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George Williams College (Chicago)

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George Williams College
TypePrivate
Active1890 (1890)–2000 (2000), merged into Aurora University
FoundersI. E. Brown, William Lewis, and Robert Weidensall
Location
Williams Bay
,
Wisconsin
,
United States
Websitegwc.aurora.edu

George Williams College was a campus of Aurora University located on Geneva Lake in Williams Bay, Wisconsin, United States.

The campus was previously part of an independent college that was first based in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois, and later in Downers Grove, Illinois. Aurora University closed the campus in December 2023.[1]

History

[edit]

George Williams College has its genesis in a summer camp founded on the shores of Geneva Lake in Wisconsin by YMCA leaders I. E. Brown, William Lewis, and Robert Weidensall in 1886. This camp was created to serve as a professional YMCA training school. The camp moved to Hyde Park in 1890, where it transformed into a college.[2] The school's Hyde Park campus went by a variety of names during the late-19th and early-20th century: the Training School of the YMCA (1890–96,) the Secretarial Institute and Training School (1896–1903), the Institute and Training School of the YMCA (1903–13), and the YMCA College or Association College (1913–33). In 1933, its name was changed for the final time to "George Williams College". During the 20th century, the college "was a national center for the development of group work as a profession. It was also an early pioneer in the idea of holistic health, with the integration of body, mind and spirit that was key concept within the YMCA movement."[3]

In 1965, the college moved from Hyde Park to a more suburban location in Downers Grove, Illinois, where the mostly-white residents of Downers Grove exhibited hostility towards the integrated student body, which was approximately one-fifth Black.[3][4] By the 1980s, the school was struggling. In 1986, the college library was acquired by The Master's University in Santa Clarita, California,[5] and in 1989, the abandoned Hyde Park campus was demolished to make room for new development opportunities.[6]

The college affiliated with Aurora University in 1992 and officially merged with the university in 2000.[1][7] The original Geneva Lake camp location then housed a campus of the college, which was named "George Williams College".[7][8]

Aurora University announced in November 2022 that all instruction on the campus would cease in December 2023, but that the campus would continue to operate as a conference center.[1] The campus was listed for sale in June 2023 with the aim of finding a nonprofit buyer.[9][10] Chicago businessman Liam Krehbiel submitted a bid for the former campus in January 2024. Krehbiel plans to redevelop the campus into a retreat center, performing arts center, resort, and nature preserve.[11]

Present

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The GWC campus consists of 137 acres. The campus hosts a conference center and the Music by the Lake summer concert series at Ferro Pavilion. GWC focused on service-related undergraduate degree programs, including business management, environmental studies and sustainability, nursing, psychology, and social work.[12]

The University of Minnesota and Aurora University hold archives of George Williams College historical material.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Jones, Stephanie (2022-11-11). "Aurora to end academic instruction at George Williams College campus after December 2023". Lake Geneva News. Archived from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  2. ^ "George Williams College: History". Aurora University. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Alcorn, Sandra. "Collection: George Williams College records | University of Minnesota Archival Finding Aids: History of George Williams College". University of Minnesota. Archived from the original on September 23, 2023.
  4. ^ Dale, Maryal Stone (January 15, 1986). "George Williams". Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  5. ^ "The Master's University – Mission and History". The Master's University. Archived from the original on December 1, 2015.
  6. ^ "Urban Renewal Timeline Part II: Aftershocks mingle with new waves, 1964-present". Hyde Park Historical Society. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  7. ^ a b "George Williams College: Aurora University Partnership". Aurora University. Archived from the original on September 7, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
  8. ^ Gross, Theodore (2005). The Rise of Roosevelt University: Presidential Reflections. SIU Press. p. 186.
  9. ^ Johnson, Eric (2023-09-06). "Aurora University marketing George Williams College campus to other nonprofits". Lake Geneva News. Archived from the original on 2024-04-06. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  10. ^ Rodkin, Dennis (September 21, 2023). "Could a soon-to-be defunct college campus on Wisconsin's Geneva Lake go residential?". Crain's Chicago Business. Archived from the original on September 21, 2023. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  11. ^ Goldsborough, Bob (2024-01-08). "Chicago business owner plans redevelopment of George Williams College campus on Wisconsin's Geneva Lake". The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2024-04-06.
  12. ^ "George Williams College: About GWC". Aurora University. Retrieved October 24, 2021.[permanent dead link]
  13. ^ "Collection information: Kautz Family YMCA Archives". University of Minnesota Libraries. Archived from the original on 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2025-04-19. Also in the collections are the records of George Williams College, formerly located in Chicago.
  14. ^ "The Doris K. Colby Memorial Archives". aurora.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2025-04-19. The Doris K. Colby Memorial Archives collects, preserves, makes accessible, and interprets/exhibits materials related to the establishment and operations of Aurora University and George Williams College and their predecessors; the people associated with these institutions; and institutional relationships with surrounding communities, affiliated religious denominations, and national organizations.
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