Hood College

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, only 28 years of age at the time of his appointment, was named the college's 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.

In 1897, the college received a 28-acre (110,000 m2) tract of land for its campus from Margaret Scholl Hood. 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 Mrs. 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". 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, also housing the sociology and social work department. In 1915, the college began its move from its former location in Frederick City to its current campus.

In 1934, Joseph Henry Apple retired as the college's president, having served for 41 years. At his retirement, he was the oldest college president in continuous active service at a single institution in the United States.

The Hood College Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. The campus is within close walking distance of downtown Frederick. In 2010, Forbes named downtown Frederick one of America's best neighborhoods, and in 2013, Forbes published the results of a Farmers Insurance Group study naming the Bethesda–Gaithersburg–Frederick, Maryland area one of the most secure metro areas in which to live in the United States.

Transition to co-education (1970–2003)

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

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. 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.

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. In 1975, Martha E. Church became the first female president of the college, working in this capacity through 1995.

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. This study considered the projected financial, cultural, residential, academic and enrollment impacts on the college. Based on this report, the board of trustees' ultimate decision was to admit men as residential students.