Title: College Endowment Association Records
Inclusive Dates: 1890-2018

Creator:

• College Endowment Association

Call Numbers: UWM Manuscript Collection 226; Accession 2014-032; Accession 2017-040

Quantity:

• 3 cubic ft. (5 boxes; 7 volumes)
• 16 digital files (2.7 GB)
• plus additions of .4 cubic ft. (2 boxes)

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Collection documents the role of the College Endowment Association (CEA) in advancing women's education through lecture programs and endowments to academic institutions in the metropolitan Milwaukee area. The records consist of administrative, educational program, and endowment program files.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0226

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The Milwaukee College Endowment Association (MCEA) was formed in 1890 to aid the trustees of Milwaukee College in raising the funds required to equal the sum of Edward D. Holton's gift to the school. Mrs. William Grant Fitch, a member of the Ladies' Art and Science Class of Milwaukee College, made the original proposal. When the $75,000 was raised, the association reorganized in 1892 and incorporated in 1893. The organization's earliest missions were to endow the Mary Mortimer Chair and provide funds for advanced studies in special subjects via lectures. Later, its mission expanded to secure further endowments for the school and to create a "club life of broader standards to further the culture of [its] members."

Milwaukee College and Downer College merged in 1895 to form Milwaukee-Downer College, but MCEA didn't change its name to the Milwaukee-Downer College Association until 1957. After Milwaukee-Downer merged with Lawrence College (now University) in 1964, the organization changed its name to the College Endowment Association the following year.

The association continues to raise funds to promote the higher education of women and provide educational opportunities for its own members. For example, from 1895-1925, the CEA contributed about $20,000 to Milwaukee-Downer College to help endow chairs in philosophy, religious education, and domestic science. In 1984, its philanthropic contributions reached $63,000. In 2000, the CEA established the Milwaukee College Endowment Association Scholarship Fund with Lawrence University, a $125,000 permanent scholarship endowment. Since then, the CEA has given scholarship money to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and the Milwaukee School of Engineering.

At this writing, CEA's weekly speaker lecture series--Milwaukee's longest-running--continues to meet Wednesdays at the Woman's Club of Wisconsin. Notable speakers have included Jane Addams, Pearl Buck, William Buckley, Gen. Charles King, Alex Haley, Julie Nixon, and William Proxmire. The topics often reflect a strong interest in current events and have included discussions on economic collapse in the 1930s, geopolitical reconstructions in the 1950s, and AIDS research in the 1990s.

Scope and content notes of each series are included in the contents list.

This collection was received in, and is organized in, multiple parts. Additional materials have not been physically or intellectually arranged and interfiled, and researchers may need to consult more than one part of the collection to locate similar materials.

• UWM Manuscript Collection 226: Records, 1890-2005

The records are arranged into the following series:

1. Administrative Files, 1890-2005
2. Educational Program Files, circa 1890s-2005
3. Endowment Program Files, 1935-2004

The files are organized alphabetically within each series.

The collection contains two additional accessions.

• Accession 2014-032: Additions, 2000-2010
• Accession 2017-040: Additions, 2010-2018

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

• Ladies' Art and Science Class of Milwaukee College Records. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection CN.

• Milwaukee-Downer College Records. Milwaukee Manuscript Collection L.

• Woman's Club of Wisconsin Records. UWM Manuscript Collection 221.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

College Endowment Association donated this collection in April and September 2005 (accessions 2004-061 and 2005-021). The College Endowment Association president donated accession 2014-032 in February 2015. Karen Benz donated additional materials in June 2018 (accession 2017-040).

Processing Information

Florian Kardoskee processed the collection at the Archives in fall 2005. Hayley Jackson updated the finding aid to include information about accession 2014-032 in March 2015. Christel Maass minimally processed accession 2017-040 in June 2018.

