Edgewood College to become Edgewood University

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.

Carthage College Marks 175th Anniversary with Placement of Marker

The Fort Madison (IA) Daily Democrat published "Carthage College celebrates 175 years" on October 24, 2022. The article coincides with the unveiling of a historical marker in Carthage, IL. 

Carthage College President John Swallow along with alumni and friends of Carthage College gathered at the entrance pillars to the former campus in Carthage to mark the college’s 175th anniversary.

While Carthage College has operated in Kenosha, WI since 1962, it was founded in Hillsboro, IL in 1847 as The Literary and Technological Institute of the Lutheran Church of the Far West. 

It was soon became known as Hillsboro College. It then moved to Springfield, IL in 1852 and operated at Illinois State University before moving to Carthage, IL in 1870. 

Campus buildings remain prominent in Carthage. Robert Morris College occupied the campus from 1965 until it moved to the Chicago area. 

You can visit the Carthage College History page to read more about the institution.

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College Announces Name Change

Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College announced a change in name effective August 15, 2022, they will now be known as Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe University. 

The institution was founded in 1982 as Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa Community College to provide Anishinaabe communities with post-secondary and continuing education while advancing the language, culture, and history of the Ojibwe. 

LCOOC began offering bachelors degrees after 2018 and the name changed to Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwe College in 2019. 

You can click on the Index to Institutions by State that have closed, merged, or changed their names link at the right to find a file with a list of institutional changes for Wisconsin or other states.

Lawrence University Celebrates 175th Anniversary

Lawrence University in Appleton, WI is celebrating the 175th anniversary of its founding in 1847 as Lawrence Institute. Lawrence was "...one of the first co-educational colleges in the country. In 1874, the Conservatory of Music was established. In 1913, the institution adopted the name Lawrence College to underscore its commitment to undergraduate liberal education. And in 1964, Lawrence again assumed the name Lawrence University when it was consolidated with Milwaukee-Downer College for Women."

You can visit the Lawrence History page for links to more historical information on both Lawrence and Milwaukee-Downer College.

A couple of earlier College History Garden posts feature Lawrence U and Milwaukee-Downer history:

• Friday, December 27, 2013 Milwaukee-Downer College (WI)
• Tuesday, May 3, 2016 Milwaukee History: Milwaukee Downer College

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Celebrates Its Sesquicentennial Anniversary

The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh is beginning its sesquicentennial celebration. Shane Nyman summarized key activities planned for this fall in "UWO at 150: It’s time to celebrate a century and a half of success."

OWU was founded as Oshkosh Normal School in 1871. The name changed to Oshkosh Teachers College in 1925, Wisconsin State College-Oshkosh in 1949, Wisconsin State University-Oshkosh in 1964, and then to the current University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1971.

You can learn more about UWO's history by visiting the 150th Anniversary web pages. There are links to a timeline with key dates, a schedule of sesquicentennial activities, and a short Youtube sesquicentennial preview.

 

College of the Holy Family Announces Closure in Wisconsin

The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity Sponsored Ministries in Manitowoc, WI announced yesterday that Silver Lake College of the Holy Family will close.

The Sisters founded Holy Family Academy and Normal School in 1869 and secured a charter for Holy Family College in 1935. The name was changed to Silver Lake College of the Holy Family in 1972 and again in 2019 to Holy Family College. The college began admitting lay women in 1957 and became coeducational in 1969.

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.

School of Architecture at Taliesin Announces Closure

Updates: Inside Higher Ed posted articles March 6, 2020, "Former Frank Lloyd Wright School Will Fight to Stay Open," and March 10, 2020, "Fight Unfolds Over Frank Lloyd Wright's Educational Legacy," by Rick Seltzer indicating a reversal of the decision to close the School of Architecture at Taliesin.

Antonio Pacheco reported for Archinect News on January 28, 2020 that the School of Architecture at Taliesin announced its intent to close in June 2020, "Frank Lloyd Wright's School of Architecture at Taliesin shutters its doors after 88 years."

The institution was founded in 1932 in Spring Green, WI. After 1937 it operated seasonally with classes in Scottsdale, AZ from October-June and at the Spring Green location from May-October.

