Simmons University (previously Simmons College) is a

private university Private universities and private colleges are higher education institutions not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. However, they often receive tax breaks, public student loans, and government grants. Depending on the count ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1899 by clothing manufacturer John Simmons. In 2018, it reorganized its structure and changed its name to a university. Its undergraduate program is women-focused while its graduate programs are

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

. Simmons is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

New England Commission of Higher Education The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit membership organization that performs peer evaluation and accreditation of public and private universities and colleges in the United States and othe ...

. As of 2020, 83percent of applicants to undergraduate programs were accepted. The university is divided into two campuses in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood totaling , one of which has five academic buildings and the other of which has nine Georgian-style residential buildings. The university enrolls approximately 1,736 undergraduates and 4,527 graduate students. Its athletics teams compete in

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is the lowest division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that do not offer athletic scholarships to student- ...

as the Sharks.

History

Simmons was founded in 1899 with a bequest by John Simmons, a wealthy clothing manufacturer in Boston. Simmons founded the college, called Simmons College, based on the belief that women ought to live independently by offering a

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

education for undergraduate women to integrate into professional work experience. Sarah Louise Arnold was the school's first dean. Simmons is a member of the

Colleges of the Fenway The Colleges of the Fenway (COF) is a consortium of five colleges located in or near the Fenway neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The association promotes collaboration among its member schools to enhance the variety of educational program ...

consortium, which also includes Emmanuel College, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. Simmons absorbed Garland Junior College in 1976. (

Wheelock College Wheelock College was a private college in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The college was founded in 1888 as the Miss Wheelock's Kindergarten Training School and was merged into Boston University as part of the university's Boston Univer ...

, a former member, merged with Boston University to become the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development.) Simmons graduated its first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

student in 1914. Furthermore, Simmons was one of the few private colleges not to impose admission quotas on

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

students for the first half of the 1900s. The school's MBA program was the first in the world designed specifically for women. Today, the undergraduate program is women-centered, while the graduate schools are coed. In 2014, Simmons College teamed up with for-profit online program manager 2U, a deal that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues for the school. In November 2014, the institution released an explicit policy on the acceptance of

transgender A transgender (often shortened to trans) person has a gender identity different from that typically associated with the sex they were sex assignment, assigned at birth. The opposite of ''transgender'' is ''cisgender'', which describes perso ...

students, claiming a strong tradition of empowering women and challenging traditional gender roles and a "rich history of inclusion." Its undergraduate program accepts applicants who are assigned female at birth as well as those who self-identify as women, making Simmons the third women-centered college in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

to accept transgender women. Government documentation of gender is not required. (Graduate programs are co-educational, so gender identity is not of concern.) In 2016, the MBA program went online as MBA@Simmons, and began admitting men. In 2018, Simmons College changed its name to Simmons University after reorganizing the structure of the school.

Campus

Simmons University is currently divided into two campuses located in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. One campus is home to five academic buildings referred to as the Academic Campus. The other campus, referred to as the Residential Campus, is home to nine residential buildings for undergraduate students. The original site of the Simmons College Graduate School of Social Work is featured on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. In November 2020, a plan for a single campus was launched by the university called One Simmons. This plan aims to combine the two campuses into a single campus and create a 21-story "Living and Learning Center." This will include 1,100 dorm rooms, classrooms, and athletic facilities. Additionally, the plan outlines renovations to the Main College Building and Lefavour Hall. Lefavour Hall specifically will be outfitted with a new library and a new science center. Following the completion of these renovations in spring of 2022, the Park Science Center has been closed. It is going to be taken down to build the new Living and Learning Center. The project is scheduled to break ground in Fall 2022 and open in Fall 2026. Simmons University entered into an agreement with Skanska, a multinational construction and property development company. Skanska will build the new Living and Learning Center building, and in exchange, Simmons University will give Skanska a 99-year lease for the grounds of the residential campus. Skanska will plan and execute commercial development of the former residential campus after the construction of the Living and Learning Center is completed.

Academic Campus

The Academic Campus is located at 300 The Fenway in the Longwood Medical Area. It is immediately adjacent to the

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts, which houses significant examples of European, Asian, and American art. Its collection includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries, and decorative arts. It was found ...

and the

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a Magnet school, magnet Latin schools, Latin Grammar schools, grammar State school, state school in Boston, Massachusetts. It has been in continuous operation since it was established on April 23, 1635. It is the old ...

