November 12, 2019 declared “Chatham University Day” by the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County
In honor of Chatham University’s 150th Anniversary Celebration, the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County issued proclamations today honoring Chatham’s 150th anniversary and declaring November 12, 2019 as Chatham University Day. A number of other government officials across the Commonwealth have issued official congratulatory documents, celebrating the momentous occasion in Chatham’s history. Governor Tom Wolf, U.S. Senator Pat Toomey and the Senate of Pennsylvania issued congratulatory letters, while the Pennsylvania House of Representatives issued a Citation.
In addition, Chatham has also released online a new 150th Anniversary documentary film in honor of Chatham University Day. The film premiered as the showpiece in Chatham’s Long Purple Line Gala during the 150th Anniversary Celebration weekend, October 11th-13th. Through exclusive archival footage and interviews, the film tells the story of the trials, triumphs, and traditions spanning 150 years of Chatham’s history. The documentary can be viewed on Chatham’s 150th Anniversary website: https://www.150.chatham.edu/chatham-150th-documentary-film.
The proclamation from Allegheny County reads in part:
“Chatham University has reached its 150th anniversary by being both innovative and entrepreneurial, its growth from a small women’s college to the dynamic, coeducational university of today is truly commendable; it continues to produce graduates that are informed and engaged citizens who recognize and respect diversity of culture, identify and opinion and who are making profoundly positive contributions to this region and the world…”
In its proclamation, the City of Pittsburgh declared:
“Chatham University opened Eden Hall Campus, the world’s first academic campus devoted to researching and modeling sustainable solutions…Chatham University continues to thrive under the leadership of Dr. David L. Finegold, who, as Chatham’s 19th president, has increased enrollment, created new programs that focus on health, sustainability, and designing virtual worlds, expanded athletic offerings, and deepened partnerships with local, national and international organizations.”
A congratulatory letter from Governor Tom Wolf notes:
“Chatham University has been instrumental in higher education in the Commonwealth, promoting scholastic excellence and engaged citizenry among its students.”
About Chatham University: from 1869 to 2019 — and beyond
The institution now known as Chatham University first began in 1869 as Presbyterian-founded Pennsylvania Female College (PFC). While in 1869 the University of Pittsburgh had already existed for nearly a century, it had only educated men. The decision to build a women’s college in Pittsburgh was seen as a pivotal move for the city, since establishing a local hub for women’s education would help retain the city’s female population, rather than seeing them leave to pursue education elsewhere. As a result, educated women became an integral part of Pittsburgh’s economic and social trajectory for the next 150 years.
In its first year, 100 undergraduate women enrolled at the Pennsylvania Female College to pursue lives of purpose, value, and fulfilling work. Today, the institution now known as Chatham University enrolls 2,200 men and women in undergraduate and graduate programs. The school looks different, but its dedication to educating tomorrow’s innovators remains the same.
Chatham’s legacy as Pittsburgh’s original college for women was the first in a long line of pioneering initiatives that helped change Pittsburgh and higher education as a whole, including:
offering one of the country’s first academic programs in social work in 1908
the revolutionary environmental impact of Silent Spring author and Chatham alumna Rachel Carson ‘29 in the 1960s
a longtime commitment to conservation and ecology on Chatham’s Shadyside Campus, which includes a 32-acre arboretum featuring over 100 species of flora
the award-winning Words Without Walls program, in which MFA in Creative Writing students teach creative writing skills at the Allegheny County Jail and Sojourner House
advancing women’s leadership and gender equity through the Center for Women’s Entrepreneurship (CWE), Women’s Business Center (WBC), Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics (PCWP), and the Women’s Institute
opening the world’s first campus built from the ground up for the study of sustainability, Eden Hall Campus, in 2014
Chatham’s commitment to ecological excellence has also earned the school many awards, including being one of just 24 schools named to the Princeton Review’s 2018 Green College Honor Roll, with a perfect Green Rating score (99 out of 99), which measures “a school’s performance as an environmentally aware and prepared institution.” Chatham’s sustainable initiatives embody the school’s mantra: to create a brighter, healthier tomorrow for us all.
For more information, please visit https://www.150.chatham.edu/ to view a collection of historic photos, stories, alumni spotlights, and data drawn from Chatham’s 150 years of educational transformation.