Simmons College, established in 1899, is a private
women's undergraduate collegeWomen's colleges in the United States are single-sex U.S. institutions of higher education that exclude or limit males from admission. They are often liberal arts colleges...
and private co-educational
graduate schoolA graduate school is a school that awards advanced academic degrees with the general requirement that students must have earned a previous undergraduate degree...
in Boston, Massachusetts.
History
Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by
John SimmonsJohn Simmons was a pioneer in clothing manufacturing and the founder of Simmons College, a liberal arts women's college in Boston, Massachusetts....
a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston. Simmons is a member of the
Colleges of the Fenway]The Colleges of the Fenway is a collegiate consortium in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts. The association promotes collaboration between local schools to enhance the variety of educational programs; to gain economics benefits through shared research, medical, and...
consortium which also includes
Emmanuel CollegeEmmanuel College is a coeducational Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women's college by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1919 , Emmanuel became coeducational in 2001....
,
Wentworth Institute of TechnologyThe Wentworth Institute of Technology is an independent, co-educational, technical design and engineering college located in Boston, Massachusetts...
,
Wheelock CollegeWheelock College is a private, coeducational college located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1888 by Lucy Wheelock. The mission of Wheelock College is to primarily improve the lives of children and families...
,
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health SciencesThe Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences is an accredited, private institution located in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area of Boston, Massachusetts...
and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Simmons absorbed
Garland Junior CollegeGarland Junior College was a liberal arts women's college in Boston, Massachusetts. Mary Garland established the Garland Kindergarten Training School in 1872 on Chestnut Street in Boston's Beacon Hill. By 1903, the school had expanded its curriculum to include home economics, and was renamed the...
in 1976.
The undergraduate program is exclusive to women, with 2,060 students enrolled in the 2008-2009 academic year. The graduate schools (
Library and Information ScienceLibrary and information science is a merging of the two fields library science and information science...
,
Social WorkSocial Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, Health Sciences, Business Management, and an Arts and Sciences program which provide degrees in
EducationEducation in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
,
Communications managementCommunications management is the systematic planning, implementing, monitoring, and revision of all the channels of communication within an organization, and between organizations; it also includes the organization and dissemination of new communication directives connected with an organization,...
, Gender and Cultural Studies and
Liberal ArtsThe term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
) are coed, the MBA program is the world's first MBA program designed specifically for women.
Campus
Simmons College currently consists of two separate campuses located near the
Back Bay FensThe Back Bay Fens, most commonly called simply The Fens, is a parkland and urban wild in Boston, Massachusetts, in the United States.Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to serve as a link in the Emerald Necklace park system, the Fens gives its name to the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, and thereby to...
in Boston:
Academic Campus
The Academic Campus is located at 300
The FenwayFenway, commonly referred to as The Fenway, is a mostly one-way, one- to three-lane parkway that runs along the southern and eastern edges of the Back Bay Fens in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston...
in the Longwood Medical Area. It is immediately adjacent to the
Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumThe Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum or Fenway Court, as the museum was known during Isabella Stewart Gardner's lifetime, is a museum in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, located within walking distance of the Museum of Fine Arts and near the Back Bay Fens...
and the
Boston Latin SchoolThe Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23, 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts. It is both the first public school and oldest existing school in the United States....
. This campus currently consists of five buildings:
- One Palace Road
- Main College Building
- Beatley Library/Lefavour Hall
- Park Science Center
- School of Management Building (a recent green construction)
Residential Campus
The Residence Campus is located one block from the main campus. It is near the Landmark Center and the
FenwayFenway is a stop on the D branch of the MBTA Green Line. It is located in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston Massachusetts, under Park Drive near The Riverway. Named after the Fenway parkway rather than Fenway Park, it is not the nearest station to the stadium - Yawkey commuter rail and...
and
LongwoodLongwood Station is a stop on the D branch of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 's Green Line. It is located on Chapel Street in Brookline, close to its intersection with Longwood Avenue, Boston and is the most convenient stop for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Temple...
