Wheelock College

Lucy Wheelock

In 1888, Lucy Wheelock began a kindergarten teacher training class[10][11] at the former Chauncy-Hall School (now Chapel Hill – Chauncy Hall School).[12] She started this school in part to train teachers for Boston's immigrant populations.[10] In 1892, the Wheelock Alumnae Association was formed.[13] The following year, the program was extended to two years.[14]

In 1896, Wheelock established her own school, The Wheelock School.[14] The school moved to 284 Dartmouth Street and had a dormitory system.[15] In 1899, the program was expanded to begin training teachers of primary grades.[14] In 1914, the school moved to the Riverway in Boston.[11]

In 1939, Lucy Wheelock retired from the school after 50 years as director.[11] That same year, the Wheelock School was incorporated as the nonprofit Wheelock College.[11] The Lucy Wheelock Child Center also opened in Roxbury that year.[16][17] In 1940, Dr. Winifred Bain became president of the college.[18] In 1941, the college petitioned the state to be allowed to grant bachelor's degrees in education.[19]

In 1952, Wheelock College got approval from the Board of Collegiate Authority of Massachusetts Department of Education award master's and Phd degrees.[20] Dr. Winifred Bain retired in 1955 and was succeeded by Dr. Frances McClellan Mayfarth.[18] By this time, Wheelock was accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.[21] In 1966, Dr. Margaret H. Merry was appointed president.[22]

In 1971, Dr Merry left her post as president.[23] Between 1971 and 1973, the school had three presidents, Dr. Donald R. Cruickshank,[23] Dr. William L. Irvine,[24] and Dr. Gordon L. Marshall.[25]

The Wheelock Family Theatre opened in 1981 and held its first production, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[26] In 1983, Gordon Marshall retired and Dr. Daniel S. Cheever, Jr. became President of the college.[27] In 1984, the college awarded its first Bachelor of Social Work degree.[28]

In 1991, Gerald Tirozzi replaced Daniel Cheever as president.[29] In 1992, the Center for International Education, Leadership, and Innovation was opened.[30] Tirozzi resigned as president in 1993 and Marjorie Bakken was named Acting President.[31] She was formally inaugurated as president the following year.[32] In 1994, Wheelock College joined the Colleges of the Fenway consortium.[11]

In 2004, Jackie Jenkins-Scott became the 13th president of Wheelock College.[33][34] In 2005, Wheelock College and Jumpstart began a partnership, providing students with a field experience opportunity to mentor children in Roxbury.[35]

In 2012, Wheelock launched an online master's program.[36] In 2015, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges released a report that found that Wheelock's administration lacked financial transparency and didn't have enough professors.[11] The report stated that the college needed at least 15 additional instructors to handle the school's course load.[11] Eighteen staff members left the college that year and some professors cited concerns that the college had become less academically selective.[11] In 2016, Dr. David J. Chard began his term as president of Wheelock College.[37]

In 2017, Wheelock College entered into discussions with Boston University with the goal of merging Wheelock with BU.[37] The two schools merged on June 1, 2018.[38]

The principal undergraduate academic units of Wheelock College were the Professional majors and the Arts and Sciences majors.[39]

• 65% of undergraduates lived on campus.[7]
• 28 registered clubs and organizations, including a Student Government Association and individual class councils[7]
• The Campus Center building was LEED-certified and contained a new student center, dining hall, and residence hall with suite-style accommodations for 108 students. It reportedly had "magnificent views of Boston."[43]
• Student Policy Fellows Program helped students to develop their leadership, advocacy, and policy skills through a seminar and a field placement with a state legislator.

Community service

Wheelock Family Theatre

• Wheelock students provided an estimated 193,000 hours of service annually to the community through field experiences in more than 280 organizations.[44]
• The Wheelock Mattahunt Community Partnership was a partnership between the City of Boston, the Mattapan community, and Wheelock College. Wheelock College was awarded the 2012 John Blackburn Award from The American Association of University Administrators for its work at the Mattahunt Community Center.[45]
• 100% of all graduate social work students completed at least 1,200 hours in community settings during their academic program.[46]
• 100% of the 26 clubs on campus participated in or initiate community service programs.[46]
• In 2011, The Center of Excellence for Military Children and Families was established by Wheelock College in collaboration with the Massachusetts National Guard and the Military Child Education Coalition to draw attention to the many services available to aid military children and families, maximizing the visibility of military support systems and offering the resources of the Wheelock community to military families.[47]
• Through its major productions, school and community partnerships, and educational programs, the professional Wheelock Family Theatre made theatre accessible and affordable to more than 35,000-40,000 people annually.

The Wheelock Wildcats participated in eleven NCAA Division III sports, competing in the New England Collegiate Conference.[7]

Women's athletic teams:

• Basketball
• Cross-country
• Field hockey
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Softball
• Track & field

Men's athletic teams:

• Basketball
• Cross-country
• Lacrosse
• Tennis
• Soccer
• Track & field
• Volleyball

In addition to the varsity teams, there were intramural competitions between the Colleges of the Fenway.

• Judith Black, storyteller, studied education at Wheelock[50]
• Philip R. Craig, author of the J.W. Jackson series; a professor at Wheelock College from 1965 until retiring to become a full-time writer in 1999[51]
• Kayla Drescher, magician, won David Copperfield’s “Search for the Next Great Magician"[52][53]
• Margaret Hamilton, actress most famous for her role as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz[54][55]
• Plum Johnson, Canadian writer and publisher; won the RBC Taylor Prize in 2015[56]
• Kathryn Lasky, writer for children and adults[57]
• Deborah A. Miranda, Native American writer and poet[58]
• Eleanor Emlen Myers, archaeologist[59]
• Gilda E. Nardone (M.S. educational administration), women's employment advocate and nonprofit director[60]
• Mimi Stewart, politician; Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing District 21 since January 1995[61]
• Elaine Macmann Willoughby, educator and writer of children's books; graduated in 1949[62] as vice-president of her class

• Bank Street College of Education
• Erikson Institute
• Pacific Oaks College