early 1900s.  The medical school was established in 1906 and the schools of law, dentistry and art grew from a number of predecessor institutions founded in the late 1800s. 

You can also learn more by reading Ralph Gray’s book, "IUPUI: The Making of an Urban University" (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2003) .

IUPUI's web site also offers Women Building IUPUI: A Walking Tour.  The page includes links for two .pdf documents by Mary Owen with historical information, photographs, and campus maps:  

Women in Medicine at Indiana UniversityPurdue University IndianapolisA Walking Trail

Women Building IUPUIA Walking Trail 

History of DePauw University

The archives at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN offer an extensive array of digital resources for those interested in learning more about the institution or the history of United Methodism in the state.  DePauw was founded as Indiana Asbury University in 1837 and adoted the current name as DePauw University in 1884.

1. Black Behind the Black and Gold by Stanley Warren is a 1990 paper providing the history of black students and faculty.

2. DePauw: A Pictorial History by Clifton J. Phillips and John J. Baughman was published in 1987.

3. DePauw Through the Years, Volumes 1 and 2 by George B. Manhart was published in 1962.

4. Historical Campus Map

5. Indiana Asbury-DePauw University 1837-1937 by William Warren Sweet was published in 1937.

6. Those interested can also find a couple of interesting short YouTube videos. "DePauw University - 175th Anniversary Video," was created in 2013 to mark the anniversary of the founding of DePauw University and was narrated by Fox News Channel anchor Bret Baier, a 1992 graduate of DePauw.

A second video, "A Look at the History of DePauw University's Campus," was produced in 1993 and offers historic video segments and interviews with a number of faculty members.

Saint Mary's College Prepares to Celebrate 175th Anniversary

Saint Mary's College located in Notre Dame, IN is preparing to kickoff a yearlong celebration of the 175th anniversary of its founding in 1844.  The college website includes more information on an initial anniversary program scheduled for January 20, 2019.  You can also find other activities planned throughout the year.

The institution was founded by the Sisters of the Holy Cross as Saint Mary's Academy.  The name was changed to Saint Mary's College in 1903.

Memories of Former College at an Indiana Resort

The French Lick Resort blog posted "Tales Out of School from West Baden's College Days" this week with a brief historical sketch and comments of several alumni from Northwood Institute.  Northwood Institute operated at the site from 1968-1983.  The institution was founded in Alma, MI in 1959 and the West Baden, IN site "...offered two-year and four-year degrees in business, performing arts and vocational studies. Northwood was renowned for some of its specialty programs like automotive marketing, fashion merchandising, and hotel and restaurant management." 

After closing in Indiana, academic programs continued under a new name of Northwood University in Michigan, Florida, and Texas.

The resort property used by Northwood Institute was known for its mineral springs and was initially developed as the West Baden Springs Hotel.  The hotel flourished but ultimately closed during the 1930s. A Jesuit Seminary then used the property after purchasing if for $1 following the stock market crash and failure of the resort.  The Jesuits operated West Baden College from 1934-1964 in affiliation with Loyola University in Chicago.  Closure occurred due to declining enrollment and expensive maintenance of the aging facility.

A timeline for history of the resort property can be reviewed on the Historic Hotels of America website.

Education Corporation of America Closes over 75 Campuses

The Education Corporation of America headquarter in Birmingham, AL announced today that it will close more than 75 sites that enroll roughly 20,000 students.  The company began the process of notifying students and employees.  The sites include those operating as Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Institute, Golf Academy of America and Virginia College.

You can read more at Inside Higher Ed in an article that was posted earlier today, "Large For-Profit Chain to Close."  WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL posted a short video with an article, "Virginia College closing in Montgomery, nationwide."

KCRA-TV in Sacramento, CA posted "Brightwood College closing Modesto, Sacramento campuses" on its website.

Thirty-two sites are listed for Brightwood College in eight states on the IPEDS College Navigator site and twenty-seven sites in eleven states are listed for Virginia Colleges.

	Brightwood College Sites	Virginia College Sites
Alabama		4
California	10
Florida		3
Georgia		4
Indiana	2
Louisiana		2
Maryland	3
Mississippi		2
Nevada	1
North Carolina	1	1
Ohio	1
Oklahoma		1
South Carolina		5
Tennessee	1	2
Texas	13	2
Virginia		1
Totals	32	27
# states	8	11

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.