MBTA stations. The residence campus consists of 13 buildings centered on a grassy quad:
- Simmons Hall (Freshman and Sophomore housing)
- Dix Hall (Sophomore housing)
- Smith Hall (Senior housing, also houses the after-hours Quadside Cafe and mail-room)
- Arnold Hall (Junior housing)
- North Hall (Graduate housing)
- Health Center and Residence Life Offices
- Holmes Sports Center
- South Hall (Wellness housing)
- Alumnae Hall (Theatre)
- Bartol Dining Hall
- Evans Hall (Senior housing)
- Mesick Hall (Freshman and Sophomore housing, renovated in 2010)
- Morse Hall (Freshman and Sophomore housing)
Most of the buildings on the residence campus serve as dormitories, but the campus also includes a large dining hall, a health center, a large fitness center, a public safety office, an auditorium, and several other facilities.
The residence campus is separated from the main campus by
Emmanuel CollegeEmmanuel College is a coeducational Roman Catholic liberal arts college located in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a women's college by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1919 , Emmanuel became coeducational in 2001....
and
MerckMerck & Co., Inc. , also known as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada, is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. The Merck headquarters is located in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, an unincorporated area in Readington Township...
Research Laboratories Boston.
Academics
The principal academic units of Simmons College are:
- Undergraduate College
- College of Arts and Sciences Graduate Studies
- Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS)
- School of Health Sciences (SHS)
- School of Management (SOM)
- School of Social Work (SSW)
Athletics
The college sponsors athletics teams in a variety of sports including basketball, crew, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball. The mascots are the Sharks and the colors are blue and yellow.They compete in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, the North Atlantic Conference and the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference.
Sustainability
Simmons has made several significant sustainability efforts. Former President Susan Scrimshaw signed the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) as a formal commitment to eliminate campus greenhouse gas emissions over time. Furthermore, the School of Management is addressing sustainability in its curriculum as well as in building and resource-management programs.
Simmons' environmental efforts earned the school a "C" on the
College Sustainability Report Card 2010, published in Fall 2009 by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
Notable alumnae
Simmons alumnae include
- Denise Di Novi
Denise Di Novi is an American film producer.-Personal life:When she was three years old, Denise and her family moved to Los Angeles from New York, where her father Gene Di Novi - a musician - made music for the TV shows of Danny Thomas, Dick Van Dyke and Andy Griffith. Prior to that, Gene worked...
(born 1956), film producer
- David S. Ferriero
David Sean Ferriero is a librarian, library administrator, and the 10th Archivist of the United States. He was Director of the New York Public Library; and before that, he was the University Librarian and Vice Provost for Library Affairs at Duke University. Prior to his Duke position, he worked...
(born 1949) Tenth Archivist of the United StatesThe Archivist of the United States is the chief official overseeing the operation of the National Archives and Records Administration. The first Archivist, R.D.W. Connor, began serving in 1934, when the National Archives was established as an independent federal agency by Congress...
- Nnenna Freelon
Nnenna Freelon, , is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. She has been nominated for five Grammy Awards for her vocal work, and has performed and toured with such top artists as Ray Charles, Ellis Marsalis, Al Jarreau, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dianne Reeves, Diana Krall,...
(born 1954), jazz singer
- Gwen Ifill
Gwendolyn L. "Gwen" Ifill is an American journalist, television newscaster and author. She is the managing editor and moderator of Washington Week and a senior correspondent for the PBS NewsHour, both of which air on PBS. She is a political analyst, and moderated the 2004 and 2008 Vice...
(born 1955), journalist, television newscaster and author
- Louise Andrews Kent
Louise Andrews Kent was an American author. She was born in Brookline, Massachusetts in 1886 and graduated from Simmons College School of Library Science in 1909, where she was president of her senior class and editor of the college paper. She became a newspaper columnist and author of...
(1886-1969), author
- Elinor Lipman
Elinor Lipman is an American novelist and short story writer.-Biography:Born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts, Lipman graduated from Simmons College where she studied journalism. She lives in western Massachusetts and Manhattan, and received the New England Book award for fiction in 2001...
