Media Kit
Historic Timeline
Administrative Biographies
Notable Alumnae
For a history of Stephens and general facts and figures about the College,
please visit About Stephens.
Historic Timeline: Stephens College Changing the World
1833
Columbia Female Baptist Academy is established. Lucy Wales is appointed as the school’s preceptress. At that time, Columbia, Mo., is a frontier town with nine stores, two taverns, four grogshops and one Presbyterian meeting house. Andrew Jackson is the seventh president of the United States, which has a population of 10 million.
1837
The Academy receives its charter and construction begins on its first
building.
1855
The first train crosses the Mississippi River at Rock Island, Ill.,
and comes through Columbia dropping off Stephens College students.
1856
Columbia Female Baptist College is established. Eight acres of land
and a brick residence are purchased to form what is today the nucleus
of the 200-acre campus.
1857
The College’s charter is secured.
1870
Columbia Female Baptist College is transferred to the Missouri Baptist
General Association, and its name is changed to Stephens College in
honor of James L. Stephens, a dry goods store owner from Columbia, Mo.,
who endowed it with $20,000.
1900
Stephens creates three academic departments: music, art and commercial
(shorthand and typing).
1905
Stephens College becomes a junior college as associate in arts degrees
are awarded for the first time.
1910
The College’s Board of Curators abandons the practice of leasing
the College to the president and assumes management directly.
1912
James Madison Wood is appointed president of Stephens College and remains
at the helm for 35 years. The College adds four academic departments:
science, dramatic science, expression and Christian service for women.
1920
Director of Research Werrett Charters, Ph.D., begins conducting studies
on women’s education to scientifically adapt the College’s
curriculum to meet the specific needs of the students. His findings
later lead to a revision in the curriculum based on seven areas, including
humanities, social problems, philosophy of living, communications, physical
health and mental health.
1933
Stephens College holds its centennial celebration. Approximately 5,000
women have graduated from the College.
1937
“First Lady of the American Theatre” Maude Adams is appointed
professor of drama at Stephens College.
1944
Under the sponsorship of 12 of the nation’s leading airlines,
Stephens College institutes the first course of study ever offered for
the training of women in commercial aviation.
1950
Construction begins on the Firestone Baars Chapel, designed by architect
Eero Saarinen. Having just designed the U.S. Embassy in London, Saarinen
soon will begin work on the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.
1955
Stephens offers first-year students a lecture course titled “Ideas
and Living Today,” which is taught by master teachers via closed-circuit
television.
1960
The College creates the Searcy House Plan, a unique living/learning
community designed for freshmen, which later becomes a nationally recognized
educational model.
1968
Making the transition to a four-year college, Stephens receives full
accreditation for awarding bachelor degrees.
1970
A new plan is proposed for undergraduate work that leads to the establishment
of the University Without Walls.
1977
Historic Senior Hall, the original building in which the College was
housed and its only residence hall until 1918, is listed in the National
Register of Historic Places.
1983
Patsy H. Sampson is elected as the first woman president of Stephens
College.
Stephens College celebrates its 150th year.
1994
Dr. Marcia S. Kierscht is inaugurated as the 22nd president of Stephens
College.
1995
Stephens College embarks on the Stephens for the New Millennium Plan.
The Plan emphasizes five goals: developing competitive and marketable
academic programs that address the changing roles of women; right-sizing
campus properties and facilities; improving technology; building a diverse
community on campus; and enhancing fund raising.
Drawing on its experiences with the successful Searcy House Plan, the
College creates the Prunty Science House Plan, a living/learning community
for students interested in the study of mathematics, science and technology.
1996
Stephens hosts the only 1996 U.S. showing of “Toward a Peaceful
World Free Of Nuclear Weapons,” an educational exhibit from the
Hiroshima and Nagasaki Peace Museums.
1997
Stephens introduces its first graduate programs, offering degrees for
men and women through the School of Graduate and Continuing Education.
The online Master of Business Administration Program incorporates three
emphasis areas: management, entrepreneurial studies and clinical information
systems management. The Master of Education in Counseling Program responds
to national trends and needs at the elementary and secondary levels.
Stephens College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and
a member of the North Central Association.
Stephens College launches its first comprehensive capital campaign, The Campaign for Stephens: It’s Her Turn, to raise $35 million. Campaign priorities include improving and renovating campus facilities, funding new academic equipment and technology, and increasing endowment. The capstone project is the restoration of Lela Raney Wood Hall, built in 1938. The campaign launched June 1, 1997, and concludes May 31, 2004.
