Parsons College
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Parsons College was a
private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...
liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on Undergraduate education, undergraduate study in the Liberal arts education, liberal arts of humanities and science. Such colleges aim to impart ...
located in
Fairfield, Iowa Fairfield is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. It has a population of 9,416 people, according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The median family income is $46,138, with 10% of families belo ...
. The school was named for its wealthy benefactor, Lewis B. Parsons Sr., and was founded in 1875 with one building and 34 students. Over the years new buildings were constructed as enrollment expanded. The school lost its accreditation in 1948 but regained it two years later. In 1955 the school appointed Millard G. Roberts as its president and this began a period of rapid expansion with the student population rising as high as 5,000 by 1966. There was a turning point, however, in 1966 when ''
Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
'' magazine published an article criticizing the college and its president. In the spring of 1967, the school lost its accreditation and Roberts was asked to resign as president. Although they regained their accreditation in the spring of 1970, enrollment had quickly declined and the college floundered with $14 million in debt and closed under bankruptcy in 1973.


History


1875 to 1954

Parsons College was named for Lewis B. Parsons Sr., a wealthy
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
merchant who died in 1855 and left much of his estate as an endowment for an institution of higher learning in Iowa. His sons, the executors of Parsons' estate, considered a number of possible locations for the school and 20 years laterGoff, Rory and Rena (November 2012) Remembering Barhydt Chapel, Iowa Source, page F-1 chose a tract of land just north of Fairfield.Gabbert, Dean (June 1, 1973) Life And Death Of A College, The Fairfield Ledger The residents of Fairfield promised $27,516 towards the college, and its committee paid W. H. Jordan $13,000 for Henn Mansion building and 20 acres of land. The college opened in 1875 with 34 students who attended classes in the brick home called "the Mansion" that was built in 1857 by Congressman Bernhart Henn. The faculty were three Presbyterian ministers and enrollment grew to 63 students by year end. Alexander G. Wilson was in charge of faculty and held the title of "rector." He also oversaw the college's preparatory department, which later became the Parsons Academy until its closure in 1917. A $7,000 chapel building was erected in 1876, and John Armstrong succeeded Wilson and assumed the title of college president, until August 12, 1879, when he died suddenly. The third president was Thomas Davis Ewing, who served from 1880 to 1890; the Mansion was later renamed Ewing Hall in his honor. A west wing was added to the chapel in 1882 by Des Moines architects Bell & Hackney, and an east wing was added in 1890-91 with a $15,000 donation from W. R. Ankeny of Des Moines, for whom the chapel was renamed Ankeny Hall. The first football game played at Parsons was on September 16, 1893. Parsons won by a score of 70-0. This monumental win prompted the construction of Blum Stadium for the 1894 season. In 1896 Daniel E. Jenkins became college president at the age of 30 and was the youngest of the 16 who held the title during the school's 98-year history. Ankeny Hall contained the chapel, the library, and the classrooms when it was destroyed by fire in August 1902, leaving the college with only two buildings: Henn Mansion and a newly constructed women's dormitory called Ballard Hall. The college rebounded by raising funds from board members and other local residents for new construction. In 1903 Fairfield Hall and Foster Hall were completed and the Carnegie Library was opened in 1907 due in part to a donation from philanthropist
Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie ( , ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the History of the iron and steel industry in the United States, American steel industry in the late ...
. These new buildings were in the Beaux Arts-style and were designed by Chicago architect Henry K. Holsman. In 1908, college trustee Theodore Wells Barhydt donated $33,000 for a chapel, which was built in Norman Gothic style and designed by Holsman. It was completed in 1909 and named the Barhydt Memorial Chapel in honor of Barhydt's parents. The chapel included $1,800 worth of art-glass windows. The Trustee Gymnasium opened in 1910 and later an extension to the chapel called the Bible Building and later renamed Parsons Hall. Enrollment steadily increased after World War I but declined during the World War II years, and in 1948 Parsons lost its accreditation. The college was strengthened by appointment of college President Tom E. Shearer in 1948, and it regained accreditation in 1950.


