Organization:Wheelock College

Wheelock College

To improve the lives of children and families.
Former names	Miss Wheelock's Kindergarten Training School
Type	Private liberal arts college
Active	1888 (1888)–2018 (2018)
Endowment	$45.7 million
Academic staff	163
Undergraduates	811
Postgraduates	358
Location	Boston , Massachusetts , United States
Campus	Urban 1.5 acres (0.61 ha)
|u}}rs	Yellow and blue
Athletics	NCAA Division III
Nickname	Wildcats
Affiliations	Colleges of the Fenway AICUM NAICU
Mascot	Willy the Wildcat

Bas-relief of Friedrich Fröbel, founder of the kindergarten movement, over the library doorway

Wheelock College (Wheelock) was a private college in Boston, Massachusetts . Founded in 1888 by Lucy Wheelock as Miss Wheelock's Kindergarten Training School, it offered undergraduate and graduate programs that focused on the Arts & Sciences, Education and Child Life, and Social Work and Family Studies to improve the lives of children and families. The college's academic programs merged with Boston University School of Education on June 1, 2018 and were incorporated as Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. The physical campus of Wheelock College is now named the Boston University Fenway Campus, which includes a dining hall, student housing, and the Wheelock Family Theatre.

Wheelock was a member of the Colleges of the Fenway and the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts (AICUM) and accredited by:

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
• Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)

The Wheelock Wildcats competed in the NCAA Division III in the New England Collegiate Conference. The college offered five varsity men's teams and six varsity women's teams, as well as intramural teams through the Colleges of the Fenway. In addition to athletics, Wheelock College offered many clubs and organizations that allow students to become involved on campus and in the community.

History

Lucy Wheelock

• 1888: Lucy Wheelock began a kindergarten teacher training class at the former Chauncy-Hall School (now Chapel Hill – Chauncy Hall School).
• 1892: Wheelock Alumnae Association- Lucy Wheelock travelled nationally and internationally, lecturing widely on the subject of kindergarten and early childhood education. She was elected to the Kindergarten Committee of the National Education Association, which established the International Kindergarten Union (IKU). The Wheelock Alumnae Association was formed, with Ella Smith Wheelock '92 (Lucy Wheelock's sister-in-law) as President.
• 1895: The one-year program was extended to two years. From the beginning, observation of children and practice teaching were central to the Wheelock School program. Service to the communities of immigrant children and families in the many settlement houses of Boston became another core part of the program, and every student participated. Lucy became the IKU's second President.
• 1896: The Wheelock School became an independent school and moved to 284 Dartmouth Street; a dormitory system began with three students.
• 1914: The school moved to its current location on the Riverway in Boston.
• 1926: The two-year curriculum was extended to three years to include the preparation of teachers for nursery, kindergarten and primary grades.
• 1930: Name changed from Miss Wheelock's Kindergarten Training School to The Wheelock School: A Training School for Teachers of Nursery School, Kindergarten and the Primary Grades. Over 300 students were enrolled.
• 1939: Lucy Wheelock retired after 50 years as director. Wheelock School was incorporated as nonprofit Wheelock College, and was authorized to grant Bachelor of Science degree.
• 1940: The Lucy Wheelock Child Center opened in Roxbury. Dr. Winifred E. Bain was appointed the Principal of Wheelock College by the Board of Trustees.
• 1946: Lucy Wheelock died on October 1.
• 1952: Wheelock College secured approval from the Board of Collegiate Authority of Massachusetts Department of Education to extend its programs to include graduate work leading to advanced degrees, and to admit male graduate students. The first graduate students were admitted in 1953.
• 1955: Dr. Winifred Bain retired and was succeeded by Dr. Frances McClellan Mayfarth.
• 1962: President Mayfarth retired, and Dr. James E. Conner was appointed as President of Wheelock College.
• 1964: The 75th anniversary of the founding of Wheelock College. Wheelock was accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
• 1966: Dr. Margaret H. Merry was appointed President.
• 1967: The college adopted a trimester schedule and men were admitted to the undergraduate program.
• 1971: Dr. Merry resigned, and Dr. Donald R. Cruickshank became President.
• 1972: Dr. William L. Irvine was named Acting President.
• 1973: Dr. Gordon L. Marshall was appointed President.
• 1974: The Towne Art Gallery and Little Theatre were created from a generous donation by alumna Marion Hartog Towne, class of 1926.
• 1975: The Division of Continuing Education was created with Dr. Edgar Klugman as Director.
• 1980: Sally Reeves Edmonds, '55, became the first woman Chair of the Board of Trustees.
• 1981: Wheelock Family Theatre was created; its first production was Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
• 1983: Gordon Marshall retired and Dr. Daniel S. Cheever, Jr. becomes the President of the college.
• 1984: First Bachelor of Social Work degree was awarded.
• 1989: Wheelock celebrated its 100th anniversary.
• 1991: Daniel Cheever left, and Gerald N. Tirozzi became President.
• 1992: The Center for International Education, Leadership, and Innovation was opened, graduating Wheelock's first students in Singapore.
• 1993: Marjorie Bakken was named Acting President. She was formally inaugurated the following year.
• 1994: Wheelock College joined the Colleges of the Fenway consortium and began sharing courses, student services, buildings, and social activities across five other area institutions.
• 2004: Jackie Jenkins-Scott was formally inaugurated as the 13th president of Wheelock College.
• 2005: Wheelock College and Jumpstart announced their inaugural partnership, providing students with a new field experience opportunity.
• 2012: Wheelock launched its first online courses, focused on improving science and mathematics education for elementary school students.
• 2016: Dr. David J. Chard began his term as the 14th president of Wheelock College.
• 2017: Wheelock College agreed to enter into formal discussions with Boston University with the goal of merging Wheelock with BU. The two schools agreed to merge by June 1, 2018.