. This campus currently consists of five buildings: * One Palace Road (the 2nd through 4th floors are leased to Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences) * Main College Building * Beatley Library/Lefavour Hall (recently renovated to also house the science facilities) * Park Science Center (has since been demolished) * School of Management Building (a recent green construction) Morse Hall - Simmons College - DSC09854

Bartol Hall - Simmons College - DSC09849

Student body

According to the College Scorecard, the racial and ethnic composition of the undergraduate population is 62% white, 11% Asian, 8% Hispanic, 6% black, and 5% non-resident alien. 30% of the undergraduate student body is Pell Grant eligible.

Admissions

Simmons received 2,905 first-year applications for admission in fall 2020. They admitted 2,398 applicants (82.5% acceptance rate) and enrolled 451. The average high school

GPA Grading in education is the application of standardized measurements to evaluate different levels of student achievement in a course. Grades can be expressed as letters (usually A to F), as a range (for example, 1 to 6), percentages, or as num ...

of first-year students enrolled in fall 2020 was 3.69; the middle 50% range of SAT composite scores was 1080–1250; and the middle 50% range of ACT composite scores was 24–29.

Sustainability

Former President Susan Scrimshaw signed the

American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment Started in 2006, the American College & University Presidents' Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) was a “high-visibility effort” to address global warming (global climate disruption) by creating a network of colleges and universities that had committe ...

( ACUPCC) as a formal commitment to eliminate campus greenhouse gas emissions over time. Furthermore, the School of Management is addressing sustainability in its curriculum as well as in building and resource-management programs.

Academics

Simmons University is

by the

. Its most popular undergraduate majors, by number out of 412 graduates in 2022, were: *Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (117) *Family Practice Nurse/Nursing (47) *Biopsychology (25) *Exercise Science and Kinesiology (23) *Psychology (22) Simmons University reorganized its academic structure in 2024 to foster interdisciplinary learning and cross-departmental collaboration among its constituent schools: * Gwen Ifill School of Media, Humanities, and Social Sciences * School of Library and Information Science (SLIS), est. 1902 * School of Management * School of Nursing * School of Sciences and Health Professions * School of Social Work

Athletics

Simmons Sharks wordmark Simmons University sponsors athletics teams, nicknamed the ''Sharks'', in a variety of sports including crew, cross country, field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis, and volleyball. The mascot is the Sharks and the colors are blue and yellow. They compete as members of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

Division III in the

Great Northeast Athletic Conference The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference which competes in the Division III ranks of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). History Chronological timeline * 1995 – In 1995, th ...

(GNAC), the

New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III. Member institutions are located in the northeastern United States in the states of Connecticut, Ma ...

(NEWMAC) and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC). Simmons athletes won some of the early national intercollegiate women's tennis championships in singles (Marjorie Sachs, 1932) and doubles (Dorrance Chase, 1930 and 1932, with Sachs).

Notable alumnae

Simmons alumnae include: * Emily Banks, class of 1959, actress Shore Leave and model Miss Rheingold * Susan Porter Benson (1943–2005), historian * Julie Berry (author), children's author * Lenore Blum (born 1942), computer scientist and mathematician * Kristin Cashore, author *

Margaret Curtis Margaret Curtis (October 8, 1883 – December 24, 1965) was an American golf and tennis champion and lifelong social worker. From the Manchester-by-the-Sea, Massachusetts area, she was the youngest of ten children. Her father was a colonel ...

(1883–1965), social worker and athlete * Jahaira DeAlto (died 2021), social worker, lgbt activist, and domestic violence victims' advocate * Denise Di Novi (born 1956), film producer * Barbara Clark Elam (1929–2017) * Rehema Ellis, NBC News correspondent * Jessica Fay, politician * Dorothy Celeste Boulding Ferebee (1898–1980), class of 1920, African-American physician and activist * David S. Ferriero (born 1949) 10th Archivist of the United States *

Nnenna Freelon Nnenna Freelon (born July 28, 1954) is an American jazz singer, composer, producer, and arranger. Early life and education Freelon was born Chinyere Nnenna Pierce to Charles and Frances Pierce in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, Massachuset ...

(born 1954), jazz singer * Ann M. Fudge, businesswoman, former CEO of

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Tipper Gore Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (née Aitcheson; born August 19, 1948) is an American social issues advocate. She was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001 through her marriage to the 45th vice president, Al Gore in 1970, from who ...