1955 to 1973

In 1955, the trustees appointed a
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
minister from New York City, Millard G. Roberts, as president of the 357-student college. Over the years, Roberts was both hailed and criticized for his flamboyant management style. His first objective was to increase enrollment, and for ten years Parsons College allegedly had the highest percentage of enrollment increase nationwide. When the number of students reached 1,000, new dormitories were built to keep up with the demand. Roberts instituted the multi-pronged Parsons Plan. Features included: * Division of the year into three 4-month trimesters. This gave students more time to delve deeply into their classes. * Establishment of the Summer Fine Arts Festival. Each of the three trimesters carried equal academic weight, but the summer trimester included unique art, music, dance, and theater class and performance offerings not available at other times of the year. (Because each trimester carried equal academic weight, students who had to take a term off to work could do so during any term, thereby avoiding the competition for summer jobs.) * Division of the student body into three cohorts. The top tier, comprising academic "stars", were offered full scholarships; the bottom two tiers, comprising average and below-average students who couldn't get into (or had flunked out of) other colleges, paid full tuition. * The Tutorial system, whereby lectures were conducted by doctorate professors two or three times a week. On the other days of the week, students met with Masters-level tutors who conducted smaller discussion-oriented sessions; students thereby met five days a week. * Admission was offered to marginal students right out of high school, who otherwise might not have been able to go to college, as well as to students who had flunked out of other colleges. Among Roberts's innovations was the establishment of the trimester system, which made possible year-round use of the facility and allowed students to reduce the time needed to obtain a degree. He lowered admission requirements and Parsons became known as a school that gave students a second chance. He increased the student-teacher ratio, slashed the academic curriculum, and established recruiters around the country. In 1962, six professors filed a formal complaint against the college. The
North Central Association The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It ...
(NCA) conducted an investigation and put the college on probation in 1963. In 1964 student enrollment reached 2,500; the probation was lifted in 1965, and enrollment reached 5,000 students in 1966. Roberts reportedly raided other campuses for "strong faculty" by offering higher salaries and more benefits. By 1966 the college had the third highest-paid faculty in the nation. However, despite huge increases in enrollment, the college debt increased by an average of $100,000 per month during the 12 years that Roberts was president. In 1966 ''Life'' magazine published an article criticizing Roberts and the college, calling him "The Wizard of Flunk Out U". In 1966, a new football stadium,
Blum Stadium Blum Stadium was the home of Parsons College (Fairfield, Iowa) Wildcats football from 1966 through their final season in 1970. The dedication game was a 37–7 victory over Los Angeles State on October 8, 1966. The final game was a 10–8 victo ...
was dedicated. In 1967 the NCA revoked the college's accreditation citing "administrative weakness" and a $14 million debt. Roberts responded with threats of a lawsuit, but the faculty voted 101 to 58 to remove Roberts from his position. In June 1967 the board of trustees asked for his resignation. William B. Munson became acting president for two months and was succeeded by Wayne E. Stamper, who served from 1967-1968. The school played its final season of football in 1970. Within a year enrollment had dropped to 2,000 students. The school's enrollment plunged from 5,000 to 1,500, and though accreditation was regained in the spring of that year, the upheaval of the late 1960s had fatally undermined its reputation. In 1973, Everett E. Hadley became acting president of the college. Two innovative programs, "Foreign Language - Foreign Service Institute" and "Religious Service Community," attracted new students. However, enrollment dropped to 925 students, the school went into bankruptcy and finally closed in 1973.Nelson, Bryce (July 9, 1973) "The Death of a College -- Grand Idea That Failed", The Los Angeles Times Over the years Roberts had created satellite colleges that operated under the leadership of Parsons. They were
Lea College Lea College was a private liberal arts college that operated from 1966 to 1973 in Albert Lea, Minnesota, United States. Lea was one of several Midwestern colleges established by local civic leaders with the support and encouragement of Parsons Coll ...
in Albert Lea, Minn., John J. Pershing College in Beatrice, Neb.; Charles City College in Charles City, Iowa; College of Artesia in Artesia, N.M.;
Hiram Scott College Hiram Scott College was a private liberal arts college that operated from 1965 to 1972 in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Named after Hiram Scott (1805–1828), a fur trapper with the Rocky Mountain Fur Company who was found dead in the vicinity on his ret ...
in Scottsbluff, Neb.; and Midwestern College in
Denison, Iowa Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River, and located in both Denison Township and East Boyer Township. The population was 8,373 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crawford Count ...
. However, by 1973, all had fallen into bankruptcy. In August 1974, the campus was purchased by
Maharishi International University Maharishi International University (MIU), formerly Maharishi University of Management, is a private university in Fairfield, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1971 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and practices a "consciousness-based education" syst ...
.Engel, Alliso
"Maharishi International University mixes meditation and education"
''Change'' Vol 7 No 4 (May 1975) p. 19


