'Wellesley College' is a
women's liberal arts college that opened in
1875, founded by
Henry Fowle Durant and his wife Pauline Fowle Durant. Today, the mission of the college is to "provide an excellent
liberal arts education for women who will make a difference in the world." The college's motto, "''Non Ministrari sed Ministrare''" (not to be ministered unto but to minister), reflects this purpose.
Overview
Situated in
Wellesley, Massachusetts (13 miles west of
Boston), Wellesley College grants four-year baccalaureate degrees and is one of the original
Seven Sisters. Approximately 2,300 students attend the school. Based on rankings by ''
U.S. News & World Report'', Wellesley consistently ranks among the top five liberal arts colleges in the United States, and is the highest ranking women's college in this category.
The current president of Wellesley College is Kim Bottomly, formerly of Yale University.
[1]. The previous president was Diana Chapman Walsh, class of
1966. Throughout its history, the college has always had female presidents.
According to
admissions literature, classes at Wellesley range from 12 to 24 students in size, and there are approximately 9 students for every faculty member. Wellesley's libraries contain over 1.5 million catalogued books, journals, media recordings, maps, and other items.
As of
2005, the endowment for the college was about $1.276 billion. Wellesley has a generous financial aid policy. More than half of all students receive some form of financial aid and the institution has capabilities to provide 100% aid to those in need.
Wellesley is one of only a few colleges or universities to meet 100% of a student's demonstrated financial need.
Wellesley's last fundraising campaign, in
2005, set a record for liberal arts colleges with a total of $472.3 million, 18.1% more than the goal of $400 million. According to data compiled by
The Chronicle of Higher Education, Wellesley’s campaign total is the largest of any liberal arts college.
The college also has a special program for non-traditionally aged women, called Davis Scholars. The program allows women who, for various reasons, were unable to start or complete a bachelor's degree, to attend Wellesley.
The college is renowned for the picturesque beauty of its 500-acre (2 km²) campus which includes Lake Waban, evergreen and deciduous woodlands and open meadows.
Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., Boston's preeminent landscape architect at the beginning of the 20th century, described Wellesley's landscape as "not merely beautiful, but with a marked individual character not represented so far as I know on the ground of any other college in the country."
Wellesley and MIT were the two primary institutions Benson Snyder studied in ''
The Hidden Curriculum'' (
1970), in which he concludes that a mass of unstated requirements and expectations thwarts students' ability to think creatively or develop independently.
For a long time, Wellesley has produced more women in top positions in Corporate America than any other college or university, according to an article in the New York Times in 1995 (see reference below). They included Lois Juliber, then at Colgate, Marion O. Sandler, then at Golden West Financial, Ellen Marram, then at Seagram's Beverage Group, and Donna Ecton, then at Business Mail Express. Sheila Wellington was, at the time, president of Catalyst, the women's advocacy and research group.
History
Founded by Henry and Pauline Fowle Durant, the charter for Wellesley College was signed on March 17, 1870 by Massachusetts Governor
William Claflin. The original name of the College was the Wellesley Female Seminary, and the renaming to Wellesley College was approved by the Massachusetts legislature on March 7, 1873. Opening day was September 8, 1875.
The first president was
Ada Howard. There have been eleven subsequent presidents:
Alice Elvira Freeman Palmer, Helen Almira Shafer, Julia Josephine Thomas Irvine, Caroline Hazard, Ellen Fitz Pendleton,
Mildred H. McAfee (later Mildred McAfee Horton), Margaret Clapp, Ruth M. Adams, Barbara Wayne Newell, Nannerl Overholser Keohane (later the president of
Duke University from 1993-2004), and most recently Diana Chapman Walsh. On April 28, 2006, President Walsh announced that she will be leaving Wellesley as of June 2007.
[2]
The original architecture of the College consisted of one very large building, College Hall, which was approximately 150 meters in length, and up to five stories in height. Until 1914, it was both a principal academic building and a principal residential building. On March 17, 1914 (in the third year of the presidency of Ellen Fitz Pendleton) College Hall was destroyed by fire. The precise cause of the fire was never officially established. The fire was first noticed by students who lived on the fourth floor near the zoology laboratory. It has been suggested that an electrical or chemical accident in this laboratory triggered the fire. In particular, the fire may have been started by an electrical incubator used in the breeding of beetles. A group of student residence halls called the Tower Court Complex (made up of Claflin Hall, Severance Hall, and Tower Court) are located on top of the hill where the old College Hall once stood. Wellesley is also home to Green Hall, the only building bearing the name of famed miser,
Hetty Green. Green Hall is home to Galen L. Stone Tower, in which is housed a 32-bell
Carillon.
