Hood College

Hood College is a co-educational liberal arts college located in Frederick, Maryland. The college serves approximately 1,050 graduate students and more than 1,400 undergraduate students.^[2]

History and Traditions

Early History (1893 -1944)

The college was founded in 1893 as the Woman's College of Frederick by the Potomac Synod of the Reformed Church of the United States. Dr. Joseph Henry Apple, an educator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was named as the first president. In this first year, eighty-three women enrolled, and were taught by eight faculty members in Winchester Hall located on East Church Street in Frederick. Classes were offered in the liberal arts and music, as well as secretarial trades. In 1898, the first class graduated, with fourteen women earning Bachelor of Arts degrees. Over the next several years, courses in biology, economics, sociology, political science, and domestic science were added.^[4]

In 1897, the college received a 28-acre (110,000 m²) tract of land for its campus from Margaret Scholl Hood.^[5] In 1913, the Trustees of the Woman’s College announced that the name of the Woman’s College would be changed to Hood College, in honor of Margaret Scholl Hood, who gave $25,000 to establish an endowment for the college, and who firmly believed in higher education for women. On January 18, 1913, Margaret Hood's will was filed for probate. In the will, she bequeathed an additional $30,000 to the Woman's College of Frederick provided that the college had changed its name to "Hood College".^[6] Part of this bequest was used to fund the 1914 construction of Alumnae Hall. Today, except for Brodbeck Hall, which was built in the 1860s and stood on the campus at its founding, Alumnae Hall remains the oldest building on the college's campus and serves as the central location for the college's administration.^[5] In 1915, the College began its move from its former location in Frederick City to its current campus.^[4]

In 1934, Joseph Henry Apple retired as the College’s president, serving for 41 years. At his retirement, he was the oldest college president in continuous active service at a single institution in the United States.^[4]

In 1944, Hood College celebrated its 50th anniversary.^[4]

The Hood College Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.^[3] The campus is within close walking distance of downtown Frederick. In 2010, Forbes named downtown Frederick one of America's best neighborhoods.^[7]

Transition to Co-education (1970 -2003)

In the early 1970s, Hood College began to consider becoming a co-educational institution.^[8] In October of that year the Hood College Board of Trustees voted to begin enrollment of men as commuter students.^[8] That same year Hood also decided to begin a graduate school program for both men and women. These changes were implemented in January 1971.^[8]

Objections

There were mixed feelings on campus as Hood students worried about the type of male student Hood could potentially attract. Students feared that a residential women's college would attract only the "provincial townies" unable to go anywhere else, and the "lusty lovers" attracted by the high number of females.^[8] This led to public debate in The Blue and Grey, the Hood College campus newspaper, and letters to the student body from then-president Randle Elliot.^[9]

First Male Student

Beginning in January 1971, the College became open to men as commuters. The first male student, Aldan T. Weinberg transferred to Hood after having spent one year at American University and three years in the army.^[10] Weinberg now teaches journalism at Hood and serves as the director of the Communications Program.

Change to Co-Education

In the fall of 2001, the Hood executive committee was charged by the board of trustees with the task of studying the possible impact of male resident students.^[10] This study consisted of the projected financial, cultural, residential, academic and enrollment impacts on the College.^[11]

Based on this report, the Board of Trustee's ultimate decision was to admit men as residential students.

This decision was made due to the realistic issue that there was a decreased demand for women's colleges.^[12] Only three percent of college- bound female students preferred a single-gender institution.^[12] This led to an overall decline in undergraduate enrollment over the years. Hood needed at least 300 new, enrolled students each year in order to have a balanced budget.^[12] All in all, Hood's expenses were exceeding revenue.^[12]

This led to the creation of a co-education task force composed of students, alumni, faculty and staff members. This taskforce ultimately decided where men were to be housed.^[13]

Traditions

Hood College students participate in a number of long-standing traditions, some of which date back nearly 100 years, such as the "Hood Hello."^[4]

Class Banners

Each class decorates a banner to be displayed in the dining hall. The banners correspond to each class' assigned color. Those colors are red, green, blue and yellow. Every year, a new representative symbol is designed and painted on the banners. Following a class' graduation, the banners are hung in the atrium of the Whitaker Campus Center.^[14]

Columns So Fair

Alumnae Hall's four Ionic columns are named Hope, Opportunity, Obligation and Democracy (HOOD). The columns were dedicated by the classes of 1915, 1916, 1917 and 1918. Many buildings on campus that were constructed after Alumnae Hall also have four columns.^[4]