Academics

The principal undergraduate academic units of Wheelock College were the Professional majors and the Arts and Sciences majors.

Online graduate degree programs

Wheelock offered one master's degree program online:

• Teaching Elementary Math and Science (STEM)

International degree programs

Wheelock offered bachelor's and master's programs abroad.

• International Visiting Scholars

Wheelock hosted accomplished individuals from around the world. Through classes and seminars, scholars shared their expertise with Wheelock students, faculty, and the broader community.

• International Service Learning Trips

Students participated in trips abroad that combine service with learning. Recent trips include teaching English to elementary students in West Africa and working with an anti-sectarian program in Northern Ireland.

Honors program

Entering first-year students were automatically eligible for admission into the Honors Program if they had a high school GPA of 3.5 or higher and an SAT score (combined Critical Reading and Math Sections) of at least 1100. All accepted students who meet these requirements received an invitation to join the program. Honors students must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 to remain in the Honors Program. Wheelock had a chapter of Pi Gamma Mu, the international honor society.

Student life

• 65% of undergraduates lived on campus.
• 28 registered clubs and organizations, including a Student Government Association and individual class councils
• The Campus Center building was LEED-certified and contained a new student center, dining hall, and residence hall with suite-style accommodations for 108 students. It reportedly had "magnificent views of Boston."
• Student Policy Fellows Program helped students to develop their leadership, advocacy, and policy skills through a seminar and a field placement with a state legislator.

Resident housing

• Wheelock College offered six residence halls: Longwood House, Peabody Hall, Riverway House, Campus Center Student Residence, Pilgrim House and Colchester House. Longwood House, on Riverway, was a co-educational facility home to 70 students both first year and upper classman. Peabody Hall, also on Riverway, housed 260 undergraduates. Peabody had traditional style dorms as well as suite-style living. Riverway House, also on Riverway, was a co-educational dorm. The Campus Center Student Residence building was the newest dorm on campus, and is on Riverway. CCSR held 100 students. Pilgrim House, on Pilgrim Road, was home to 80 first year and upper-class women. Pilgrim had traditional dorms with community style living. Lastly Colchester House, on the Brookline campus, housed 25 graduate and undergraduate upperclassman students.

Community service

Wheelock Family Theatre

• Wheelock students provided an estimated 193,000 hours of service annually to the community through field experiences in more than 280 organizations.
• The Wheelock Mattahunt Community Partnership was a partnership between the City of Boston, the Mattapan community, and Wheelock College. Wheelock College was awarded the 2012 John Blackburn Award from The American Association of University Administrators for its work at the Mattahunt Community Center.
• 100% of all graduate social work students completed at least 1,200 hours in community settings during their academic program.
• 100% of the 26 clubs on campus participated in or initiate community service programs.
• In 2011, The Center of Excellence for Military Children and Families was established by Wheelock College in collaboration with the Massachusetts National Guard and the Military Child Education Coalition to draw attention to the many services available to aid military children and families, maximizing the visibility of military support systems and offering the resources of the Wheelock community to military families.
• Through its major productions, school and community partnerships, and educational programs, the professional Wheelock Family Theatre made theatre accessible and affordable to more than 35,000-40,000 people annually.

President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll

The President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll recognized institutions of higher education that supported exemplary community service programs and raise the visibility of effective practices in campus community partnerships. In 2014, Wheelock was recognized with distinction for their strides in the General Community Service category. The College chose to highlight three aspects of its curricula in the application: its partnership with the Mattahunt Community Center in Mattapan, MA; the Presidential International Service Learning Program; and the Ubuntu Arts Project, which was implemented annually by the Juvenile Justice and Youth Advocacy seniors. Launched in 2006, the Community Service Honor Roll highlighted the role colleges and universities have played in solving community challenges and as a result, in encouraging more students to pursue a lifelong path of civic engagement that achieves meaningful and measurable outcomes in the communities they serve. Honorees for the award were chosen based on a series of selection factors, including scope and innovation of service projects, percentage of student participation in service activities, incentives for service and the extent to which the school offers academic service-learning courses. This was the fourth consecutive year the Corporation for National and Community Service recognized Wheelock for achievements in community service with a place on the Honor Roll.

Sports

The Wheelock Wildcats participate in eleven NCAA Division III sports, competing in the New England Collegiate Conference.

Women's athletic teams:

• Basketball
• Cross-country
• Field hockey
• Lacrosse
• Soccer
• Softball
• Track & field

Men's athletic teams:

• Basketball
• Cross-country
• Lacrosse
• Tennis
• Soccer
• Track & field
• Volleyball

In addition to the varsity teams, there were intramural competitions between the Colleges of the Fenway.

Notable people

• Judith Black, storyteller, studied education at Wheelock
• Philip R. Craig, author of the J.W. Jackson series; a professor at Wheelock College from 1965 until retiring to become a full-time writer in 1999
• Margaret Hamilton, actress most famous for her role as the Wicked Witch in The Wizard of Oz
• Plum Johnson, Canadian writer and publisher; won the RBC Taylor Prize in 2015
• Kathryn Lasky, writer for children and adults
• Deborah A. Miranda, Native American writer and poet
• Eleanor Emlen Myers, archaeologist
• Gilda E. Nardone (M.S. educational administration), women's employment advocate and nonprofit director
• Mimi Stewart, politician; Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives, representing District 21 since January 1995
• Elaine Macmann Willoughby, educator and writer of children's books; graduated in 1949 as vice-president of her class

See also

• Bank Street College of Education
• Erikson Institute
• Pacific Oaks College