Cazenovia College
Cazenovia College is a private, four-year, residential liberal arts college located in the Village of Cazenovia in Madison County, New York. It enrolls approximately 800 students in baccalaureate programs.
Founded in 1824, Cazenovia College is a small, independent, residential, co-educational, baccalaureate college devoted to developing educated, involved, and productive citizens through a range of professionally oriented programs. Our curricula combine a thorough grounding in the liberal arts with experiential and co-curricular opportunities. Cazenovia College embraces learning as its primary focus and is committed to creating an environment that encourages intellectual, social and ethical growth, preparing students to become leaders in the global community.
History of the College
Cazenovia College traces its birth to 1824, when it was founded as the Seminary of the Genesee Conference, the second Methodist seminary to be established in the United States. It opened in what had been the Madison County Courthouse.
Although sponsored by the Methodists, the seminary was nonsectarian, and its trustees were a mixture of clergy and laymen. Financial support came not only from church members but also from forward-thinking local residents who recognized the seminary’s beneficial effect on employment, the general economy and the cultural life of the village. The community’s continuing interest in the seminary and the College cannot be overestimated.
The seminary was a pioneer in coeducation. From the beginning it welcomed both men and women who wanted to prepare for college or complete their education in Cazenovia. In two years there were 145 students.
Among the distinguished graduates of the early years was Leland Stanford, who founded and endowed Stanford University of California. Stanford was also governor of California and president of the Central Pacific Railroad. When America’s first transcontinental railroad was completed, it was Stanford who drove the golden spike where the two rail sections joined in Utah.
Other distinguished graduates include Jesse Truesdell Peck, founder and first president of the board of trustees at Syracuse University; and Charles Dudley Warner, editor of the Hartford (Conn.) Courant and close friend of Mark Twain.
Over the years the seminary changed its name several times, first to the Seminary of the Genesee and Oneida conferences, later to the Oneida Conference Seminary, then to the Central New York Conference Seminary. In 1894 it became Cazenovia Seminary. Between 1904 and 1931 the institution also functioned as a secondary school for young people from the township, an arrangement that ended when Cazenovia Central High School was built.
In the 1940s, facing constantly decreasing enrollment, the trustees decided to add a junior college. This change was not pleasing to the Methodists. They withdrew church sponsorship in 1942 and community leaders stepped in to form a new non-church-related board for Cazenovia Junior College.
When the College received accreditation in 1961 from the Middle States Association of Schools and Colleges, it dropped the “Junior” and became Cazenovia College for Women. In 1982 the trustees voted to return to coeducation, aiming for one-third male enrollment. The College’s name was shortened. By 1983 there were men back on campus. In November 1988, the New York State Board of Regents awarded Cazenovia College the right to offer baccalaureate degrees.
Today, Cazenovia College houses approximately 775 students in five residence halls, and offers baccalaureate programs grounded in a liberal arts curriculum. There are a wide range of Continuing Education programs for non-traditional students, and many co-curricular and extra-curricular activities that provide social and entertainment opportunities for all students.
Vision Statement
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The Cazenovia College community has initiated a planning process that will reposition the College as a small, independent, residential, co-educational baccalaureate college with a national reputation for educating both traditional and non-traditional students. Our College will attract and retain a diverse population of capable and motivated students who are able to learn and grow through their association with Cazenovia College.
Our College will attract and retain highly-qualified and dedicated employees, whose work will benefit the students, the College, and the wider society as well as themselves. Our distinctive professionally-oriented baccalaureate academic programs will continue to be built upon a foundation of study in the liberal arts. Our faculty will maintain a commitment to teaching and learning. As teachers, scholars, advisors and mentors, they will actively engage students in learning, both in academic coursework and in co-curricular activities. Our student development programs will support the College's academic goals, emphasizing co-curricular and extra-curricular programs that encourage student engagement in leadership roles and service activities. Our Admissions and Financial Aid Office will steadily expand Cazenovia's recruiting radius with an aim toward greater national recruiting impact. Our Institutional Advancement Office will build stronger relations with the College's key constituencies -- including alumni, parents and friends, along with the local community; corporations, foundations and agencies - paving the way for progress in development, fund-raising and visibility in the national media. Our facilities and grounds will be improved and well maintained; buildings will continue to be built, renovated and refurbished. Our Information and Communication Technologies Division will improve the technology infrastructure and facilitate internal and external communications. Our Business Office will continue to improve the methods through which we manage the College's budgets and shepherd the College's resources. As one of the oldest independent institutions of higher education in the United States, Cazenovia College envisions positioning itself among the nation's leading independent colleges.
External link
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