from MyCentralJersey.com
(Photo by NJ State Federation of Women's Clubs of GFWC)
NEW BRUNSWICK - Thirteen members of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs of GFWC were presented a proclamation at the Aug. 2 City Council meeting, according to a statement.
The group was recognized with a resolution in recognition of the 100th anniversary of their founding of The New Jersey College for Women, now known as Douglass Residential College.
Starting in 1911, the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs of GFWC (NJSFWC) was determined to create an opportunity for women to receive a college degree because no public colleges in the state admitted women.
They appointed Mabel Smith Douglass, a member of the NJSFWC-Jersey City Woman’s Club, to chair the committee to establish an opportunity for women’s public higher education in New Jersey. Douglass asked Rutgers College if they would admit women.
When they refused, she decided to raise enough funds to open a women’s college. She walked around New Brunswick, asking for just $1 from each household. The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs aided her in the dollar drive, gathering $1 donations from women around the state. Douglass also enlisted the help of a few generous donors, according to the federation.
Because of her determination and ability to procure a strong team of benefactors and trustees, she opened the New Jersey College for Women on Sept. 18, 1918, to 54 students. It was the first public institution of higher education in the state open to women and it offered two curricula — liberal arts and home economics, the statement said.
Douglass served as the college’s first Dean and in 1955, NJC was renamed Douglass College in her honor.
When it was founded, Douglass was the smallest college for women in the nation. It later grew to be the largest, with about 3,100 undergraduate students. After the merging of the undergraduate schools in 2007, Douglass Residential College (DRC) stands as the only campus community at Rutgers focused on women’s leadership.
Now there are roughly 2,400 DRC students at any given time. New Jersey is only one of three states supportive of public women’s colleges in the nation (the other two are in Missouri and Texas), the statement said.
Throughout the years, NJSFWC donated several buildings to the college as well as having awarded over $1 million in scholarships to students of the college.
The New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs of GFWC is proud of their continued close relationship with the college, as well as with the Associate Alumnae of Douglass College, the statement said. They continue to support Douglass Residential College through the awarding of scholarships and fellowships.
