Edgewood College Informations

Edgewood College is a private Dominican liberal arts college in Madison, Wisconsin. The college occupies a 55 acres (22 ha) campus overlooking the shores of Lake Wingra.

The college has an undergraduate liberal arts curriculum, with nursing, educational, and business tracks, an art therapy program, and refresher courses for IT professionals. Master's programs in business, education, nursing, marriage and family therapy, and sustainability leadership are offered as are two doctoral programs, an Ed.D. in educational leadership and a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) in leadership.

The Edgewood College property was bought in 1855 by Mr. Ashmead from Governor Leonard J. Farwell, and later developed by Samuel Marshall. He beautified the land by planting trees, formal gardens, and climbing grapevines on trellises. Governor Cadwallader Washburn purchased Edgewood villa in 1873, making it his home. Later he donated it to the Dominican Sisters for educational purposes.

In 1881, St. Regina Academy, a private boarding school for girls, was opened, and on September 15, the first 16 boarding and day students were welcomed. During the first years of the school, tuition was $165 per year and music lessons an additional $8 to $12 per quarter.

In 1893, because of increased growth, construction of a new building was undertaken. It incorporated a granite cornerstone inscribed with the word "Veritas," ("truth"), the motto of the Dominicans. Shortly after its completion, on the night of November 16, a devastating fire took the lives of three of the youngest children attending Regina Academy. The villa and a nearly completed new building were also destroyed. The future of the school was in doubt after this fatal fire, but the Sisters were determined to “stick and hang”. A benefit concert was quickly organized by friends of the Dominican Sisters at the Fuller Opera House on the Capitol Square the night of November 28; the success of the benefit inspired the Sisters to rebuild at once.

Rebuilding started in 1894, at a cost of $36,719. The new school, now called Sacred Heart Academy, admitted its first 40 students on September 5, 1894 (Paynter 1,21,23,26). The campus was subsequently expanded to include a high school and an elementary school, both of which are still in operation. In 1927, Edgewood staff requested support for the academic recognition of a junior college for women in Madison from the President of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In May, 1927, they received approval for the college. Because student enrollment continued to increase, a new building was completed in 1927.

Edgewood Junior College opened September 4, 1927, with the enrollment of 12 women. Sister Grace James was the first prioress and principal; each prioress was also the “president” of the college. Mathematics, English, art history, music, philosophy, speech, religion, biology, French, Latin, Greek, and German were offered. Tuition was less than $600 a year (Paynter 31,32) (Gilligan 39). Opening as a college allowed the school to grant diplomas, degrees and distinctions for proficiency in the arts and sciences. As a junior college, Edgewood offered a two-year program in liberal arts. The second year saw 14 women enrolled as freshmen and eight as sophomores. In the next decade, enrollment averaged about 30 students per year and change came slowly because of the Great Depression. During the period from 1927 to 1940, the development of Edgewood College was closely connected to the high school, as the organizations shared facilities, services, and faculties.

Thirteen years after Edgewood Academy became Edgewood Junior College, it became a four-year college. In 1941, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction granted one-year approval for the college to award Bachelor of Science in Education degrees in 1942. During the spring of 1942, Edgewood College received accreditation from the University of Wisconsin; in June of the same year, the first 25 students received their Bachelor of Science degrees in Education.

The college grew slowly, attracting a few young women to its four-year program. It saw an influx of older students, however; many Dominican Sisters chose to earn degrees in elementary education. The college's summer sessions also attracted students, climaxing in the summers of 1943 and 1944 with the presence of the world-renowned musician Nadia Boulanger of the Ecole Normale in Paris. In 1948 the first international students were enrolled: two from Shanghai, China; one from Cali, Colombia; and one from Arequipa, Peru. The first two African-American students were admitted in the 1949-50 school year, and the first African-American faculty member, Sharon Wexler, was hired in 1956.

