Cazenovia College is a

private college Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grants. D ...

in Cazenovia, New York. Founded as the Genesee Seminary in 1824 and sponsored by the Methodist Church, in 1894 the college adopted the name of Cazenovia Seminary. It was reorganized in 1942 after church sponsorship was withdrawn and was Cazenovia College for Women from 1961 to 1982, when the college became co-educational again. Cazenovia College athletic teams participate as a member of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athlete, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic sports, ...

(NCAA) Division III, competing in the

North Atlantic Conference The North Atlantic Conference (NAC) is an athletic conference, affiliated with the NCAA ’s Division III, consisting primarily of small liberal arts colleges in the Northern New England states of Maine and Vermont, as well as New York. The co ...

(NAC). On December 7, 2022, it was announced that the school would permanently close after the 2022-2023 academic year. Poor finances was cited as the main reason for this closure.

History

Cazenovia College began in 1824 as the Genesee Seminary and was the second Methodist seminary to be established in the United States. Between 1904 and 1931, it functioned as a secondary school for local young people, an arrangement that ended when Cazenovia Central High School was built. It was sponsored by the Methodist Church but was a non-sectarian institution. It was initially located in the old Madison County Courthouse. Cazenovia was co-educational from its foundation. The seminary was created at the instigation of George Peck and several other prominent clergymen in the area. In 1839, the seminary initiated a ''three year course'', as it was called, which was focused at the education of women. The seminary also had a

missionary A missionary is a member of a Religious denomination, religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Tho ...

course, and in 1843

Sophronia Farrington Sophronia Farrington Cone (1801-1880) was a teacher, artist, and one of the first single female missionaries from America to Africa when she helped found a mission in Liberia in 1834. Farrington was born in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1801 and gre ...

(class of 1828) went out as the first female missionary to Africa, under the auspices of the Young Men's Missionary Society of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...

. This was the earliest foreign mission established by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Later the institution was known as Cazenovia Seminary. It was known as the Oneida and Genesee Conference Seminary, the Oneida Conference Seminary, and the Central New York Conference Seminary over the years. It did not officially adopt the name Cazenovia Seminary until 1894 but the name was at times used from its inception and is often used to refer to it at any time before it became a college. In 1942 church sponsorship of Cazenovia was withdrawn and it was reorganized to include a junior college program as well as the prep school with the name of Cazenovia Junior College. It then became Cazenovia College for Women in 1961. In 1982 it returned to being co-educational and adopted its present name although it was not recognized as a bachelor's degree-granting institution until 1988. In 2019 it began its first graduate program, a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. In September 2022, after a failed attempt to refinance debt, the college defaulted on a $25 million bond payment. On December 7, 2022, it was announced that the school would permanently close after the 2022-2023 academic year. Poor finances was cited as the main reason for this closure.

Athletics

Cazenovia College teams participate as a member of the

(NCAA) Division III. The Wildcats are a member of the

(NAC). Men's sports include baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, equestrian, golf, lacrosse, soccer, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball; women's sports include basketball, cheerleading, crew, cross country, equestrian, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and volleyball.

Notable alumni

* Lisle C. Carter - First President of the

University of the District of Columbia The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is a public historically black land-grant university in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1851 and is the only public university in the city. UDC is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall ...

(UDC) *

Carole Cole Carole Cole (October 17, 1944 – May 19, 2009) was an American actress, music producer, and the CEO of King Cole Productions. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole and jazz singer Maria Cole, and the older sister of si ...

- CEO of King Cole Productions *

Lucinda L. Combs Lucinda L. Combs-Stritmatter (October 10, 1849April 23, 1919) was an American physician who was the first female medical missionary to provide medical care in China. She is credited with establishing the first women's hospital in Beijing. Combs w ...

- First female physician to serve in China for the Women's Foreign Ministry Society *

Sophronia Farrington Cone Sophronia Farrington Cone (1801-1880) was a teacher, artist, and one of the first single female missionaries from America to Africa when she helped found a mission in Liberia in 1834. Farrington was born in Concord, New Hampshire, in 1801 and gre ...

- First female missionary to Africa *

Nathan Smith Davis Nathan Smith Davis Sr., M.D., LLD (January 9, 1817 – June 16, 1904) was a physician who was instrumental in the establishment of the American Medical Association and was twice elected its president. He became the first editor of the ''Journal ...

- First editor of the ''

Journal of the American Medical Association ''The Journal of the American Medical Association'' (''JAMA'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of bio ...

'' * Wallace B. Douglas - Minnesota lawyer, judge, and state representative * L. Fidelia Woolley Gillette - One of the first women to be ordained Universalist minister in the United States and the first woman ordained of any denomination in Canada *

Joseph B. Hamilton Joseph B. Hamilton (June 10, 1817 - 1902) was an American teacher, lawyer and judge from Neenah, Wisconsin, who served in the Wisconsin State Senate. Background Hamilton was born on June 10, 1817, in Lansing, New York, son of William and Elizab ...