1998
Stephens breaks ground on the creation of a new basketball/volleyball
facility, the John and Mary Silverthorne Arena. The construction coincides
with the announcement that Stephens is adding basketball — to
existing programs in soccer, volleyball and tennis —
as its fifth NCAA Division III sport.
2001
The Carnegie Foundation reclassifies Stephens from Baccalaureate College-General
to Baccalaureate College-Liberal Arts, noting that the College offers
at least 50 percent of its degrees in the liberal arts.
Stephens College receives its largest gift in College
history, $5 million, from 1929 alumna Evalyn King Joachim.
2002
Reflecting the Carnegie Foundation’s 2001 reclassification, U.S.
News and World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges”
shows that Stephens joined the ranks of the best national liberal arts
colleges in the nation.
Stephens alumna Gretchen Bush Kimball and husband William donate $2.5 million to Stephens, the largest donation in College history. Called the Kimball Challenge, the gift will match dollar-for-dollar donations and gifts up to $2.5 million to renovate Lela Raney Wood Hall. With its expected completion in Spring 2004, LRW will serve as a central location for student and administrative offices and also house the College’s renowned Historical Costume Collection.
2003
Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., becomes the 23rd president of Stephens College
on July 1.
2009
Dianne Lynch, Ph.D., becomes the 24th president of Stephens College
on June 2.
Administrative Biographies
President Dianne Lynch, Ph.D. became the 24th president of Stephens College on June 2, 2009. She is the fourth woman to become president of the four-year private college for women. Stephens College remains deeply rooted in the tradition of innovation upon which it was founded in 1833, continuing to educate outstanding women leaders.
Before her appointment at Stephens, Dr. Lynch served as dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in Ithaca, N.Y., since 2004. The Park School of Communications has approximately 1,400 students and 60 full-time faculty.
Dr. Lynch is a member of the national accrediting council for schools of journalism and mass communication (ACEJMC); a member of the national Journalism Advisory Council of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; and a former Fulbright Senior Specialist in new media technologies and learning.
Prior to becoming dean at Ithaca College in 2004, Dr. Lynch was a faculty member and chair of the Department of Journalism at Saint Michael’s College in Burlington, Vermont, a private liberal arts college of approximately 1,800 students. In that capacity, she won local, regional and national awards for teaching, including recognition in 1999 as the national Journalism Teacher of the Year.
Dr. Lynch was the founding executive director of the national Online News Association. In that capacity, she was the editorial director of the first national study of the credibility of online news. She wrote a biweekly column about women and technology, “Wired Women,” for ABCNews.com from 2000 to 2003, and a weekly column on new media ethics for the Christian Science Monitor from 1998 to 2002.
She earned her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studying feminist history in journalism, and her Ph.D. in Art History and Communications from McGill University in Montreal, where she studied feminist theory and social identity development. Dr. Lynch’s research focuses on the learning styles and knowledge production of “digital natives,” children who grow up in virtual environments.
Dr. Lynch is a member of the Board of Trustees of WSKG, a public broadcasting station serving 21 counties in New York and Pennsylvania.
She is married to Philip Coleman. They have
four children: Andrew, 28; Amelia, 25; Nicholas, 23; and Annie, 11;
two dogs, Madison and Addy; and two cats, Willie and Bella.
Vice President for Academic Affairs
Mary Hassinger, Vice President
for Academic Affairs, is responsible for enhancing the quality and curriculum
of academic programs, developing the College’s assessment process
and continuing the academic renaissance of Stephens. She joined the
Stephens adminstration in July 2008.
Hassinger has worked in higher education for nearly 25 years. Prior to Stephens, she served as the dean of the School of Letters and Sciences and a professor of chemistry at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wis. At Viterbo, she also served as the director of the U.S. Department of Education’s Title III Strengthening Institutions Program, which aims to implement program assessment and active learning across the institution.
Hassinger earned a B.S. in chemistry with a
minor in physics from the University of Minnesota-Duluth and a M.S.
and Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Purdue University.
Vice President for Business Affairs
Douglas Lange, Vice President
for Business Affairs, oversees the areas of the bookstore, campus computing
and telecommunications, conferencing and events, facilities, food service
and catering, post office and purchasing. He also overses the accounting
office as the College's chief financial officer. He joined the Stephens
administration in 2004.
He previously served as the director of Facilities Services at Furman
University in Greenville, S.C., where he directed and managed all aspects
of the facility construction, maintenance and operations, and coordinated
the facility assessment and master planning efforts. He also previously
served as the director of the physical plant at Angelo State University
in San Angelo, Texas, and director of plant operations at Cumberland
County Schools in Fayetteville, N.C.
