Colorado Women's College
Colorado Women's College was a division of the
History
Colorado Women's College was founded by the Rev. Robert Cameron, the pastor of Denver's First Baptist Church, who wished to open a women's college in the Western United States that would be equivalent to Vassar College in terms of prestige and academic offerings.
Incorporated in 1888, the college did not open until 21 years later. It received its accreditation from the
As a residential college, it had an active social life for students. The campus newspaper was titled The Western Graphic; other publications included yearbooks and scrapbooks. The college also offered sports including field hockey and basketball.
By the late 1970s, the college had experienced continued falling enrollment and funding, with higher education specialist Gary A. Knight deeming the college "financially desperate" and lacking enough prospective students, the "lifeblood" of the college, to sustain itself. In 1982, the college's assets were sold to the University of Denver, a private university that opened
In 2015, the University of Denver's chancellor, Rebecca Chopp, made the decision to discontinue the Colorado Women's College bachelor's degree program. Five years later, the university disbanded the Women's College and its remaining programs were reassigned to other university departments in the name of financial exigency.[1]
Notable alumni
- Rebecca Ann King, Miss America 1974
- Inupiaq language
- Cleo Parker Robinson, professional dancer
- Anna Jo Garcia Haynes, early childhood educator
- Inge Sargent, the last queen consort of Hsipaw State
References
- ^ "Reorganization of Colorado Women's College". December 16, 2020.