The story
Founded by Henry R. Colman in 1847.1
Lawrence's first president, William Harkness Sampson, founded the school with Henry R. Colman, using $10,000 provided by philanthropist Amos Adams Lawrence, and matched by the Methodist church. Both founders were ordained Methodist ministers, but Lawrence was Episcopalian. The school was originally named Lawrence Institute of Wisconsin in its 1847 charter from the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature, but the name was changed to Lawrence University before classes began in November 1849. Its oldest extant building, Main Hall, was built in 1853. Lawrence University was the second college to be founded as a coeducational institution in the country.
Lawrence's first period of major growth came during the thirty-year tenure (1894–1924) of alumnus Samuel G. Plantz as president, when the student body quadrupled, from 200 to 800.
From 1913 until 1964, it was named Lawrence College, to emphasize its small size and liberal arts education focus. The name returned to Lawrence University when it merged with Milwaukee-Downer College. The state of Wisconsin then purchased the Milwaukee-Downer property and buildings to expand the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee. Initially, the university designated two entities: Lawrence College for Men and Downer College for Women. This separation has not lasted in any material form, though degrees are still conferred "on the recommendation of the Faculty of Lawrence and Downer Colleges" and the university by-laws still make the distinction. The traditions and heritage of Milwaukee-Downer are woven into the Appleton campus, from the grove of hawthorn trees (called Hawthornden) between Brokaw and Colman halls, to the sundial on the back of Main Hall, to the bestowing upon each class a class color and banner.
The Lawrence Conservatory of Music, usually referred to as "the Con", was founded in 1874. Lawrence offers three degrees: a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Music and a Bachelor of Musical Arts. It also offers a five-year dual degree program, where students can receive both B.A. and B.Mus. degrees.
The Institute of Paper Chemistry (later renamed the Institute of Paper Science and Technology) was founded in 1929 as a collaboration between the University and local paper manufacturers. The Institute, whose campus was built across from Lawrence's Alexander Gymnasium, offered master's and doctoral degrees. In 1989, the Institute moved to the Atlanta, Georgia campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
First-year Studies (formerly named Freshman Studies) at Lawrence is a mandatory one-term class, in which all students study the same selected 11 classic works of literature, art, and music, the list varying from year to year. President Nathan M. Pusey is credited with initiating the program in 1945, although Professor Waples chaired the Freshman Studies Committee and was responsible for implementing the program. The program continues to this day, despite being temporarily suspended in 1975 and shorted from two terms to one in 2024.
Presidents
1849–1853 William Harkness Sampson, principal
1853–1859 Edward Cooke
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1859–1865 Russell Zelotes Mason
1865–1879 George McKendree Steele
1879–1889 Elias DeWitt Huntley
1883–1889 Bradford Paul Raymond
1889–1893 Charles Wesley Gallagher
1893–1894 L. Wesley Underwood, acting president
1894–1924 Samuel G. Plantz
1925–1937 Henry Merritt Wriston
1937–1943 Thomas Nichols Barrows
1944–1953 Nathan Marsh Pusey
1954–1963 Douglas Maitland Knight
1963–1969 Curtis William Tarr
1969–1979 Thomas S. Smith
1979–2004 Richard Warch
2004–2013 Jill Beck
2013–2021 Mark Burstein
2021–present Laurie Carter
From Wikipedia’s article on Lawrence University, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5