Lange served in the U.S. Army and U.S. Army Reserves for more than 20
years. He retired in April 2004 as a colonel in the Army Reserves following
recent tours of duty in Afghanistan and Kosovo.
Lange earned a B.S. from Texas A&M University and an M.B.A. from
Angelo State University.
Vice President for Student Services
Deborah Duren was promoted from
dean of students and director of athletics to vice president for student
services in January 2004. Duren has worked in numerous capacities since
her arrival at Stephens in 1984.
She worked in her previous positions of dean of students and director
of athletics since 1994 and 1993, respectively. Duren served as coordinator
of advising (1989-1994); physical education instructor (1986-1996);
teacher education instructor (1989-1995); and instructor at the Audrey
Webb Children’s School (1987-1994). She also has served as head
volleyball coach at various times, including this year. Before Stephens,
Duren worked as the head volleyball and softball coach at the University
of Missouri-Columbia from 1974-1980.
She earned a B.S. in Education from Southwest Missouri State University
in 1973 and a M.Ed. in physical education and athletic administration
from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1990.
Vice President for Marketing and Public
Relations
Amy Gipson, Vice President for
Marketing and Public Relations, oversees publications, media, web development
and a variety of special events and other projects at the College. She
joined the Stephens staff in 1995.
Gipson earned a B.J. from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Vice President for Development and Alumnae
Relations
Carol Julian serves as vice
president for development and alumnae relations at Stephens.
Prior to her appointment at Stephens in August 2002, Ms. Julian served
as vice president for institutional advancement at Point Park College
in Pittsburgh since August 1997. She also served as a director in the
Office of Development and Alumni Affairs at Murray State University
in Murray, Ky., and directed gift planning and scholarship programs
at the Murray State University Foundation.
She has a B.A. in political science from Marshall University in Huntington,
W.Va., and a Master of Public Administration degree from Murray State
University.
Notable Alumnae
From Broadway to the White House, graduates are carrying the Stephens College name across the world, pursing exciting careers and consistently earning coveted awards. The following are just a few of the remarkable women who form the Stephens College alumnae network.
- JEANE KIRKPATRICK,
the United States' first female ambassador to the United Nations.
She passed away in December 2006.
- PAULA ZAHN, news anchor.
She has hosted CNN's "Paula Zahn NOW," co-hosted “CBS
This Morning” and anchored for the Fox News Channel and“CBS
Evening News Saturday Edition.”
- MARY MEL FRENCH, former
chief of protocol for the United States.
- ANNIE POTTS, actress on the Lifetime
Network's “Any Day Now.” Other credits include television's
“Over the Top,” “Dangerous Minds,” “Designing
Women” and “Love and War,” and the films “Pretty
in Pink,” “Ghostbusters” and “Crimes of Passion.”
- GEORGE ANN HARDING, retired senior
vice president and general counsel for the Minute Maid Division of
Coca-Cola.
- PATRICIA BARRY, Five-time Emmy-nominated
actress of stage and screen, and founding member of Women In Film.
Her credits include the musical “Mame,” daytime television's
“Loving,” “Days of Our Lives” and “Guiding
Light,” and numerous film appearances, including “American
Gigolo” and “Sea of Love.” She has appeared in more
than 800 television programs.
- TONI VERSTANDIG, former
deputy assistant secretary of state. She is now a senior policy adviser
at the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation.
- JENNIFER TILLY, Oscar-nominee
for the Woody Allen film “Bullets Over Broadway,” with
roles in the films “Liar, Liar,” “The Getaway,”
“The Fabulous Baker Boys” and “Bound.”
- TOMIMA EDMARK, entrepreneur, inventor
and author. After earning the coveted Golden Circle Award as an IBM
marketing representative, Edmark began the multimillion-dollar TopsyTail
Company.
- ALANNA NASH, a feature writer
for Entertainment Weekly, USA Weekend and The New York
Times. Her books include “Golden Girl: The Jessica Savitch
Story,” “Behind Closed Doors: Talking with the Legends
of Country Music” and “Elvis Aaron Presley: Revelations
from the Memphis Mafia.”
- ANNE-LOUISE WALLACE, free-lance
stage manager whose credits include “The Cosby Show,”
“The Today Show,” “Donahue,” “Saturday
Night Live” and the 1988, 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games.
- JUDITH DOYEN TAYLOR, owner of Judy Taylor Casting in Los Angeles. Casting for “Free Willy” and Disney television.