The institution worked aggressively to secure and maintain accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission, the National Architectural Accrediting Board, and the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education. 

A formal separation from the Frank Lloyd Foundation was negotiated in 2017 and the name formally changed from the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture to the School of Architecture at Taliesin.

Though current enrollment is roughly 30 students, Pacheco notes that there are over 1,200 graduates.

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.

125th Anniversary Celebration at the University of Wisconsin-Superior

The University of Wisconsin-Superior is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its founding in 1893 as Superior Normal School.  

A Community Celebration is planned for Tuesday, June 11th, 2019 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM on the campus in Superior, WI.  The 125th anniversary web site offers more details, an historical timeline and video history, along with other information.

After the founding as Superior Normal School, the name changed to State Teachers College-Superior in 1925 and to Wisconsin State College-Superior in 1952.  It changed to Wisconsin State University-Superior in 1964 and finally to the University of Wisconsin-Superior in 1971.

Three Walking Tours Explore History of CALS at University of Wisconsin-Madison

The College of Agricultural and Life Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison posted an article by Stephanie Hoff, "CALS walking tours communicate history through present-day technology," on the development of three walking tours exploring the history of the college. 

The walking tours were initially available as print brochures and are now available on the PocketSights smartphone app and PocketSights.com.

The campus walking tours include:

• Henry Mall Tour
• CALS campus (west)
• CALS campus (east)

You can also view a short YouTube video, "CALS Tour of Plaques," featuring historical markers commemorating CALS’ major discoveries and achievements.

Successful Administrator of Milton College Preservation Society Retires

Rebecca Kanable reports in the Milton (WI) Courier, "Milton College Preservation Society admin to retire," on the commitment of Judy Scheehle to the legacy of Milton College.

I've admired the work of Scheehle and other volunteers from afar for several years as the Milton College Preservation Society has worked successfully to both preserve the history of Milton College in Milton, WI and find alternative ways to use the former campus as a community resource.  Maintaining interest in the history of a closed college for several decades requires a lot of creative energy and Scheehle has built a good foundation for the future.

You can also read earlier College History Garden posts on Milton College:

• The former Milton College in Wisconsin is Featured from Februrary 19, 2017 
• Milton College (Wisconsin) from August 22, 2010

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore, WI is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding in 1967.  The institution was initially known as the Southwest Wisconsin Vocational-Technical Institute.  You can visit Southwest Tech's web pages to see a brief historical sketch or scan the 50th anniversary magazine.

Honoring the Service of Sister Joel Read at Alverno College

The Alverno College Archives (@AlvernoArchives) issued an invitation to an exhibit on the campus dedicated to the life of Sister Joel Read who served as president of the college from 1968-2003.  She was widely known across the higher education community for her leadership.

The archives also prepared a companion document, "Remembering Sister Joel Read, S.S.S.F.," with 32 pages of images and text representing key aspects of her service to students at Alverno, the School Sisters of Saint Francis, the people of Milwaukee, and many others across the country. 

Alverno College Provides Easy Access to Historical Resources

The Alverno College library offers an interesting library guide, "130 Years and Counting!" that uses Alverno's eight presidents as a way to organize the institution's history.  

Links in the lower right hand corner of the page also provide easy access for site visitors to seek more information.  Ask the Archivist brings up a web form for emailing questions or you can follow the link to the Archives web pages for a variety of other institutional information:

• Current Exhibits
• Timeline of Alverno History
• Moments in Alverno History
• On This Day at Alverno

Historical Sketch of Manitowoc Teachers' College, 1901-1970

The Manitowac (WI) Herald-Times features an interesting article, "Manitowoc Teachers' College legacy looms," providing a brief historical overview of an educational institution that prepared teachers for seven decades from 1901-1971.  Amy Meyer, Executive Director of the Manitowoc County Historical Society is the author and she indicates that the historical society maintains an extensive collection of photographs and other documents on the college.

