Welcome to
Hartford College for Women

In September 1933 – at the height of the Great Depression – twenty-two young women became the first students and freshman class in what has been described as a “noble experiment” – Mount Holyoke in Hartford. Between 1933 and 1939, Mount Holyoke faculty traveled to Hartford each week to teach a freshman course of study – including Ancient History, Latin, German, English, French, Mathematics, Geography, Economics, Geology, Speech, Hygiene and Physical Education – at the YWCA formerly located at 252 Ann Street, where the Civic Center stands today. Tuition was $250 for the year. These intrepid pioneer students had responded to a paragraph in the Mount Holyoke College catalog for the 1933-1934 academic year that read:

"To meet the needs of a group of students in Hartford, Connecticut, and its vicinity who are unable to enter a college farther from their home, Mount Holyoke College offers in the city of Hartford for the year 1933-1934 a sufficient number of freshman courses to enable a student to accomplish there the work of the first year of College. These courses are taught by instructors who are or have been members of the faculty of Mount Holyoke College and by a member of the faculty at Trinity College."

Forty-five of the 129 students who completed their freshman year in Hartford went on to complete their remaining three college years on the South Hadley campus of Mount Holyoke; 84 transferred to other colleges, undertook other types of training, or worked in various fields.

In her History of Mount Holyoke in Hartford, written in 1964, Bess Frazier Graham wrote: “The many ramifications of the Great Depression are difficult to recall in the prosperous days of (the 1960s). The sudden beginning of the financial retrenchment in 1928 had gained a firm grip on all aspects of life by 1933. Hopes which had been built up over a lifetime could not be realized, and this was particularly true of the education of children beyond the public school age. In many families, the situation was especially difficult for girls. Priority was given to further training for boys, who would become heads of families and acknowledged breadwinners. The daughters with equal ability and equally well prepared to enter college were expected to wait for better times or change their goals entirely. The Education Committee of the Hartford YWCA was keenly aware of this situation and decided to investigate with a view to finding a way to help solve the problem.”

Bess Graham – for whom Hartford College's library is named – was Education Director of the YWCA. It was Miss Graham's vision, leadership, and collaboration with others, including the presidents of Trinity College (at that time, an all-male institution and the only accredited college in the greater Hartford area) and Mount Holyoke College as well as many community leaders who made this “noble experiment” and the success that became Hartford College possible.

Hartford College for Women has always been in the vanguard of women's education. With Academic Express, which the College pioneered in 1997, The Career Counseling Center, The Entrepreneurial Center, and the Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, and with its affiliation with the University of Hartford in 1991 as the women's college of the University, the College continues to effect its founding mission to meet the educational needs of women.

Central to the story of HCW is Laura A. Johnson (1911-80), the first president of the College. During her 33-year tenure, Miss Johnson shaped and influenced many lives. A noted and beloved educator and businesswoman, Miss Johnson believed in the ability of women of all ages and backgrounds to thrive in an academic setting. She characterized “women who want to learn and teachers who love to teach” as the essential elements for HCW's success. Miss Johnson was the first woman to be elected to the boards of directors of Phoenix Mutual Insurance Company (now The Phoenix Companies), The Hartford Courant, and the Greater Hartford Chamber of Commerce (now Metro Hartford Alliance and Chamber).

In 1997, the College pioneered Academic Express, a contemporary interpretation of Miss Johnson's commitment to and legacy of lifelong learning as well as her vision for nontraditional students. With accelerated courses and flexible scheduling, Academic Express was designed to meet the needs of the increasing number of nontraditional students who work, who manage homes and families, and who need a college degree in order to increase their employment opportunities and earning potential. Hartford College's academic degree programs have been transitioned to the College of Arts and Sciences and the University offers an array of course offerings and schedules for adult students. http://admission.hartford.edu

The Career Counseling Center was founded in 1968. The Center's history parallels the major social, political and economic changes experienced by both women and men between 1968 – when the Center was founded as the first career counseling center for women in Connecticut and one of the first in the nation – and the present. Today, the Center offers career counseling and development services to individuals and corporations, as well as continuing and professional education, including The Construction Institute, the Youth Development Practitioner Academy, and Real Estate Education. It also offers job-training programs for displaced homemakers and women interested in child care professions, certified nurse assistant training, youth computer training and the Human Resources Institute for Talent Development and Retention.

The Entrepreneurial Center, founded in 1985, and its Small Business Administration Office of Women's Business Ownership offer comprehensive training, education, and technical assistance to women and men who are prospective and existing small business owners, focusing on the development of the business as well as the business owner.

The Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame, founded in 1994, honors and promotes the accomplishments of Connecticut women, living and historical. A vehicle for change and a center for education and resources on women's history and culture, the Hall of Fame develops and implements programs – exhibits, lectures, classroom experiences, teacher training, and scholarly conferences – for diverse audiences across the state. The Hall of Fame's archives are available for use by students and the general public. In celebration of its 10 th , the Hall of Fame will launch two new exhibits, We Fight for Roses, Too: Connecticut Women and the Quest for Equality , and Mirror, Mirror: Body Image in American Culture .