Wheaton College, Massachusetts
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| Motto | "That They May Have Life and Have it Abundantly" |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Established | 1834 as a female seminary, 1912 chartered as a four-year women's college |
| Endowment | $176 million (2013) |
| President | Dennis M. Hanno |
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Academic staff
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140 |
| Undergraduates | 1,600 |
| Location | Norton, Massachusetts, US |
| Campus | Suburban, Residential |
| Athletics | 21 sports teams |
| Nickname | Lyons |
| Website | wheatoncollege.edu |
| Wheaton College Lyons | |
|---|---|
| University | Wheaton College |
| Conference | NEWMAC |
| NCAA | Division III |
| Athletic director | John Sutyak '00 |
| Location | Norton, MA |
| Varsity teams | 21 |
| Basketball arena | Emerson Gymnasium |
| Other arenas | Beard Field House, Clark Recreation Center. Clark Softball Field, Clark Tennis Courts, Keefe Field, Christine Mirrione '99 Stadium, Diane C. Nordin Athletic Field. James V. Sidell Stadium, |
| Nickname | Lyons |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Website | athletics |
Wheaton College is a four-year, private liberal arts college with a student body of approximately 1,600. Wheaton's residential campus is located in Norton, Massachusetts, between Boston, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1834 as a female seminary, it is one of the oldest institutions of higher education for women in the United States. In 1912, the trustees officially changed the name of the institution to Wheaton College after receiving a college charter from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The school began admitting men in 1988, after more than 150 years as a female-only institution. Most classes are relatively small: the student-faculty ratio is 11:1 and the average class size is between 15 and 20.
In 1834, Eliza Wheaton Strong, the daughter of Judge Laban Wheaton, died at the age of thirty-nine. Eliza Baylies Chapin Wheaton, the judge's daughter-in-law, persuaded him to memorialize his daughter by founding a female seminary.
The family called upon noted women's educator Mary Lyon for assistance in establishing the seminary. Miss Lyon created the first curriculum with the goal that it be equal in quality to those of men's colleges. She also provided the first principal, Eunice Caldwell. Wheaton Female Seminary opened in Norton, Massachusetts on 22 April 1835, with 50 students and three teachers.
Mary Lyon and Eunice Caldwell left Wheaton to open Mount Holyoke Female Seminary in 1837 (now Mount Holyoke College). Following their departure, Wheaton endured a period of fluctuating enrollment and frequent changes in leadership until 1850, when Caroline Cutler Metcalf was recruited as the new principal. Mrs. Metcalf made the hiring of outstanding faculty her top priority, bringing in educators who encouraged students to discuss ideas rather than to memorize facts. The most notable additions to the faculty were Lucy Larcom, who introduced the study of English Literature and founded the student literary magazine The Rushlight; and Mary Jane Cragin, who used innovative techniques to teach geometry and made mathematics the favorite study of many students.
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