Mapping Change on Purdue's West Lafayette Campus

Purdue University's Libraries, Archives, and Special Collections website includes a Purdue Campus Facilities and Buildings Historic Database page that allows users to become familiar with the history of the West Lafayette campus using an interactive map.  Users can adjust the slider below the map to see how the campus has changed over the course of the institution's history from 1874 up to the present.  There is also a search box for entering keywords to locate a more specific collection of buildings.

Consider leaving a comment below with url if you know of a similar project on another campus...

Sorin: A Notre Dame Story...Look for Performance Dates in 2019

College History Gardeners should look for an opportunity to see Sorin: A Notre Dame Story.  The one-person play is scheduling performance dates for 2019 and currently has performances in Houston, TX and Naples, FL.

Sorin: A Notre Dame Story presents the early history of the University of Notre Dame as told by the Holy Cross priest who founded it, Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C. "It is directed by Patrick Vassel ’07—Associate Director of the smash hit, Hamilton—and written by celebrated playwright Christina Telesca Gorman ’91 with immersive projections by Ryan Belock ’11. Sorin stars Anthony Lawton ’89 as Father Sorin in a transformational performance that carries the audience through a sweeping journey of faith, character, and resolve."  You can also view a short trailer on YouTube.

Those interested in Notre Dame's history can also find a transcript of "The Story of Notre Dame," in the December 1942 issue of The Notre Dame Alumnus. This radio play was written by Richard Sullivan a faculty member in Notre Dame's Department of English and was originally broadcast by NBC radio for a nationwide audience on November 25, 1942.

Consider posting a comment below if you are aware of plays highlighting the history of other colleges or universities...

Ball State University Celebrates Centennial

Ball State University is celebrating the centennial anniversary of its founding.  The 100th anniversary web pages offer links to a variety of resources including a short video, "From Normal to Extraordinary," an updated centennial history, and links to various planned events.

Frank C. Ball and his brothers purchased the land and buildings that previously served as Muncie Normal Institute and later, Muncie National Institute, two of several attempts to provide higher education in the city in the late 1800's and early 1900's. They donated the property to the state of Indiana which then opened the Indiana State Normal School Eastern Division in 1918.

In recognition of the Ball family’s generosity, the Indiana General Assembly changed the school's name to Ball Teachers College in 1922, then Ball State Teachers College in 1929, and to Ball State University in 1965.

You should also consider visiting the university's Archives & Special Collections web page for links to an amazing array of digital resources and research guides.

Bethel College in Indiana Announces a Name Change

The Southbend Tribune reported today on an upcoming name change for Bethel College in Mishawaka, IN in "Trustees announce name change as Bethel becomes a university."  The new name will be Bethel University.  Bethel also offers a web page devoted to the name change that includes a video message from Randy Lehman, chair of the Board of Trustees, an FAQ and implementation timeline.  The new name will be official next spring after May 6, 2019.

Bethel College was founded in 1947 and is affiliated with the Christian Missionary Church.  You can visit a history page on the institutional web site that offers a brief historical sketch along with links to additional information.

Harrison College Closes

Harrison College abruptly closed last week.  Harrison was headquartered in Indianapolis and offered programs through ten sites in Indiana: Anderson, Columbus, Elkhart, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Indianapolis (3), Lafayette, and Terre Haute.  Two additional sites in Morrisville, NC and Grove City, OH will also close.

The history of Harrison College is traced to Marion, IN and Marion Business College that began operation in the 1890s.  Marion Business College served as the initial institution in 1902 for what later became known as Indiana Business College.  Logansport Business College was purchased and Kokomo Business College was begun in 1902. IBC grew in the early 20th century to include other schools that operated under their respective names or collectively as IBC: Municie Business College, Anderson Business College, Columbus Business College, Richmond Business College, Lafayette Business College, Crawfordsville Business College, Washington Business College, Newcastle Business College, Vincennes Business College, and Central Business College in Indianapolis. The name changed to Harrison College in 2009.

WSYX-TV in Columbus, OH reported, "Students outraged Harrison College closing without warning," and WISH-TV of Indianapolis posted, "Harrison College to close after 116 years."

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.

Impact of Significant Fires at Indiana University

Ava Dickerson posted "1883 Fire!" on the Indiana University Archives blog, Blogging Hoosier History.  Her historical sketch describes the financial and cultural significance of the fire and how the citizens of Bloomington rallied to support the institution.


















Fires are often significant parts of institutional history and an earlier post on June 22, 2016, "A history of IU fires," describes a number of fires on campus.