In August 1950, Sister Mary Nona McGreal was appointed president of the college and prioress of the Sisters. A new academic criterion was adopted in 1950-1951: seniors were administered the Graduate Record Examination and sophomores a series of tests from the American Council on Education. Several campus organizations, including Kappa Gamma Pi, the national Catholic Honor and Activity Society, were also established in 1951. Meanwhile, more students with different backgrounds and cultures enrolled in the College: black students, Vietnamese, Hondurans, Germans, and Colombians. Additionally, the college began in 1951 to assist in students’ preparation as teachers of Saturday classes to involve them in catechetical instruction in the parishes of the Diocese. Edgewood's chorus also formed a broadcast choir to present live programs for the Madison Catholic Hour.

In 1954 the college began for the first time to receive its share from the Wisconsin Foundation of Independent Colleges (later the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (WAICU)), where Sister Nona held the presidency from 1966 to 1968. The fund allowed Edgewood to expand campus space for academy and students’ activities. Edgewood was steadily expanding, adding new buildings and extensions through the support of congregations, alumni, and other donors. Edgewood Campus School, designed as a grade school, was built during this period. In 1955, a new addition (“Marshall Junior”) was built to adjoin the east and south sides of Marshall Hall. Mazzuchelli Biological Station was completed on the shores of Lake Wingra in 1956.

The College held membership in the Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges (CASC) to collaborate with other colleges on a national level. In 1959, Edgewood joined the Association of American Colleges, which further enhanced its opportunities for accreditation. Two years later, the College was recognized by the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE); this was finally formalized in May 1962.

In 1950, there were 84 full-time students and a total enrollment of 142. By 1966, there were 744 full-time students, and a total enrollment of 1,067. The faculty profile also changed from an almost exclusive roster of Dominican Sisters to a more diverse assortment. In 1954, for the first time, the college faculty was officially separated from the high school faculty. In 1955, there were 12 full-time faculty; ten years later there were 67.

In February 1968, Sister Cecilia was appointed president. Under her leadership a new curriculum reduced the number of semester hours required for graduation from 128 to 120; changed courses on two-credit and four-credit basis; and revised the core requirements for humanities, natural sciences, social science, religious studies and studio arts. In the next year, a continuing education program in day and evening schedules was begun and quickly grew from fewer than 100 students to over 500 in 1977.

In the winter of 1970, a major decision was made—Edgewood College became co-ed. This helped increase enrollment and strongly increased sports participation.

Meanwhile, the Associate of Arts two-year program was re-instated in 1974. The Educational Development Committee of the College proposed a Human Issues program in 1975, requiring students to complete a "human issues experience" before qualifying for graduation.

During the presidency of Sister Alice O’Rourke, Edgewood faced numerous challenges, including the declining enrollment of traditional-age college students and cost increases. To alleviate the financial burden, the college initiated a significant fund-raising program in the late 1970s to celebrate the campus centennial year 1981 (campaign "Edgewood Century II"). Meanwhile, the nursing program received $146,800 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement its first year project. In the same year $61,000 was granted by the National Science Foundation to strengthen undergraduate science education.

In 1979, some new programs began: a baccalaureate program in nursing, a weekend degree program for business majors, a "Communication Skills" component of the new general education requirements, and an "Education for Parish Service" by the Religious Studies department. Even though the college had an enrollment of 479 in 1978-1979, enrollment was up to 667 in 1982 as the new programs began. In December 1983, the baccalaureate nursing program was accredited by the National League of Nursing. In 1985, faculty formalized a new interdisciplinary academic program when the Women's Studies minor was approved. The North Central Association approved the master's degree programs in business, education, and religious studies in 1986.

In 1983, when Sister Mary Ewens became the president of Edgewood College, she dealt with budget deficits, causing the elimination of the position of the Human Issues director, the athletic director, the inter-collegiate department program, and all theater courses and student productions. Over the next few years, the college received many sustaining gifts and donations from companies and foundations, with the largest donation of $50,000 coming from the Oscar Rennebohm Foundation in 1985.

In 1988, for the first time in the school's history, a president was selected who was neither female nor a Dominican Sister: James Ebben. During his tenure, the gym was renovated to meet minimum requirements for capacity and court length, and renamed the Todd Wehr Edgedome to honor its primary donor; this coincided with plans to rebuild the college's athletic program. At the same time, relationships with neighborhood associations, the community and the other Edgewood schools were gradually established or restored.

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