© 1997 Lawrence University Press
The Character of Milwaukee-Downer College, 1895-1921
Milwaukee-Downer College developed and reached maturity under the aegis of its first president, Ellen Sabin, in the period from 1895, when it was created by the merger of Milwaukee College in Milwaukee and Downer College of Fox Lake, Wisconsin, to 1921, when President Sabin retired.
Milwaukee-Downer was a liberal arts college, sharing with its counterparts in the East and Midwest the goal of developing well-rounded students whose minds were trained to think and whose character would make them natural leaders of society. These goals differentiated the liberal arts colleges from the major universities and land grant colleges of that same period, which were moving away from liberal arts and the broad development of character, toward a "utilitarianism" aimed at narrower, vocational goals.
The utilitarian college and university were, indeed, frankly committed to preparing students for "careers," by teaching specific skills for specific remunerative positions. By contrast, while the Milwaukee-Downer curriculum did offer programs in areas such as domestic science and occupational therapy, this never reflected an institutional goal primarily focused on preparing women for "careers" through which to earn a living. The goal, instead, was the improvement of society, both through women's efficient, scientific homemaking and intervention to alleviate social problems generated by the ravages of war and industry. This was a goal shared in common by the small liberal arts colleges of that day.
Milwaukee-Downer as a Liberal Arts Institution: Its Mission