Student life
The College has approximately 170 student organizations, ranging from cultural and political organizations to community service,
campus radio, and
club sports. Leadership opportunities are plentiful whether in a formal role (like president of a student organization or a peer tutor or a first year mentor) or more informal (editor of a student publication or songmistress for one of Wellesley's many a cappella vocal groups).
Nearly all students live on campus in one of the 21 residence halls. Some cooperative housing is available. Wellesley offers housing for
Davis Scholars as well
[3], though not for their children or spouses, often causing great uproar on campus
[4].
For more than 30 years, Wellesley has had a cross-registration program with MIT. In recent years, cross-registration opportunities have expanded to include nearby
Babson College,
Brandeis University, and
Olin College of Engineering. To facilitate cross-registration, the College operates a bus to the
MIT campus in
Cambridge, Massachusetts as well as to the
Olin College campus in
Needham, Massachusetts.
There are several annual social events on campus, most notably the Tower Court mixer held the weekend before fall classes start, and the Dyke Ball, held annually (April 14th 2007). In recent years, the administration has made attempts to de-emphasize the role of alcohol-related social events on campus, and as a result, the Tower Court mixer has been eliminated and the Dyke Ball has been turned into a much smaller affair than in previous years.
Traditions
As is the case with many colleges, especially the
Seven Sisters, Wellesley College has many traditions. Each new fall semester is marked by a non-denominational service known as Flower Sunday. Upperclasswomen are matched up with first-years who become their "little sisters." On the morning of Flower Sunday, the older students give their little sisters flowers before the service. The "big sisters" often become friends and mentors to their "little sisters". While the service itself has changed over the years, today it consists of speeches made by the college president and deans, recitation of poetry, and several songs by the Wellesley College Choir. Additionally, student representatives from each of the many religious groups will present a short reading from their faith.
Hoop rolling is also a highly competitive tradition at the college. Each upperclasswoman has a wooden hoop, often passed down to her from her “big sister.” (Sometimes, a student puchases her hoop for ten dollars, from the Hoop, a student-run snackery.) Before graduation, the seniors, wearing their graduation robes, run a short race while rolling their hoops. The winner of the race is said to be the first woman in her class to achieve success however she defines it, though this title has changed through out time with periods including "to be the first CEO in her class" as well as other definitions. She is also awarded flowers by the college president, and then tossed into Lake Waban. The tossing of the winner into the lake began several decades ago when a
Harvard University male, dressed as a Wellesley student, won the race. When, upon his victory, it was discovered that he wasn’t a Wellesley student, he was thrown into the lake. The night before the race, many “little sisters” will camp out on the racecourse near the Library to save a good starting position for their “big sisters.”
Some other traditions include Step-singing, dorm and class crew races, Lake Day, and Marathon Monday. Each graduation class plants a tree during their sophomore year. “Class trees,” as they are called, can be found all over the campus, marked with each class’ year on a stone at the trees’ base.
Wellesley College’s crew team is known to be the first female collegiate crew team in the country. While today the team itself is a
NCAA varsity sport, crew is widely experienced by many students by their participation in dorm and class crew regattas.
Step-singing is one of the college’s oldest traditions and occurs multiple times throughout the year. Each graduation class has their own color (Purple, Red, Green, or Yellow). Students dress in their class' color and sing songs on the steps of the chapel. In-between some of the songs, the classes will shout cheers that make fun of the other classes.
Each fall, on a date that is not announced until the night before, students celebrate Lake day. The day consists of fun outdoor activities ranging from fried-dough stands to moonwalks and is deejayed by the college radio station, WZLY 91.5 FM.
One of the most popular traditions is the celebration of Marathon Monday which occurs on
Patriots Day each spring, and is highlighted by the
Boston Marathon. The marathon course passes the college, which marks its halfway point. Students line up along the street with posters and cheer for the runners. Since they are so loud, the students have created what is widely known as the “Wellesley Scream Tunnel.”
Every February, annually since 1970 three alumnae are honored at the Alumnae Achievement Awards for honoring themselves and Wellesley College through outstanding achievements in their respective fields.
Wellesley in popular culture
Literature
★ In
John Irving's novel ''
The World According to Garp'', the protagonist's mother, Jenny Fields, attended Wellesley but dropped out in an act of rebellion against her upper-class parents.
