Mount Vernon Seminary

The Mount Vernon Seminary was officially established by Elizabeth Somers in 1875 with classes held at her residence on F Street; she named it after her brother's church in Baltimore, Mount Vernon Place Methodist. The Seminary began as a six year prepatory school, with four years of high school level classes, and two years of post-high school curriculum, calling it a "Family and Day School for Young Ladies." In order to graduate, students had to complete a formal process of "Senior Essays" in which they completed primary research and wrote on a current political or social topic, including such provocative issues as child labor, prohibition, poverty, and women's suffrage. Despite its expansion, by 1965 the Board of Trustees voted unanimously to dissolve the Seminary by 1969, as it could not financially support both institutions. During the 1960s, the Junior College developed new academic concentrations such as government, international relations and political science to reflect its location in the nation's capital. At the same time, it began to phase out its vocational training such as home economics and secretarial skills to make room for these higher education courses. By 1973, the Board of Higher Education licensed the college to award Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees such as Public Affairs, Government, Business Administration, Childhood, Special Education, and the Visual Arts, as well as honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and Juris Doctor Degrees; in 1976, the college received initial accreditation as a four-year college and was reaccredited ten years later. However, by 1996 the college announced a plan to affiliate with George Washington University and the last class of Mount Vernon College graduated in 1999. Today, as an affiliated campus of GWU, Mount Vernon offers special living accommodations, as well as learning and leadership programs for female students.

From the description of Mount Vernon Seminary and College Faculty Records, 1950-1999. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 758973842

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