McBride, Katharine Elizabeth

Katharine Elizabeth McBride was born in Philadelphia in 1904. She received her B.A., M.A., and PhD in psychology from Bryn Mawr College in 1925, 1927, and 1932, respectively. She joined the Bryn Mawr faculty in 1935 in the fields of education and psychology. From 1940 to 1942 she was dean at Radcliffe College. In 1942 she became president of Bryn Mawr College, a position she held for twenty-eight years.

McBride presided over a period of significant expansion at Bryn Mawr. Enrollment grew, particularly at the graduate level, and the curriculum was enlarged. The college's physical plant also grew during her administration with the construction or acquisition of many new buildings.

McBride also participated in many national, state and local organizations concerned with education policy. She served on the Pennsylvania State Board of Education from 1963 to 1967. She was also a trustee of seven educational facilities, including the University of Pennsylvania and Radcliffe. She died in 1976.

From the guide to the Katharine Elizabeth McBride Papers, 1942-1976, (Bryn Mawr College)