Barat College

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Barat College

Established:	1858
Location:	Lake Forest, Illinois, USA
Nickname:	Bulldogs
Mascot:	Bulldog

Barat College of the Sacred Heart was a small Catholic college located in Lake Forest, Illinois, 30 miles north of Chicago. The college was named after Sophie Barat, a French nun. When the college closed, it had about 800 students.

Barat College began as an academy for young women in Chicago in 1858 and moved to its Lake Forest location in 1904. In 1918, the State of Illinois chartered Barat as a four-year college, and in 1982, Barat became a coeducational institution. To qualify for federal financial programs, governance of the college passed from the Society of the Sacred Heart to an independent Board of Trustees in 1969. In February 2001, because of fiscal concerns, Barat College formed an educational alliance with DePaul University, becoming one of DePaul's seven colleges.

In February 2004, the DePaul University Trustee Board voted to discontinue operating Barat College despite a 14-11 vote by the DePaul Faculty Council to continue the alliance.^[1] DePaul then began to accept proposals for the future of the college, culminating in the proposal for a relationship with the American College of Education. Through its wholly owned Illinois subsidiary, the acquired a substantial portion of the educational business of Barat College, including the library materials, regional accreditation through the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association and (subject to necessary consents) permits and other authorizations from governmental authorities, education agencies, or other third parties.

In 2004, the campus was sold to Barat Woods, LLC, for development as condominium residences. The courtyard and part of the Old Main Building were to be preserved. However, the 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m²) Thabor wing, which was added to the building in 1924 and contains an Italianate chapel, was to be demolished.^[2]

The Barat Education Foundation, an independent 501(c)3 corporation, continues and advances the Barat legacy. Its website provides information of interest to Barat College alumni and friends of the foundation. A brief history of the college from 1904 to 2004 is included in the issue of Barat Magazine.^[3]

In March 2008 the Barat campus was one of several locations used for filming of a horror movie entitled The Unborn.^{[citation needed]}