Judson College (Alabama)

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Not to be confused with Judson University.
This article is about the college in Alabama. For the university in Illinois, see Judson University.

Judson College
Judson College seal.gif
TypePrivate women's college
Active1838–2021
Religious affiliation
Baptist (Alabama Baptist Convention)
PresidentDaphne Rudicell Robinson
Location
Marion
,
Alabama
,
United States

32°37′50″N 87°18′57″W / 32.63063°N 87.31587°W / 32.63063; -87.31587Coordinates: 32°37′50″N 87°18′57″W / 32.63063°N 87.31587°W / 32.63063; -87.31587
CampusRural, 118 acres (48 ha)
Websitejudson.edu
Judson College Historic District
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
Jewitt at Judson College.jpg
Jewett Hall, within the Judson College Historic District
LocationRoughly bounded by East Lafayette, Curb, Mason and Washington Streets
Coordinates32°37′49″N 87°18′52″W / 32.63028°N 87.31444°W / 32.63028; -87.31444
Architectural styleColonial Revival, Classical Revival, Greek Revival
NRHP reference No.92001825[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 3, 1993

Judson College was a private women's college in Marion, Alabama. It was founded in 1838 and suspended its academic operations on July 31, 2021.[2]

History[]

It was founded by members of Siloam Baptist Church in 1838, making it the fifth-oldest women's college in the country.[3] Judson was named after Ann Hasseltine Judson, the first female foreign missionary from the United States to Burma (now Myanmar). It has been affiliated with the Alabama Baptist Convention throughout its history and is funded by the convention.[4]

The principal building of the campus is Jewett Hall, the third of this name. The first Jewett Hall, built in 1840, was a four-story Greek revival building named after Dr. Milo P. Jewett, first president of the college. It was destroyed by fire in 1888. The rebuilding of Jewett Hall was begun that same year. In 1947 the dome was hit by a lightning strike and fire consumed the building. Rebuilding efforts began almost immediately, and funds were raised by the sale of bricks from the rubble. A third fire occurred in the attic of this building as mattresses were lit on fire, but the fire was put out without much damage to the building.

Other notable buildings on campus include A. Howard Bean Hall, a former Carnegie library which now houses the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame as well as 2 classrooms, the Alumnae Auditorium, and the Women's Missionary Union residence hall.

The college was granted an exception to Title IX in 2015 which allows it to legally discriminate against LGBT students for religious reasons.[5][6]

Enrollment at Judson in 2019 was 268 [7] and the college offered bachelor's degrees in liberal arts and pre-professional programs.

In 2020 the college experienced severe financial challenges due to declining enrollment and COVID-19. In December, the college's president issued an urgent plea for $500,000 in donations to prevent the college from closing immediately.[8] Although it had raised $1.3 million, enrollment dropped from 145 in the fall of 2020 to 80 for the fall of 2021.[9] In May of 2021, the college's board of trustees voted to close the college and begin Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The college closed its residence halls after the spring semester ended and will suspended academic operations after the summer term ending July 31, 2021.[10][2][11]

Student life[]

Judson College participated in joint social and civic events with Marion Military Institute, also located in Marion. Many of these events and traditions date as far back as the civil war and are connected culturally to that era.[citation needed]

Judson College is ranked among the "Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth" in the US by Campus Pride.[5]

Notable alumnae[]

  • Titilayo Adedokun (1973-), singer (soprano) and beauty queen
  • Gwen Bristow (1903-1980), author
  • Caroline Dormon (1888–1971), botanist and author[12]
  • Margaret Lea Houston (1819–1867), First Lady of Texas
  • Billie Young (1947-2021), actress, activist, poet and educator.
  • Evelyn Daniel Anderson (August 2, 1926 – October 7, 1998), American educator and advocate for the physically disabled.
  • Mary Ward Brown (June 18, 1917 – May 14, 2013), American short story writer and memoirist.
  • Janie Shores (April 30, 1932 – August 9, 2017) Supreme Court of Alabama judge and first woman to ever serve on that court.

Namesake colleges[]

  • Judson University (Illinois) is the namesake of Ann Judson's husband, Adoniram Judson.

References[]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Judson College board of trustees vote to close 183-year-old institution". Judson College. May 6, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  3. ^ Garrison, Greg (May 22, 2021). "'Nothing will ever be like Judson': women's college closing stuns those affected". al. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  4. ^ Judson College. "Heritage".
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b "Worst List: The Absolute Worst Campuses for LGBTQ Youth". Campus Pride. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  6. ^ Anderson, Nice (December 18, 2015). "Religious colleges get exemptions to anti-bias law; critics denounce 'hidden discrimination' against LGBT students". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  7. ^ https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=judson+college&s=all&id=101541
  8. ^ Jaschik, Scott (December 18, 2020). "Judson College Will Close If It Doesn't Receive Gifts". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
  9. ^ Garrisson, Greg (May 6, 2021). "Judson College, fifth-oldest women's college, closing". AL.com. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  10. ^ Lederman, Doug (August 2, 2021). "Number of colleges shrinks again, including publics and private nonprofits". www.insidehighered.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  11. ^ McDonald, George (July 30, 2021). "Judson College in Marion Ends Academic Programs". Alabama News. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  12. ^ Caroline C. Dormon, A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography, Vol. 1 (1988), p. 251

External links[]

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