Notable alumni

*
William E. Andrews William Ezekiel Andrews (December 17, 1854 – January 19, 1942) was an American politician who was a United States Representative from Nebraska from 1895 to 1897. Biography Andrews was born near Oskaloosa, Iowa, on December 17, 1854. He becam ...
, U.S. congressman from
Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...
*
Ron Cochran Ron Cochran (September 20, 1912 – July 25, 1994) was a Canadian-born American television news journalist who worked for ABC and CBS. He served as the anchor of '' Ron Cochran with the News'', ABC’s evening news program, from 1962 to 196 ...
, network television anchor * David T. Fischer, former
United States ambassador to Morocco This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Morocco. Morocco was the first country to recognize the United States of America in 1777. Regular diplomatic relations were established in 1905. In 1912 Morocco came under the control of Fran ...
*
Rich Folkers Richard Nevin Folkers (born October 17, 1946) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from to for the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and M ...
, MLB pitcher *
Maruta Gardner Maruta Rubens Gardner (February 20, 1947 – February 13, 2016) was an American community activist and public school administrator serving in the roles of teacher, vice principal, principal, and assistant superintendent of schools in San Diego Co ...
, educator and community activist * H. Robert Heller, economist, banker, and Federal Reserve Board member * Mike Hennigan, former
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
player and college football coach (
Tennessee Tech Tennessee Technological University (commonly referred to as Tennessee Tech) is a public research university in Cookeville, Tennessee. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, and before that as University of Dixie, the name unde ...
) * Carol M. Highsmith, America's documentarian – America Collection in the Library of Congress *
Richard L. Lawson Richard Laverne Lawson (19 December 1929 – 20 January 2020) was a general and deputy commander in chief, Headquarters United States European Command, Stuttgart-Vaihingen, Germany. Biography Early life Lawson was born in Fairfield, Iowa, in ...
,
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
general * F. Dickinson Letts, U.S. congressman (Iowa) and federal judge *
Rhine McLin Rhine Lana McLin (born October 1948) is an American Democratic politician from Ohio who served as the 54th mayor of Dayton, Ohio, from 2002 to 2010. McLin previously served as a member of both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly. Education ...
, 54th mayor of
Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
* Allen E. Paul, Indiana state senator, Republican representing District 27 from 1986 to 2014 *
Claude R. Porter Claude Rodman Porter (July 8, 1872 – August 17, 1946) was an American politician and lawyer. He served in both chambers of the Iowa General Assembly and as a United States Attorney, and was a perennial Democratic Party (United States), Democrati ...
, member of the
Iowa General Assembly The Iowa General Assembly is the legislative branch of the state government of Iowa. Like the federal United States Congress, the General Assembly is a bicameral body, composed of the upper house Iowa Senate and the lower Iowa House of Repre ...
and
United States Attorney United States attorneys are officials of the U.S. Department of Justice who serve as the chief federal law enforcement officers in each of the 94 U.S. federal judicial districts. Each U.S. attorney serves as the United States' chief federal ...
1927-28 Iowa Official Register
pp. 183-85 (biographies of members of the Iowa State Board of Education).
*
Don Reinhoudt Donald C. Reinhoudt (March 5, 1945 – July 3, 2023) was an American powerlifter and strongman. He won the IPF World Powerlifting Superheavyweight Championship four consecutive times (1973–1976), and won the World's Strongest Man in 1979. Wi ...
, American powerlifter and strongman. * Bob Stiller, founder of Keurig Green Mountain coffee company now
Keurig Dr Pepper Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. ( ), formerly Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (1979–2014) and Keurig Green Mountain (2014–2018), is a publicly traded American beverage and coffeemaker conglomerate with headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts, and ...
*
Jim Todd Jim Todd (born 1952 in Billerica, Massachusetts) is a professional basketball coach who last served as an assistant for the New York Knicks. NBA coaching career Los Angeles Clippers He was the coach at Salem State College for nearly ten years, ...
,
MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
pitcher *
Marcia Wallace Marcia Karen Wallace (November 1, 1942 – October 25, 2013) was an American actress and comedian, primarily known for her roles on sitcoms. She is best known for her roles as receptionist Carol Kester on the 1970s sitcom '' The Bob Newhart ...
,
Emmy award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
-winning actress (''
The Bob Newhart Show ''The Bob Newhart Show'' is an American television sitcom produced by MTM Enterprises that aired on CBS from September 16, 1972, to April 1, 1978, with a total of 142 half-hour episodes over six seasons. Comedian Bob Newhart portrays a psychol ...
'', ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'') and game show panelist


References


External links


Parsons College DirectoryParsons College.orgAcademic records for defunct Iowa colleges
{{Defunct colleges and universities in Iowa Demolished buildings and structures in Iowa Education in Jefferson County, Iowa Educational institutions established in 1875 Educational institutions disestablished in 1973 1875 establishments in Iowa 1973 disestablishments in Iowa Liberal arts colleges in Iowa Defunct private universities and colleges in Iowa