In the late 1800s, the Sisters of St. Joseph settled in Salina, Kansas, after immigrating from France. In Kansas, the sisters started a boarding school. To fulfill the need for teachers at the school, the sisters founded Marymount College in 1922. The school later expanded to include schools of nursing and music. John F. Kennedy visited the Marymount campus during the early stages of his presidential campaign. In 1968, Marymount College accepted its first male students. The college closed its doors in 1989.
The story of the first women’s college in Kansas is detailed in the new book Marymount College of Kansas: A History (The History Press, 2014). It is authored by Pat E. Ackerman, an associate professor of language arts and graduate director at Kansas State University-Salina.
Dr. Ackerman is a 1978 graduate of Marymount College. She earned a master’s degree at Fort Hays State University and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction at Kansas State University. She served as an instructor at Kansas State University-Salina from 2000 to 2007 and was promoted to assistant professor after earning her doctorate in 2007.