Wheaton College (Massachusetts)

Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachusetts. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary, Wheaton became a college in 1912 and began admitting men in 1988. The college is known for its strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, and experiential education.

History

Wheaton College was founded in 1834 as Wheaton Female Seminary by Mary Lyon, an early advocate for women’s education, and Eliza Baylies Wheaton, who named the school in honor of her late husband, Laban Wheaton. The seminary aimed to provide women with an education equivalent to that available to men at the time. It was one of the first institutions in the United States to offer higher education to women.

In 1912, the seminary was chartered as a college and began granting bachelor’s degrees. Wheaton College remained a women’s college until 1988 when it became coeducational. Since then, it has continued to grow, offering a wide range of majors and programs, and attracting students from across the United States and around the world.

Campus

Wheaton College’s 400-acre campus is located in the small town of Norton, Massachusetts, approximately 40 miles south of Boston and 20 miles north of Providence, Rhode Island. The campus features a mix of historic and modern buildings, including the Mary Lyon Hall, the school’s first academic building, and the modern Mars Science Center.

The campus is also home to a number of art galleries, performance spaces, and athletic facilities, including the Haas Athletic Center and the Beard and Weil Galleries. The college’s Eliza Wheaton Conservatory is a designated historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Academics

Wheaton College offers more than 100 majors and minors, with a strong emphasis on liberal arts education. The college is known for its interdisciplinary programs, such as its Connections curriculum, which encourages students to link different fields of study. Popular majors include psychology, biology, economics, English, and political science.

Student Life

Wheaton College has a student body with students from nearly every state in the U.S. and over 70 countries. The college offers a wide range of student organizations, including cultural clubs, performing arts groups, and community service initiatives. Greek life is not present at Wheaton.

The college’s athletic teams, known as the Lyons, compete in the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) at the NCAA Division III level. Wheaton offers a variety of varsity sports, including soccer, basketball, swimming, and softball.

Notable alumni

Lesley Stahl, journalist and correspondent for 60 Minutes
Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey
Catherine Keener, Academy Award-nominated actress
Wilfred Feinberg, former Senior Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

References

Hamilton, Robert (1957). Wheaton College, 1834-1957: A History. Wheaton College Press. ISBN 1-55553-555-1.

History of Wheaton College.

External links