- Wisconsin lawyer, judge, and state senator *

Lewis Hartsough Lewis Hartsough (August 31, 1828 – January 1, 1919) was a Methodist evangelist and gospel song writer. Biography Lewis Hartsough was born in Ithaca, New York on August 31, 1828. In 1853, one year after graduation from Cazenovia Seminary, ...

- Methodist minister and gospel song writer/composer *

Joseph E. Irish Joseph E. Irish (August 7, 1833 – May 2, 1899) was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate. Irish was born on August 7, 1833, in Paris, New York. He attended the Oneida Conference Seminary. In 1859, Irish became a preacher of the Methodis ...

- Wisconsin clergyman and state senator * William C. McDonald -

Governor of New Mexico , insignia = Seal of the Governor of New Mexico.svg , insigniasize = 110px , insigniacaption = Seal of the Governor , image = File:Michelle Lujan Grisham 2021.jpg , imagesize = 200px , alt = , incumbent = Michelle Lujan Grisham , inc ...

John Philip Newman John Philip Newman (1 September 1826 – 5 July 1899) was an American bishop of the Methodist Episcopal Church, elected in 1888. Birth and family Newman was born in New York City to John and Mary Newman. His father was of German descent, his m ...

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of the

Methodist Episcopal Church The Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC) was the oldest and largest Methodist denomination in the United States from its founding in 1784 until 1939. It was also the first religious denomination in the US to organize itself on a national basis. In ...

; previously three times the

Chaplain A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intellige ...

of the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and ...

John W. North John Wesley North (January 4, 1815 – February 22, 1890) was an American Abolitionism, abolitionist, lawyer, and politician. A founder of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party of Minnesota, North also served in Minnesota's const ...

- Pioneer statesman and founder of

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and ...

* Daniel D. Pratt -

United States Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and p ...

from Indiana *

Rodney S. Rose Rodney S. Rose (1819-1900) was a prominent Methodist clergyman from New York state who was the father of actress Bayonne Whipple and father-in-law of Walter Huston, founder of the Huston acting family. Rodney S. Rose was born on February 6, 18 ...

- Pastor, father of

Bayonne Whipple Bayonne Whipple (died February 20, 1937) was the stage name of Fanny Elmina Rose, an actress and vaudeville performer, and the second wife of Canadian actor Walter Huston. Early life Fanny Elmina Rose (called Mina) was born in New York, the daugh ...

Leland Stanford Amasa Leland Stanford (March 9, 1824June 21, 1893) was an American industrialist and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 8th governor of California from 1862 to 1863 and represented California in the United States Sen ...

- Industrialist, co-founder of

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in North America. Incorpo ...

;

Governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constitution of California, t ...

and U.S. Senator; founder of Stanford University *

James Wilson Seaton James Wilson Seaton (May 28, 1824February 11, 1904) was an American lawyer, Democratic politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate and Assembly, representing Grant County. Biography Born in New Hartford, New Yor ...

- American lawyer and legislator * Harvey A. Truesdell - New York businessman and assemblyman *

Jimmy Van Heusen James Van Heusen (born Edward Chester Babcock; January 26, 1913 – February 6, 1990) was an American composer. He wrote songs for films, television and theater, and won an Emmy and four Academy Awards for Best Original Song. Life and car ...

- American songwriter * Daniel C. Van Norman – Canadian educator, clergyman, and school founder *

David F. Wilber David Forrest Wilber (December 7, 1859 –August 14, 1928) was a United States Representative and consul from New York. Biography Wilber was born in Milford, New York, the son of David Wilber, who also served in Congress. He attended public ...

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together the ...

from New York *

Barbara W. Woodlee Barbara W. Woodlee (born 1946) is an American college administrator. She was president of Kennebec Valley Community College in Fairfield, Maine, from 1984 to 2012, and since 2013 has served as chief academic officer of the Maine Community Colle ...

- Former president of

Kennebec Valley Community College Kennebec Valley Community College is a Public college, public community college in Fairfield, Maine, Fairfield and Hinckley, Maine. It is one of the seven colleges in the Maine Community College System. Overview The college was organized in 19 ...

, the first female president in both the state technical college and community college systems

References

External links

*
Official athletics website

The Bonnie Monroe Fashion Illustration Collection from Cazenovia College on New York Heritage Digital Collections
{{authority control Universities and colleges in Madison County, New York Private universities and colleges in New York (state) Educational institutions established in 1824 1824 establishments in New York (state) Educational institutions established in 1982 Educational institutions established in 1988 Liberal arts colleges in New York (state) Cazenovia, New York