(born 1947), attended (Garland Junior College), former Second Lady of the United States * Eolyn Klugh Guy, social worker associated with

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swit ...

* Christine Heppermann, author and poet * Theodora Kimball Hubbard, landscape architect, librarian * Marjorie Hulsizer Copher, dietitian who served in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Gwen Ifill Gwendolyn L. Ifill ( ; September 29, 1955 – November 14, 2016) was an American journalist, television newscaster, and author. In 1999, she became the first African-American woman to host a nationally televised U.S. public affairs program ...

(1955–2016), class of 1977, journalist, television newscaster and author * Louise Andrews Kent (1886–1969), author * Megan Dowd Lambert, children's book author and academic, Master of Arts degree (2002) * Mackenzi Lee, author * Gail Levin, class of 1969, art historian *

Elinor Lipman Elinor Lipman (born October 16, 1950) is an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. Early life and education Elinor Lipman was born and raised in Lowell, Massachusetts to a Jewish family. She is the second daughter of Julia M. and ...

(born 1950), novelist * Bertha Mahony (1882–1969), founder of ''

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

'' * Barbara Margolis (1929–2009),

prisoners' rights The rights of civilian and military prisoners are governed by both national and international law. International conventions include the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; the United Nations' Minimum Rules for the Treatment ...

advocate who served as the official greeter of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Susan K. Martin Susan Katherine Martin (born 1942) is an American librarian. She has worked as a university librarian and was executive director of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science. Early life Martin was born in Cambridge, Englan ...

(1965), librarian * Hannah M. McCarthy, college administrator and businessperson *

Cheyney McKnight Cheyney McKnight is an African-American historical interpreter and educator, known for her interpretation company and online handle Not Your Momma's History. Early life and education McKnight grew up in Atlanta and was interested in history fro ...

, historical interpreter * Jeffrey Mello,

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United States ...

priest ( Bishop of Connecticut) * Eleanor Milleville (1922–1991), American sculptor * Catherine N. Norton (1941–2014), American librarian *

Sondra Perl Sondra Perl is a Professor Emerita of English at Lehman College and director of the Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. She is the founder and former director of the New York City Writin ...

, Professor Emerita of

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Lehman College Lehman College is a public college in New York City, United States. Founded in 1931 as the Bronx campus of Hunter College, it became an independent college in 1967. The college is named after Herbert H. Lehman, a former New York governor, United ...

and director of the Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric at the

Graduate Center of the City University of New York The Graduate School and University Center of the City University of New York (CUNY Graduate Center) is a public research institution and postgraduate university in New York City. Formed in 1961 as Division of Graduate Studies at City University ...

* Bertha Reynolds, American social worker *

Srinagarindra Princess Srinagarindra (; ; 21 October 1900 – 18 July 1995) born Sangwan Talapat (; ) was a member of the Royal Thai Family. She was part of the House of Mahidol, which is descended from the Chakri dynasty and was founded by Prince Mahidol ...

(1900–1995), Princess Mother of

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

* Mabel Leilani Smyth, Director of the Public Nursing Service for the Territory of Hawaii * Valerie Thomas, scientist and inventor * Susan Traverso (1983), president of

Thiel College Thiel College (, ) is a private college in Greenville, Pennsylvania, United States. It is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is one of the smallest colleges in the region with about 100 full-time and part-time faculty ...

, former provost of

Elizabethtown College Elizabethtown College (informally Etown) is a private college in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. History Founding and early years Elizabethtown College was founded in 1899 by members of the Church of the Brethren in response to an initiative by ...

Suzyn Waldman Suzyn Waldman (born September 7, 1946) is an American sportscaster and former musical theater actress. Since the 2005 season, she has been the color commentator for New York Yankees baseball, working with John Sterling, Justin Shackil and Dav ...

color commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...

for the

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

Allyson Schwartz Allyson Schwartz (née Young; born October 3, 1948) is an American Democratic Party politician who represented parts of Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia in the United States House of Representatives from 2005 to 2015 and Northeast an ...