The former Milton College in Wisconsin is Featured

The former Milton College in Milton, WI is featured in an article written by Jim Dayton, "Milton's historical landmarks face uncertain future," in the February 19, 2017 issue of the GazetteXtra.  Dayton provides a brief historical sketch of the college and highlights the financial struggle of maintaining the property.

The roots of Milton College can be traced to establishment of the Du Lac Academy.  It later became the Milton Academy and later Milton College in 1867.  The web site of the Milton College Preservation Society at www.miltoncollege.org includes information on history, preservation of Main Hall, photos, items for sale, and contact information for obtaining transcripts.

The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Celebrates Centennial

Emily Miels reports for the Eau Claire (WI) Leader-Telegram on the history of the institution and activities planned this fall in "100 years of 'Excellence': UW-Eau Claire celebrates centennial."

The institution was founded in 1916 as Eau Claire State Normal School.  The name changed to Eau Claire State Teachers College in 1927.  It changed again in 1951 to Wisconsin State College at Eau Claire, to Wisconsin State University-Eau Claire in 1964, and to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1971.

Remembering Racine-Kenosha Teachers College, 1917-1970

Dustin Safranek of The Journal Times in Racine, WI reports on efforts by Kenosha County and Racine to train teachers in the early 1900s in, "Former Racine-Kenosha Teachers College celebrating centennial."  The Racine-Kenosha Teachers College operated from 1917-1970 and was one of twenty-one other teachers colleges across the state offering two year programs.  It also had the largest enrollment by the mid-1960s.  The institution closed after a decision by the state legislature in 1971 requiring a four year baccalaureate degree for certification.

Milwaukee History: Milwaukee Downer College

WTMJ's Mary Franzen reports in "Milwaukee History: A college for women" on the history of what became Milwaukee Downer College.  The institution served women for many years and merged in 1964 with Lawrence College in Appleton, WI to become Lawrence University.

You can also visit an earlier post on the College History Garden that provides links to print and video resources available through Lawrence University with more details of Milwaukee Downer's history and that of its predecessor institutions.

Lakeland College will become Lakeland University

The Mirror at Lakeland College in Plymouth, WI reports on the change in name to Lakeland University on July 1, 2016.  Reporter Peter Ludolph also provides details of changes for the institutional structure to create three schools, The School of Business and Entrepreneurship, The School of Science, Technology and Education, and The School of Humanities and Fine Arts.

A previous post on the College History Garden provides links to historical resources developed for Lakeland's sesquisentennial.

Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD will become Augustana University

Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD announced on August 21, 2015 that it will become Augustana University on September 1, 2015.  Augustana is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America [ELCA]. The institution has a fascinating history that dates from 1835 and the founding of Hillsboro Academy in Hillsboro, IL.  

Christy Olsen Field of the Norwegian American Weekly offered a brief historical sketch noting that Augustana College, "...traces its roots to the Hillsboro Academy in Hillsboro, Ill. in 1835. A Scandinavian Lutheran group changed the name in 1846 to “The Literary and Theological Institute of the Lutheran Church of the Far West.” The school later moved to Springfield, Ill., where it became known as Illinois State University...Due to doctrinal differences, Professor Lars Paul Esbjorn and a group of followers moved to Chicago in 1860 to establish the Augustana College and Seminary. In the 1860s, the fledgling college was caught up in the westward movement of pioneers, moving its location to Paxton, Ill. in 1863; Marshall, Wis. in 1869; Beloit, Iowa in 1881; and to Canton, S.D. in 1884...Meanwhile, the Lutheran Normal School for educating teachers opened in Sioux Falls, S.D., in 1889. In 1918, synod officials felt that two institutions so close together —approximately 20 miles— was not cost-effective, and therefore merged Augustana College in Canton with the Lutheran Normal School in Sioux Falls under the name Augustana College. After the merger, the school site in Canton became the Augustana Academy (no affiliation with the college), and closed in 1971. Augustana College identifies 1860 as its founding date along with its sister-school, Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill. Those familiar with the two institutions, often refer to Augustana, Rock Island as the Swedish Lutheran school while Augustana in Sioux Falls is known as the Norwegian Lutheran school."