Anna Jane McKeag (1864–1947), was an American PhD psychologist who was a university professor and the first woman president of Wilson College.

Life and work

McKeag was born March 13, 1864, in

West Finley, Pennsylvania West Finley Township is a township in Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 813 at the 2020 census. History The Crawford Covered Bridge, Danley Covered Bridge, Erskine Covered Bridge, and Longdon L. Miller Covered ...

. In her early years, she taught school (1881–1892) while also teaching philosophy at Wilson College, an all women's institution in

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the Mas ...

. In 1895, she earned her AB at Wilson College and five years later she was awarded her PhD at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

(1900). Then she was a professor of philosophy and dean of Wilson College until 1902 when she was lured to

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

by trustees there. McKeag was still a professor of education at Wellesley when she was asked to take on the presidency of Wilson College in 1911 (assuming her duties in February 1912). According to the College, "she became the first woman president (1911–15), ndstrengthened the College’s academic standards." After three years as head of Wilson College, McKeag returned to Wellesley where she taught until her retirement. She died in

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a New England town, town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson Col ...

, and her gravestone can be found in Washington Cemetery in

Washington, Pennsylvania Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania. A part of the Greater Pittsburgh area in the southwestern part of the state, the city is home to Washington & Jefferson College and Pony League baseball. The populat ...

Memberships

* American Psychological Association * National Society of College Teachers of Education * New England Society of College Teachers of Education * National Executive Committee of the School Peace League

Selected publications

* McKeag, A. J. (1879). In the brave old days of old – A tale of roman times, Washington, PA, Will T. Creigh's Print * McKeag, A. J. (1902). ''The sensation of pain and the theory of the specific sense energies'' (Vol. 2). Ginn. (dissertation) * McKeag, A. J., Urban, F. M., & Cornman, O. P. (1902). ''Spelling in the Elementary School: An Experimental and Statistical Investigation'' (No. 3). Ginn. * McKeag, A. J. (1931). The principles of education. * McKeag, A. J. (1938). ''Edna Virginia Moffett''. (Wellesley magazine: an alumnae publication, 22, 4, 296-298.)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKeag, Anna Jane 1864 births 1947 deaths Wilson College (Pennsylvania) alumni Wilson College (Pennsylvania) faculty University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education alumni Wellesley College faculty Wilson College (Pennsylvania)