Rosemont College is a private Catholic university in Rosemont, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1921 as a women's college by the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus, the undergraduate program opened to male students beginning in fall 2009. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). Rosemont also offers a range of master's degrees through its school of graduate studies and school of professional studies.
History
Founded in 1921 by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, Rosemont College is an independent university in the Catholic tradition located in eastern Pennsylvania. In the fall of 2009, the traditionally women's undergraduate college began accepting male students. The traditional Undergraduate College confers B.A., B.S., and B.F.A. degrees in twenty-four majors. Rosemont College also includes the schools of graduate and professional studies offering degrees and certificates at the master's level.
One of the oldest Catholic women's colleges in the region, Rosemont originally "had a reputation for educating the daughters of more well-to-do Catholics."
Rosemont's first chairman of the board was Cardinal Dougherty, who was instrumental in gaining Rosemont its first accreditation from the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools by personally guaranteeing the college's financial solvency.
Bishop Fulton J. Sheen was likewise involved in the early life of the college, describing Rosemont as "the finest girls' college in the United States."
During World War II, Rosemont students aided the war effort by selling war bonds serving as air-raid wardens while the college hosted Villanova College's summer programs as Villanova's campus was in use during the summers by the United States Navy.
However, Rosemont evolved over the course of the twentieth century; "As views on women changed, the original—what some would call convent—atmosphere gradually moved toward more freedom for students to come and go, later curfews, and greater interaction with college men."
In 1963, Rosemont students insisted that the college begin bringing non-Catholic speakers to campus, and by the early 1970s, the college ceased holding religious retreats due to lack of attendance.
Campus
Built in the iconic University Gothic Style of architecture, the sprawling 58-acre campus is located in an area known as the Main Line outside of Philadelphia in the historic residential neighborhood of Rosemont, Pennsylvania. In May 1925, the cornerstone of Connelly Hall, named after foundress Cornelia Connelly, was laid and was built with a courtyard overlooking Connelly Green.
In 1927, the Sisters of the Holy Child of Jesus acquired the former home of Joseph F. Sinnott, known both as Rathalla and as the Joseph Sinnott Mansion for $1.00 to serve as the school campus. The English origins of the Sisters of the Holy Child influenced the campus architecture and layout. Unlike other local Catholic colleges, Rosemont's campus eschewed cloistered buildings and convent motifs in favor of a campus with "modestly-sized buildings arranged around a gentle rise in the landscape.... Students found it easy to walk to the Rosemont train station or to the shops in nearby Bryn Mawr, which was very different from the relative isolation encountered by students at Chestnut Hill and especially at Immaculata."
The institution's Immaculate Conception Chapel is one of only two chapels in the United States whose stained-glass windows depict only women, a project conceived by Rosemont's second president, Mother Mary Ignatius Carroll.
In 2006, the historic Connelly Hall was modernized and expanded to 30,000 square feet and was re-opened in August 2022 after a $7.5 million restoration project.
Academics
The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Rosemont College is rated as a top 10 school for social mobility by U.S. News & World Report's Best Colleges in Rankings in 2021 and 2022.
The Undergraduate College offers 27 majors and 27 minors, awarding Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, and Bachelor of Science degrees. Each program offers an in-depth study of a particular subject area, as well as a breadth of study in the liberal arts. Rosemont's majors are:
Rosemont offers teacher certification programs in elementary education and secondary education, as well as pre-professional programs in dentistry, optometry, veterinary science, medicine, and law.