Dinks

Dinks (or colored beanie hats) have been a Hood College tradition since at least the 1950s.^[4] According to some sources, the tradition may have started very early in the 20th century with colored armbands rather than beanies although the wearing of beanies are officially documented as beginning in the 1950s.^[15] There is reason to believe this is true, as ceremonial colored beanies were also used by women’s colleges such as Wellesley during the early 1900s.^[16] Each class is given a dink with their class color, either blue, green, yellow or red, upon arriving at Hood. The four colors rotate so that the color of the previous year’s seniors is granted to the incoming freshmen. In the past, dinks were worn at many special events such as Campus Day. Freshmen were previously required to wear dinks during their first few weeks on campus. Now, they are primarily worn during opening convocation, Policies for Dollars and baccalaureate.^[15]

Midnight Breakfast

Established in the 1980s, Midnight Breakfast is held before final exams each semester and is served by faculty and staff.^[4]

The Pergola

Located in the center of Hood's residential quad since 1915, the Pergola is a wooden dome-like structure covered with wisteria.^[4] Before 1915 a Pergola was located at the East Church Street campus and was the inspiration for the current structure. Several traditions are associated with the Pergola. Students are not to speak any harsh words under the Pergola or "split poles" with friends, as this may lead to a failed friendship after graduation.^[14]

Policies for Dollars

Policies for Dollars is a competition in which the freshmen of each residence hall compete to raise money for their respective halls. The winning dorm also receives the "pink spoon," a giant wooden trophy. Typical activities in the competition include Hood trivia, dorm cheers and skits.^[4]

Strawberry Breakfast

Originally held on the morning of May Day, Strawberry Breakfast now takes places on the morning of Commencement.^[4]

Academics

Hood College offers twenty-eight undergraduate majors, fourteen master's degree programs and six certification programs, including certification programs in education. Hood College's ranking in the U.S. News and World Report 2011 edition of Best Colleges is Regional Universities (North), 23.^[17]

Athletics

Hood College athletics began in 1898 with the first basketball team. In the early 1900s, field hockey, tennis, archery and swimming were among the sports added to the athletics program. The College was the second college in the U.S. to have a field hockey team. Competitions then were intramural and teams were comprised based on graduating class or dorms. Gambrill Gymnasium was constructed in 1946 and continues to serve as the main athletic facility for the campus. In 1984, Hood College became a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and joined the Division III Chesapeake Women's Athletic Conference. When the CWAC disbanded, Hood joined the Atlantic Women's Colleges Conference in 1990.^[18] In 2006, Hood joined the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC).

Hood presently offers intercollegiate varsity teams in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross-country, women's field hockey, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, women's softball, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and women's volleyball. The College also offers club level programs for cheerleading, equestrian and women's golf.^[19] The men's teams began competition in the Capital Athletic Conference for the 2006-2007 academic year along with women's cross-country and track and field. All other women's sports remained in the AWCC for the 2006-2007 year and moved to the CAC in 2007-2008.^[19]

The nickname for Hood athletics is the Blazers. This dates back to the 1920s when the campus elected a rising senior as the "White Sweater" girl as someone who possessed the most sportsmanship and school spirit. In 1928, the sweater was changed to a blazer.^[18] Today, the nickname is represented by a thoroughbred horse with a "blaze" mark on its forehead.

Hood College student-athletes train in the Gambrill Gymnasium.

Notable Alumni, Faculty, and Administrators

Alumni

• Katherine Conway-Turner PhD, Author, Educator, Scholar ^[20]
• Marcia Coyle, '73, Washington Bureau Chief, National Law Journal, panelist on the Jim Lehrer Hour^[21]
• Gale L. Gamble, 1969, physician, renowned cancer specialist, Medical Director -Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago^[21]
• Heather Hamilton, '95, executive director, Connect US Fund^[21]
• Lois Jarman M.A. ’06 , childrens book author
• Winifred R. King, 1979, physician, health reporter in major television markets, host of Ask the Doctor for America's Health Network
• Bruce La Fleur MBA 2011,CEO, publisher, co-founder and executive vice president of TLF Publications, Inc. ^[22]
• Beryl Pfizeer, 1949, producer, NBC News ^[21]
• Laura Lee Miller, '73 President Vera Wang Licensing ^[23]
• Beverley Swain-Stanley, Maryland Transportation Secretary '77, '82 ^[24]
• Tina Wells, 2002, CEO and founder of Buzz Marketing Group^[21]
• Patricia Wright PhD, Scientist, environmental activist '66

Faculty

• Roser Caminals-Heath, professor,Spanish and English language author
• Anita Jose, professor, business strategist

References

External links

• Hood College website