Stephens College
Former names
Columbia Female Academy (1833–1856)
Columbia Female Baptist Academy (1856–1870)
TypePrivate women's college
Established1833 (1833)
PresidentDianne Lynch
Students593 (Fall 2021)[1]
Location
Columbia, Missouri
,
U.S.

38°57′00″N 92°19′21″W / 38.9500°N 92.3225°W / 38.9500; -92.3225
CampusUrban, 86-acre (35 ha)
ColorsMaroon & Gold
   
NicknameStars
Sporting affiliations
NAIA – American Midwest
Websitewww.stephens.edu

Stephens College is a private women's college in Columbia, Missouri. It is the second-oldest women's educational establishment that is still a women's college in the United States. It was founded on August 24, 1833, as the Columbia Female Academy. In 1856, David H. Hickman helped secure the college's charter under the name The Columbia Female Baptist Academy In the late 19th century it was renamed Stephens College after James L. Stephens endowed the college with $20,000. From 1937 to 1943, its Drama Department became renowned under its chairman and teacher, the actress Maude Adams, James M. Barrie's first American Peter Pan. The Warehouse Theater is the major performance venue for the college. The campus includes a National Historic District: Stephens College South Campus Historic District. It enrolled 593 students in Fall 2021.[2]

Location

Situated in the center of the state, Stephens is approximately 120 miles (193 km) from both Kansas City and St. Louis. Columbia is known as "College Town, USA" because of the 36,000 college students attending Stephens, the University of Missouri and Columbia College. The Stephens campus is near downtown Columbia.[3]

Academics

The college follows a liberal arts curriculum and has three schools: School of Health Sciences, Conservatory for the Performing Arts, and School of Integrative Studies [4]

In addition to undergraduate programs, Stephens offers the following graduate degrees: Master of Education in Counseling, Master of Fine Arts in Television and Screenwriting, and Master in Physician Assistant Studies.

Campus life

Stephens is one of four women's colleges, along with Bennett College, Spelman College, and Brenau University, to have sororities on its campus. Sigma Sigma Sigma and Kappa Delta, both of which are National Panhellenic Conference sororities, have on-campus chapters. The sororities are governed by the Panhellenic Council and the Junior Panhellenic Council. Stephens students can also join historically Black or Asian sororities at the nearby University of Missouri campus.

There are also about a dozen academic honor societies on campus: Mortar Board, Psi Chi, Alpha Lambda Delta, Sigma Tau Delta, Tri-Beta, Kappa Delta Pi, Phi Alpha Delta, and others. Although Stephens College is no longer a two-year institution, it is the location of the Alpha chapter of Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society of the Two-Year College.

The student newspaper is named Stephens Life and is online with a magazine printed once a semester. The college's literary magazine is named Harbinger and is released each spring.[5]

Stephens opened pet-friendly residence halls in 2004.[6] The college also allows students to foster shelter animals in exchange for scholarships.[7]

The Warehouse Theatre Company is a student-run playhouse on campus which stages an average of four different productions per academic season.

Citizen Jane Film Festival

Citizen Jane Film Festival

The Citizen Jane Film Festival was an annual film festival established at Stephens College. The festival was first held October 17–19, 2008. Films were chosen that showcased women behind and in front of the camera.[8] Though the festival has been discontinued, Citizen Jane continues in the form of a lecture series hosted by the Stephens College digital filmmaking program.

Athletics

The Stephens athletic teams are called the Stars. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the American Midwest Conference (AMC) since the 2008–09 academic year. The Stars previously competed as an NAIA Independent from 2004–05 to 2007–08. Prior joining the NAIA, Stephens was also a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): in the Division III ranks from 1994 to 1995 (when the school re-instated back its athletics program) to 2003–04; and in the Division II ranks from about 1982–83 to 1986–87, before transitioning to club status until discontinuing the athletics program after the 1988–89 school year.[9]

Stephens competes in four intercollegiate varsity sports: basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball. Former sports included cross country. Club sports include competitive dance and esports, which is the first varsity esports team at an all-women's college.[10]

People

The Stephens College Alumnae Association has more than 20,000 members internationally. Alumnae are found in every state.

Notable alumnae

Presidents of the College

No.PresidentTermNotesSource
William R. RothwellFebruary 1857 – June 1857
X. X. Buckner1858 – 1859
G. W. Pendleton1859 – 1860
J. T. Williams1860 – 1865
J. A. Hollis1865 – 1869
E. S. Dulin1870 – 1876
R. P. Rider1877 – 1883
T. W. Barrett1883 – 1894
Sam F. Taylor1894 – 1904
J. R. Pentuff1904 – 1905
W. B. Peeler1905 – 1910
H. N. Quisenberry1910 – March 1, 1912
G. W. HatcherMarch 1, 1912 – June 1, 1912Acting president
James M. WoodJune 1, 1912 – June 3, 1947
Homer P. RaineyJune 3, 1947 – June 30, 1952
Nell HutchinsonJune 30, 1952 – December 1, 1952Acting president
Thomas A. SpragensDecember 1, 1952 – November 11, 1957
James G. RiceNovember 11, 1957 – 1958Acting president
Seymour Smith1958 – 1975
Arland F. Christ-Janer1975 – 1983
Patsy Sampson1983 – 1994First non-acting female president
Marcia Kierscht1994 – 2003
Wendy LibbyJuly 2003 – June 1, 2009
Dianne LynchJune 2, 2009 – present

Historic buildings

Firestone Baars Chapel

Firestone Baars Chapel

The Firestone Baars Chapel was designed by world-famous Finnish architect Eero Saarinen who also designed the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. The chapel symbolizes commitment to individual spiritual development and worship. The chapel is used for meditation, religious services, vespers, weddings, memorials and campus programs.

Historic Senior Hall

Historic Senior Hall dates back to 1841, when Oliver Parker bought the 8-acre (3.2 ha) tract of land on which the college was first located. In 1857, the Columbia Baptist Female College, which later became Stephens College, acquired the building. Until 1918, Historic Senior Hall was the only dormitory at the college. It was the tradition for the President of the Civic Association (now the Student Government Association) to occupy the first floor room just north of the Waugh Street entrance. Many generations of students feel this building is their tie to the past. A complete restoration of Historic Senior Hall began in the spring of 1987, and the building was rededicated in the spring of 1990. Senior Hall was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Fall 2021 enrollment report". Missouri Department of Higher Education. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Fall 2021 enrollment report". Missouri Department of Higher Education. Archived from the original on June 7, 2022. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Stephens College : About Stephens - Facts & Figures". Archived from the original on April 12, 2006. Retrieved April 16, 2006.
  4. ↑ https://www.stephens.edu/about-stephens/ Archived 2023-03-27 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Archived February 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  6. ↑ "pet program » Stephens College". Stephens.edu. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "At pet-happy Stephens College, some dogs and cats come with a scholarship". kansascity. Archived from the original on 28 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  8. ↑ "Citizen Jane Institute Home - Citizen Jane Institute". Citizen Jane Institute. Archived from the original on 1 August 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  9. ↑ "About Stephens Athletics - Stephens College". Archived from the original on 2022-10-26. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  10. ↑ "Stephens College". StephensStars.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  11. ↑ Bryant, Tim (January 14, 1981). "Jean Muir Finds Second Career". The Republic. Indiana, Columbus. United Press International. p. B-1. Archived from the original on March 3, 2018. Retrieved March 2, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  12. ↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.

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