Mount Vernon College

Mount Vernon Seminary and Junior College moved from its Nebraska Avenue location in 1942 to make way for the United States Navy, and remained in temporary quarters in the Spring Valley neighborhood until 1946, when it reopened at 2100 Foxhall Road. This collection documents the Foxhall Road campus with photos of students, campus events, and buildings from 1946 to 1999, when the college and its campus became part of The George Washington University. It also includes some documents such as minutes, correspondence, and clippings that date as early as 1940.

From the description of Mount Vernon Seminary and College Foxhall Road Campus Collection, 1940-1999. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 704264002

The Mount Vernon Seminary was officially established by Elizabeth Somers in 1875; she named it after her brother's church in Baltimore, Mount Vernon Place Methodist. The Seminary began as a six year preparatory school, with four years of high school level classes, and two years of post-high school curriculum, calling it a ⁰́₋Family and Day School for Young Ladies.⁰́₊ In order to graduate, students had to complete a formal process of ⁰́₋Senior Essays⁰́₊ 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. In the 1920 graduating class, eight women continued their education at universities such as the University of Wisconsin, Stanford, Northwestern and the University of Texas; by 1923 graduates were going to such other prestigious universities as UC-Berkeley, Columbia, Cornell, Smith College and the University of Chicago. Such advancements in higher education were uncommon for women of the day, but Mount Vernon was one of the premier preparatory institutions in the country.In 1927, Mount Vernon established a Junior College, and with its establishment, students no longer had to complete six years of courses to receive a diploma; they graduated from the Seminary after four years and could continue on to the Junior College for two more years of college preparation. After World War II began, the U.S. Navy took over the campus as a part of the war effort; in 1945 the school purchased 21 acres on Foxhall Road and surrounding areas, and had applied for accreditation to award Associates of Arts Degrees after completing two years of the Junior College. 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; in 1999 the last class of Mount Vernon College graduated. 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 Commencement Collection 1877-1999 1877 - 1999. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 711788913