Barnard College

Founding Barnard College of Columbia University Main Entrance Gate From its founding in 1754 until the mid-1980s, Columbia College of Columbia University admitted only men for undergraduate study. [ 6 ] Barnard College was founded in 1889 as a response to Columbia's refusal to admit women. Classes took place in a rented brownstone at 343 Madison Avenue, where a faculty of six offered instruction to 36 students. [ 7 ] The college was named after Frederick Augustus Porter Barnard , a deaf American educator and mathematician who later served as Columbia's president for over twenty years. He advocated for coeducational settings and proposed in 1879 that Columbia admit women. [ 8 ] Columbia's Board of Trustees repeatedly rejected Barnard's suggestion, [ 8 ] but in 1883 agreed to create a syllabus that would allow the college's students to receive degrees. The first such graduate received her bachelor's degree in 1887. A former student of the program, Annie Meyer , [ 9 ] and other prominent New York women persuaded the board in 1889 to create a women's college connected to Columbia. [ 8 ] [ 10 ] Men and women were evenly represented among the founding trustees of Barnard College. [ 11 ] : 212

When Columbia University announced in 1892 its impending move to Morningside Heights, Barnard built a new campus nearby with gifts from Mary E. Brinckerhoff, Elizabeth Milbank Anderson and Martha Fiske. [ 12 ] Two of these gifts were made with several stipulations attached. Brinckerhoff insisted that Barnard acquire land within 1,000 feet of the Columbia campus within the next four years. [ 13 ] The Barnard trustees purchased land between 119th–120th Streets after receiving funds for that purpose in 1895. [ 14 ] [ 15 ] Anderson requested that Charles A. Rich be hired. [ 16 ] Rich designed the Milbank, Brinckerhoff, and Fiske Halls , built in 1897–1898; [ 16 ] these were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. [ 17 ] The first classes at the new campus were held in 1897. Despite Brinckerhoff's, Anderson's, and Fiske's gifts, Barnard remained in debt. [ 12 ] Ella Weed supervised the college in its first four years; Emily James Smith succeeded her as Barnard's first dean. [ 8 ] Jessica Finch is credited with coining the phrase current events while teaching at Barnard College in the 1890s. [ 18 ] The college received the three blocks south of 119th Street from Anderson in 1903. [ 19 ] [ 20 ] Rich provided a master plan for the campus, but only Brooks Hall was built, being constructed between 1906 and 1908. [ 21 ] [ 22 ] None of Rich's other plans was carried out. Students' Hall , now known as Barnard Hall, was built in 1916 to a design by Arnold Brunner . [ 23 ] Hewitt Hall was the last structure to be erected, in 1926–1927. [ 22 ] All three buildings were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. [ 17 ] [ 24 ] By the mid-20th century, Barnard had succeeded in its original goal of providing a top-tier education to women. Between 1920 and 1974, only the much larger Hunter College and University of California, Berkeley produced more women graduates who later received doctorates.

[ 25 ] In the 1970s, Barnard faced considerable pressure to merge with male only Columbia College, which was fiercely resisted by its president, Jacquelyn Mattfeld . [ 26 ]

List of presidents and deans of Barnard College from 1889 to present: [ 27 ] [ 28 ] [ 29 ] [ 30 ] More information Image, President ... Number "}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"No."},"2":{"wt":"Number"}},"i":0}}]}">No. Image President Term started Term ended References "}]],"parts":[{"template":{"target":{"wt":"abbr","href":"./Template:Abbr"},"params":{"1":{"wt":"Refs."},"2":{"wt":"References"}},"i":0}}]}">Refs. Chair of the academic committee of Barnard College (1889–1894) 1 Ella Weed 1889 January 10, 1894 [ a ] Deans of Barnard College (1894–1952) 2 Emily James Smith Putnam May 11, 1894 February 1, 1900 3 Laura Drake Gill January 1901 June 1907 interim Willian Tenney Brewster 1907 1911 4 Virginia Gildersleeve February 1911 1947 Presidents of Barnard College (1952–present) 5 Millicent McIntosh 1947 June 1962 6 Rosemary Park July 1962 June 1967 interim Henry Boorse [ b ] July 1967 November 1967 7 Martha Peterson November 1967 May 1975 [ c ] interim Leroy Breunig [ d ] May 1975 June 1976 8 Jacquelyn Mattfeld June 1976 May 29, 1980 acting Ellen V. Futter 1980 April 1981 9 April 1981 October 1993 [ e ] interim Kathryn Rodgers July 1993 April 1994 10 Judith R. Shapiro July 1, 1994 June 30, 2008 [ 31 ] [ 32 ] 11 Debora L. Spar [ f ] July 1, 2008 March 5, 2017 [ 33 ] [ 34 ] interim Robert Goldberg March 6, 2017 June 30, 2017 12 Sian Beilock July 1, 2017 June 11, 2023 [ g ] [ 35 ] [ 36 ] 13 Laura Rosenbury June 12, 2023 present [ 37 ] [ 38 ] Close Table notes: [a] Died in office [b] Dean of Faculty [c] Resigned to lead Beloit College. [d] Dean of Faculty [e] Resigned to lead the American Museum of Natural History. [f] Resigned to lead the Lincoln Center. [g] Resigned to lead Dartmouth College.