The San Diego College for Women was a private,

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

women's college Women's colleges in higher education are undergraduate, bachelor's degree-granting institutions, often liberal arts colleges, whose student populations are composed exclusively or almost exclusively of women. Some women's colleges admit male stud ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. In 1972, it merged with San Diego University, a men's college founded by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego The Diocese of San Diego is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Southern California, United States. Its ecclesiastical territory includes all of San Diego and Imperial Counties in Southern California, wi ...

, to form the coeducational University of San Diego.

History

San Diego College was founded by the Mother Rosalie Hill, superior vicar of the

Society of the Sacred Heart , image = RSCJnuevo.jpg, , image_size = 150px , caption = , abbreviation = Post-nominal letters: RSCJ , formation = , founder = Saint Sr. Madeleine Sophie Barat, R.S.C.J. ...

, in 1950. It first opened to students in February 1952, enrolling about 33 students and having a staff of nine. The first president was Mother Catherine Parks, with Hill serving as honorary president. The first College for Women graduate was Therese Truitt Whitcomb, Class of 1953, though the first ceremony was not held until the next year when nine degrees were granted. In 1956, Mother Frances Danz was named the president of the College. Within her first year, the college received full accreditation from the State of California and established a

nursing Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health ...

program in collaboration with nearby Mercy College of Nursing. The college expanded again two years later, offering its first

graduate degrees Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree. The organization and stru ...

in 1958. Mother Anne Farraher became president of the college in 1963. Two years later, following the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the , or , was the 21st ecumenical council of the Roman Catholic Church. The council met in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome for four periods (or sessions), each lasting between 8 and ...

that encouraged Catholic educational institutions to "unite in a mutual sharing of effort," the San Diego College for Women and San Diego University began to consider combining their resources. Mother Nancy Morris became president in 1968, and by 1969 had introduced coeducational classes in cooperation with the College for Men. That same year, the colleges also combined their graduation ceremonies for the first time. Citing financial deficits and a desire to share more resources, the San Diego College for Women fully merged with the College for Men and the School of Law in 1972.

References

* Fosbinder, Donna.
Hospital Based Nursing Schools in San Diego, 1900-1970
" ''The Journal of San Diego History''. Spring 1989. *
History of USD
" University of San Diego. Accessed March 18, 2008. *
University of San Diego: Past and Present
" University of San Diego. Accessed March 18, 2008.

External links

University of San Diego

USD Alumni Association
{{University of San Diego Educational institutions disestablished in 1972 San Diego College for Women Defunct Catholic universities and colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1950 College for Women, San Diego Former women's universities and colleges in the United States 1950 establishments in California History of women in California

History

See also

References

External links