★ In
Francisco Goldman's novel ''The Long Night of White Chickens'', the character Flor de Mayo Puac, a
Guatemalan orphan who is adopted by a Jewish/Guatemalan family living in
Massachusetts, graduates from Wellesley.
★ It's allegedly the inspiration for Beardsley Women's College in
Vladimir Nabokov's novel ''
Lolita''.
Print media
★ A 2001 article in ''
Rolling Stone'' presented one journalist's view of sexual behavior among students.
[5]
Film
★ Wellesley is the college in which the
2003 film ''
Mona Lisa Smile'' was set; some of the outdoor scenes were filmed on campus.
★ Mentioned in the movie ''
Girl, Interrupted'' as the school Winona Ryder's character's former classmate will be attending instead of
Radcliffe.
★ Mentioned in the movie Slap Her, She's French in which a full ride to Wellesley College for a broadcasting major is offered to the competing contestants
★ Sigourney Weaver's character in the movie
Working Girl, Katherine Parker, is a graduate of Wellesley.
★ Kim Novac's character (a witch) from the 1958 film ''
Bell, Book and Candle'' claimed to be responsible for the "terrible thunder-storms" at Wellesley College while Gillian Holroyd and Merle Kittridge were students.
Television
★ The character of Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen) on ABC's "Boston Legal"
[6] is a Wellesley alumna.
★ ''
I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can'': an episode of ''
The Simpsons'' where
Lisa Simpson is tempted by the Siren-like representatives of the
Seven Sisters (and
George Plimpton), who offer a free ride to the Sister school of her choice (and a George Plimpton hot plate) if she will throw a Spelling Bee
[7].
★ ''
Little Big Girl'': an episode of ''
The Simpsons''
★ In an episode of
Family Guy, the character Meg said that she used to want to attend Wellesley, but that her mother told her she might as well buy some hiking boots and declare herself a lesbian right now.
★ The character of Phyllis Kroll (
Cybill Shepherd), a university chancellor on Showtime's
The L Word, attended Wellesley.
[8]
Notable alumnae and faculty
Main articles: List of Wellesley College people
A number of Wellesley alumnae have gone on to become notable in their respective fields. For example:
★
Madame Chiang Kai-shek (former First Lady of the
Republic of China)
★
Madeleine Albright was the first female
United States Secretary of State under the
Clinton Administration.
★
Hillary Rodham Clinton who was a
First Lady, is currently a
U.S. Senator, and has announced her bid for the
Democratic Party's nomination for President in 2008.
★
Nora Ephron, screenwriter.
★
Diane Sawyer, journalist.
★
Nannerl Overholser Keohane, President of Wellesley (1981-1992) and
Duke University (1993-2004)
★
Reena Raggi, federal judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
★
Elisabeth Shue, actress.
★
Laura Allen, television actress with roles on
All My Children and
Dirt TV series. In 2003, she appeared with
Julia Roberts in
Mona Lisa Smile.
★
Judith Martin, better known by the pen name Miss Manners, an American journalist, author, and etiquette authority.
★
Pamela Ann Melroy,
NASA Astronaut
★
Bing Xin, writer, novelist
★
Michelle Yip, actress in Hong Kong and China
★
Cokie Roberts, journalist
★
Vanessa Ruiz,
Associate Judge on the
District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the highest court in the
District of Columbia.
★
Lynn Sherr, broadcast journalist on ABC's
20/20
★
Natalie Sleeth,
composer.
★
Linda Wertheimer, radio journalist for
National Public Radio
★
Mildred Savage, writer, novelist
★
Patricia Zipprodt,
Tony Award-winning costume designer
Notable former faculty members include
Tom Lehrer,
Vladimir Nabokov and
Alice Walker.
External links
★
Wellesley College official web site
★
References
★
The Story of Wellesley, Converse, Florence, , , Little, Brown, and Company, 1915,
★
Wellesley College 1875-1975: A Century of Women, Glasscock, Jean et al. (Eds.), , , Wellesley College, 1975,
★
Wellesley: Part of the American Story, Hackett, Alice Payne, , , E.P. Dutton & Co, 1949,
★
Horowitz, Helen Lefkowitz. ''
Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth-Century Beginnings to the 1930s,'' Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1993 (2nd edition).
★
The Life of Henry Fowle Durant, Kingsley, Florence Morse, , , The Century Co, 1924,
★
Wellesley College Public Information
★ How to Succeed? Go to Wellesley by Judith H. Dobrzynski, The New York Times, Oct. 29, 1995
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