, class of 1970, U.S. Representative

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2004– * Anne Williams Wheaton, class of 1912, publicist and first White House Associate Press Secretary * Esther M. Wilkins (1916–2016), class of 1938, pioneer in the field of dental hygiene, teacher, and author of ''Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist'' *

Mary Elizabeth Wood Mary Elizabeth Wood (August 22, 1861 – May 1, 1931) was an American librarian and missionary, best known for her work in promoting Western librarianship practices and programs in China. She is credited with the foundation of the first library s ...

, 1861–1931, librarian and lay missionary who actively promoted Chinese early education and librarianship *

Alex Wright Alexander Wright (born May 17, 1975) is a German former Professional wrestling, professional wrestler and professional wrestling promotion, professional wrestling promoter. He wrestled professionally in Germany and Japan before signing with World ...

, American writer and

information architect Information architecture (IA) is the structural design of shared information environments; the art and science of organizing and labelling websites, intranets, online communities and software to support usability and findability; and an emerging ...

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, President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology * Aline A. Yamashita, Guamanian educator and politician *

Jill Zarin Jill Zarin ( Kamen) is an American television personality. She is best known as an original cast member on the Bravo reality television series ''The Real Housewives of New York City'', in which she starred from 2008 to 2011. Early life and caree ...

(born 1963), reality television personality

Notable faculty

* William M. Bellamy, former U.S. ambassador to

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

from 2003 to 2006 * Harry C. Bentley, founder and namesake of

Bentley College Bentley University is a private university in Waltham, Massachusetts, United States. It was founded in 1917 as a school of accounting and finance in Boston's Back Bay neighborhood. Bentley has one undergraduate school which offers 17 business ma ...

served as professor of accounting. *

Nancy Bond Nancy Barbara Bond (born January 8, 1945) is an American author of children's literature. In 1977 her first book, '' A String in the Harp'', was fantasy novel with an element of folklore, set in West Wales. It received a Newbery honor and the Wel ...

, winner of a

Newbery Honor The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished contr ...

, taught at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979 to 2001. * Dana Chandler, artist and activist. * Alicia Craig Faxon, art historian. * Emily Hale, speech and drama teacher, and muse of

T.S. Eliot Thomas Stearns Eliot (26 September 18884 January 1965) was a poet, essayist and playwright.Bush, Ronald. "T. S. Eliot's Life and Career", in John A Garraty and Mark C. Carnes (eds), ''American National Biography''. New York: Oxford University ...

* Megan Dowd Lambert, children's book author and academic; senior lecturer at Simmons *

Gregory Maguire Gregory Maguire (born June 9, 1954) is an American novelist. He is the author of ''Wicked (Maguire novel), Wicked'', ''Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister'', and several dozen other novels for adults and children. Many of Maguire's adult novels are ...

, author, professor and co-director at the Simmons College Center for the Study of Children's Literature from 1979 to 1985. *

Isadore Gilbert Mudge Isadore Gilbert Mudge (March 14, 1875 – May 16, 1957) was ranked by the magazine '' American Libraries'' as one of the top 100 important leaders that libraries have had in the 20th century. Mudge was a defining influence on what a contemporar ...

, librarian, part-time lecturer *

Mary Schenck Woolman Mary Raphael Schenck Woolman (April 26, 1860August 1, 1940) was an American educator known for her advocacy of vocational education and consumer education, particularly for women. She was one of the first woman faculty members at Teachers Colleg ...

, pioneer in vocational education

Presidents

* Henry Lefavour (1901–1933) * Bancroft Beatley (1933–1955) * William Edgar Park (1955–1970) * William J. Holmes (1970–1993) * Jean Dowdall (1993–1995) * Daniel S. Cheever Jr. (1995–2006) *

Susan C. Scrimshaw Susan Crosby Scrimshaw is an American scholar of medical anthropology and university administrator. She served as president of Simmons University, The Sage Colleges, and dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois Chicago. ...

(2006–2008) * Helen Drinan (2008–2020) *

Lynn Perry Wooten Lynn Perry Wooten is an American academic administrator serving as the 9th president of Simmons University since 2020. She is its first Black president. Wooten was the David J. Nolan Dean and Professor of Management and Organizations at the Char ...

(2020–present)

References

External links

*
Athletics website
{{Coord, 42.339800, -71.100200, region:US-MA_type:edu, display=title Women's universities and colleges in the United States Universities and colleges in Boston Universities and colleges established in 1899 1899 establishments in Massachusetts Liberal arts colleges in Massachusetts Private universities and colleges in Massachusetts