(View the high-res image here.)

This is a continuation of some of Dr. Mary Rhodes’ research of 20 years ago on “the decline of women’s culture at Cottey College.”

Note how every Cottey president was a single woman whose doctorate work focused on women — until McCarrel was appointed.

Notes:

  1. McCarrel was chairperson of Cottey’s board of trustees in 1964, which headed the search for the college’s next president (see Rhodes).
  2. Dow and Milam chose not to become P.E.O.s as they saw this as a conflict of interest (see Rhodes, Lambertson).

Presidents’ Dissertations:

  • Prosser: “A Study of the Scholastic Performance of Freshman Women at the State University of Iowa, 1927-1928”
  • Boehmer: Studied “vocational continuity of 6466 women who matriculated in land grant colleges…” (Rhodes).
  • Mitchell: Studied “enrollment and student continuity of five Cottey classes” (Rhodes).
  • Dow: “The Varying Attitudes Toward Women in French Literature of the Fifteenth Century: The Opening Years.”
  • McCarrel: None.
  • Hondrum: “The Historical Development of Teacher Education in Arizona.”
  • Milam: “A comparison of methods for predicting quality of academic performance for applicants at a liberal arts college.”
  • Washburn: “Schools in Crisis: Superintendents’ Response to Economic Turbulence and Revenue Decline (Idaho).”
  • Rogers: “The Evolution of ‘Bildungsroman.’”

Sources:

  1. Rhodes, Dr. Mary. “Dried Flowers: The History of Women’s Culture at Cottey College, 1884-1965.” Diss. Ohio State U, 1981. PDF file.
  2. “President, Cottey College [McCarrel].” P.E.O. Record. Feb. 1968: 14.
  3. “Name New President of Cottey College [Hondrum].” Katharine L. Akin. P.E.O. Record Mar. 1969: 4-5.
  4. “Cottey President Named [Milam].” P.E.O. Record. Oct. 1974: 2-3.
  5. Lambertson, Giles. “Dr. Milam Reflects on Year at Cottey.” Nevada Daily Mail [Nevada, MO] 7 Sep. 1975: 1.
  6. “Cottey College President Named [Washburn].” P.E.O. Record. July/Aug. 1986: 2-3.