(born 1950), novelist
- Barbara Margolis
Barbara Ann "Bobbie" Margolis was an American prisoners' rights advocate who served as the official greeter of New York City under the administration of Mayor of New York City Ed Koch...
(1929-2009), prisoners' rightsThe rights of civil and military prisoners are governed by both national and international law. International conventions include: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the United Nations' Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the European Committee for the...
advocate who served as the official greeter of New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
- Eleanor Milleville
Eleanor Shaw Milleville was a noted twentieth century American sculptor. Milleville was born in February 1922. A graduate of Simmons College , she was known for her realistic sculptures in bronze. Her completed works include:...
(1922-1991), American sculptor
- Bertha Reynolds
Bertha Capen Reynolds, born in Stoughton, Massachusetts, was an American Social Worker who was influential in the creation of Strength Based Practice, Radical social work and Critical social work, among others.-Life:...
, 1914, American social worker
- Srinagarindra
Srinagarindra was a member of the Thai Royal Family and was a member of House of Mahidol, which is descended from Chakri Dynasty, originated by Prince Mahidol Adulyadej, the Prince of Songkla, son of King Chulalongkorn...
(1900-1995) Princess Mother of Thailand
- Suzyn Waldman
Suzyn Waldman is a sportscaster and former Broadway actress. Starting with the 2005 season, she has been the color commentator for New York Yankees baseball, working with John Sterling on radio broadcasts for WCBS-AM in New York City...
, color commentatorA color commentator is a sports commentator who assists the play-by-play announcer, often by filling in any time when play is not in progress. The color analyst and main commentator will often exchange comments freely throughout the broadcast, when the play-by-play announcer is not describing the...
for the New York YankeesThe New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
- Allyson Schwartz
Allyson Young Schwartz is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2005. She is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia...
, U.S. Representative Pennsylvania's 13th congressional districtThe 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania is located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, covering eastern Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. The district traditionally included most of Montgomery County, but was redrawn in 2002...
2004-
- Ann M. Fudge
Ann Marie Fudge is former chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands, a global network of marketing communications companies...
, businesswoman, former CEO of Young & RubicamY&R is a marketing and communications company specializing in advertising, digital and social media, sales promotion, direct marketing and brand identity consulting.-History:...
Notable faculty
Simmons faculty include
Gregory MaguireGregory Maguire is an American writer. He is the author of the novels Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, and many other novels for adults and children...
, the author of the popular novels
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the WestWicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, is a parallel novel published in 1995 written by Gregory Maguire and illustrated by Douglas Smith. It is a revisionist look at the land and characters of Oz from L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, its sequels, and the...
,
Confessions of an Ugly StepsisterConfessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a novel by Gregory Maguire, retelling the tale of Cinderella through the eyes of one of her "ugly stepsisters." In 2002, the book was adapted into a TV movie of the same name, directed by Gavin Millar.-Plot:...
,
Son of a WitchSon of a Witch is a fantasy novel written by Gregory Maguire. The book is Maguire’s fifth revisionist story and the second set in the land of Oz originally conceived by L. Frank Baum. It is a sequel to Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West...
and many others. Maguire was a professor and co-director at the
Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's LiteratureThe Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature is an academic program at Simmons College specializing in the critical study of children's literature. The program was founded in 1977, and was the first program in the United States to offer a master's degree in the...
from 1979-1985. Also,
Nancy BondNancy Bond is an American author of children's literature.Bond was born in Maryland and was raised in the United Kingdom and Massachusetts. She received her B.A. in English Literature from Mount Holyoke College in 1966 and a graduate degree from the College of Librarianship in Wales in 1972...
, winner of a
Newbery HonorThe John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
, who taught at the
Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's LiteratureThe Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature is an academic program at Simmons College specializing in the critical study of children's literature. The program was founded in 1977, and was the first program in the United States to offer a master's degree in the...
from 1979 to 2001.
External links