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provided, which will be equivalent in work to any of the leading female colleges in the country. Greek, Latin, French, and German will be taught." She also put emphasis on history and literature; however, mathematics was not a priority. Over the years, Sabin continued to introduce progressive and practical classes that were rarely offered to women, including physical education classes, despite the old fear the women were "too fragile" for such courses. Sabin was firm in setting goals for the women and strict courses so they could advance to their careers as rapidly, but also as well-prepared, as possible. She was an active part of the students lives, she would sit in on multiple classes to observe the teachings. Sabin was also known to "personally review each studentâs program of study." Sabin was known to be strict towards her students but they recognized that it was out of concern for their education. She was regarded as being able to "scould beautifully."
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was thought that women would become weak and lose the ability to produce healthy offspring. Furthermore, it was believed that if women were educated into college, women would hold higher positions and neglect any housework or housewife position and homes would fall-into disarray. Some womenâs colleges at this time did not focus on "practical" and "classical" curriculum like
Milwaukee-Downer, but rather, "preparing for intelligent motherhood and properly subservient wifehood." As mentioned previously, the Sabin administration strived to teach women more "rigorous" courses of study and have an advanced and broad range of topics so to fully educate the female mind.
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156:. She was among the first women admitted to the university. At the university, she did not pursue any specific course of study. While attending college, she began teaching at the Sun Prairie Grade School in her hometown which was near the university. Sabin left the university after three years without graduating, accepted a job teaching seventh grade in
200:. Downer was in need of someone to take over the school's presidency. Even though Downer offered her twice the salary they had paid to any previous president, it was still substantially less than she was making in Portland. So when Sabin decided to accept the position of college president, she took a major decrease in pay.
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News of Sabin's success in
Portland reached Sabra Warner Lewis, an acquaintance of Sabin's back in Wisconsin. Although she had always specialized in elementary education, Sabin was contacted by Lewisâs brother, a trustee of a "small backwoods college in Wisconsin" known as Downer College for Women in
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Sabin was the first female school principal in the
Pacific Northwest, and later became Portland's school superintendent. In 1886 she led a successful effort to incorporate a night school into Portland's public school system. The night school, which had been founded by the Portland Woman's Union, was
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Although higher education of women was an important issue to Sabin, it was still highly controversial during her time of presidency. Concerns circling women's education included belief that the female mind was not as apt to process information as a male's. From this "strain" of higher education, it
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For many years, Milwaukee-Downer was one of the few colleges in
Wisconsin that admitted women. To ensure women students got a quality education, Sabin developed a curriculum that taught women a wide range of practical subjects. She was quoted in 1895 saying, "A strong course of study will be
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After accepting the position of president in 1890, Sabin spent the next thirty years leading the Downer
College and its successor institution. In 1895, Downer College merged with Milwaukee College, becoming Milwaukee-Downer College. Sabin continued as president of the new institution.
179:. She found the education system in Eugene unsatisfactory so she begin independently teaching the community. She began by teaching her siblings and a few neighbors. After a short while, her opened a private school with thirty children. A year later, she moved to
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Sabin remained president of
Milwaukee-Downer College until 1921. She was then honored as president emerita from 1921 to 1949. After she retired, Sabin moved to Madison. She died there on February 3, 1949.
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and principal of the high school, overseeing 84 teachers and serving between 6,000 and 7,000 students. She was the first woman to hold a principal position in the
Pacific Northwest.
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from 1891 to 1921. She was a well-known advocate for the education of women. Sabin developed her own curriculum and teaching style which she practiced in both
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where she became the principal of a school known at the time as the Old North School of
Portland. Sabin later became superintendent of
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121:"âEducation is liberation, and it may free women only from her ignorance, littleness, weakness, and fears.â" - Ellen Sabin.
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in 1896. That organization served as an important source of funding for many women's educational programs.
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294:, historical essay, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin, accessed 2 May 2016 via
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While Sabin never graduated from college, she was awarded three honorary degrees from
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160:. By the time Sabin was nineteen, she was the principal of the Fourth Ward School.
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founded primarily to provide educational opportunities for wage-earning girls.
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Frances
Elizabeth Willard and Mary Ashton Rice Livermore, ed. (1893).
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before accepting the position as college president at Downer
College.
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331:"Former Portland Teacher Wins Fame and Honor in Wisconsin"
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Heads of universities and colleges in the United States
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Ellen C. Sabin: Proponent of Higher Education for Women
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Ellen C. Sabin: Proponent of Higher Education for Women
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Democratic Ideals: A Memorial Sketch of Clara B. Colby
319:. Milwaukee: Milwaukee-Downer College. pp. 57â67.
98:(November 29, 1850 â February 3, 1949; also known as
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270:. Washington, D.C.: University Press of America.
152:At the age of fifteen, Sabin enrolled in the
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448:Portland, Oregon: Its History and Builders
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516:Women heads of universities and colleges
175:In 1872, Sabin moved with her family to
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491:University of WisconsinâMadison alumni
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409:. D.C.: University Press of America.
223:. She was also helped organize the
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486:People from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
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511:Milwaukee-Downer College faculty
317:Milwaukee-Downer College History
292:"Sabin, Ellen Clara (1850-1949)"
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213:University of WisconsinâMadison
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421:"Thoughts and Facts for Women"
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149:were close childhood friends.
1:
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441:"Volume 1, Chapter 20"
405:Pau on Lau, Estelle (1978).
266:Pau on Lau, Estelle (1978).
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102:) was the president of the
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481:People from Eugene, Oregon
315:Kieckefer, Grace (1950).
235:Role in women's education
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521:American women academics
501:Educators from Wisconsin
389:. Charles Wells Moulton.
377:"Ella Clara Sabin"
296:www.wisconsinhistory.org
104:Milwaukee-Downer College
438:Gaston, Joseph (1911).
348:Brown, Olympia (1917).
185:Portland Public Schools
154:University of Wisconsin
80:University of Wisconsin
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131:Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
496:Educators from Oregon
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106:in the U.S. state of
32:Formal portrait, 1914
384:Woman of the Century
337:. October 17, 1909.
198:Fox Lake, Wisconsin
143:Ella Wheeler Wilcox
427:. October 1, 1888.
335:The Oregon Journal
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158:Madison, Wisconsin
147:Clara Bewick Colby
351:"Chapter 1"
191:College president
96:Ellen Clara Sabin
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41:November 29, 1850
20:Ellen Clara Sabin
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61:(1949-02-03)
476:1949 deaths
471:1850 births
69:, Wisconsin
45:Sun Prairie
465:Categories
248:References
135:California
125:Early life
86:Occupation
139:gold rush
112:Wisconsin
108:Wisconsin
78:Attended
75:Education
49:Wisconsin
181:Portland
89:Educator
67:Madison
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114:and
100:Ella
56:Died
38:Born
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