UWM Manuscript Collection 226	Records, 1890-2005 Physical Description: 3 cubic ft. (5 boxes and 7 volumes); 16 digital files (2.7 GB)
	Series: 1. Administrative Files, 1890-2005 Scope and Content Note: This series includes annual meeting minutes, annual reports, board of directors minutes, membership lists, and rosters of officers, directors, and committee members. Combination records include annual meeting minutes and reports, board of directors minutes, committee reports, monthly reports and other administrative information. Scrapbooks contain newspapers articles about past speakers, Milwaukee-Downer College and CEA presidential happenings, and printed programs. Yearbooks include scheduled programs, annual reports, membership lists, and rosters of officers and board members.
	75th Anniversary Celebration
Box   1 Folder   1	Photographs, 1965
Box   1 Folder   2	Play Adaptation and Newspaper Clippings, 1965
	125th Anniversary Celebration, 2016 Scope and Content Note: The 125 Year History of College Endowment Association Enriching Our Communities CEA Celebrating 125 Years. Copyright 2016 College Endowment Association. All Rights Reserved
	Physical Description: 1 DVD (54 min., 21 sec.)  Access Restrictions: The original DVD is restricted; users must use network access copy available in the Archives.
Electronic Folder	UWMMss329_125th_Anniversary_Celebration_2016 Physical Description: 1 digital video file (54 min., 21 sec.)
Box   1 Folder   3	Annual Meetings, 1946-2004
Box   1 Folder   4	Annual Reports, 1958-2004
Box   1 Folder   5	Articles of Incorporation, 1893-2000
Box   1 Folder   6	Arts and Crafts Committee, Exhibition Catalog, 1902
Box   1 Folder   7-12	Board of Directors Minutes, 1944-1999
Box   2 Folder   1	Board of Directors Minutes, 2000-2004
Box   2 Folder   2	Bylaws, 1905-2002
Volume   1	Combination Records, 1897-1902
Box   2 Folder   3	Combination Records, 1918-1929
Volume   2	Combination Records, 1930-1937
Volume   3	Combination Records, 1937-1947
Volume   4	Combination Records, 1947-1956
Volume   5	Combination Records, 1962-1977
	Finance Committee
Box   2 Folder   4	Annual Reports, 1961-1999
Box   2 Folder   5	Minutes and Resolutions, 1965-1980
Box   2 Folder   6	Historian, Annual Reports, 2002-2003
Box   2 Folder   7	Job Descriptions, circa 2000
Box   2 Folder   8	Legal Affairs, 1978-1995
	Life Membership Committee
Box   2 Folder   9	Annual Meetings/Reports, 1925-1975
Box   2 Folder   10	Membership Lists, 1935
Box   2 Folder   11	Overall History, 1925-1949
Box   2 Folder   12	Membership Committee, Annual Reports, 1963-2004
Box   2 Folder   13-14	Membership Lists, 1925-2002
Box   2 Folder   15	Newspaper Clippings, circa 1901-2005
Box   3 Folder   1	Nominating Committee, Annual Reports and Recommendations, 1937-2004
Box   3 Folder   2-3	Officers, Board of Directors, and Committee Rosters, 1919-2004
Box   3 Folder   4	Overall History of Programs and Endowments, circa 1890-2005
Electronic Folder     /Photos/	Photographs, 2012 Physical Description: 15 digital files (6.07 MB)
Box   3 Folder   5	Policies, 1961-2002
Box   3 Folder   6	Presidents, 1890-2005, Lists and Biographies, 1974-2005
Box   3 Folder   7	President's Annual and Special Reports, 1895, 1963-1974
	Program Committee
Box   3 Folder   8	Annual Reports, 1963-1995
Box   3 Folder   9	Assignments and Responsibilities, 1983-1988
Box   3 Folder   10	Roster Listings, 1981-1999
Box   3 Folder   11	Publicity Committee, Annual Reports, 1962-1972
Volume   6	Scrapbook, 1950-1963
Volume   7	Scrapbook, 1964-1973
	Steering Committee
Box   3 Folder   12	Annual President/1st Vice President Correspondence to, 1982-2003
Box   3 Folder   13	Annual Reports, 1999-2000
Box   3 Folder   14	Entertaining Dates and Responsibilities, 1969-1998
Box   3 Folder   15	Policies and Procedures, 1998-2001
Box   3 Folder   16	Proposed Members, 1997-1999
Box   3 Folder   17	Roster Listings, 1979-2003
Box   3 Folder   18	Vice President (Social Chairman), Annual Reports, 1969-1981
Box   3 Folder   19	Wisconsin Federation of Women's Clubs, 1896-1946
Box   5 Folder   1	Yearbooks, 1900-1915, 1990
	Series: 2. Educational Program Files, circa 1890s-2005 Scope and Content Note: This series includes a nearly complete run of printed programs beginning in the 1890s and other documentation related to CEA's educational programs.	⇧
Box   3 Folder   20	Correspondence and Legal Agreements, Woman's Club of Wisconsin, circa 1917-2001
Box   3 Folder   21	Program Evaluations, circa 1963-1997
Box   4 Folder   1	Program Highlights, 1988-2004
Box   4 Folder   2-3	Programs (Printed), circa 1890's-2005
	Programs
Box   4 Folder   4	Associated Fees, 1963-2004
Box   4 Folder   5	Divided by Categories, 1964-1976
Box   4 Folder   6	Films Breakdown by Frequency and Type, 1969-1988
Box   4 Folder   7	Speaker Introductions, 1969-1984
	Series: 3. Endowment Program Files, 1935-2004 Scope and Content Note: This series contains lists of past gifts to academic institutions and correspondence relating to the Milwaukee College Endowment Association Scholarship Fund, a $125,000 permanent scholarship established with Lawrence University.	⇧
Box   4 Folder   8	History of Gifts from 1890 to 1984, 1935-1984
	Lawrence University
Box   4 Folder   9	College Endowment Association Scholarship, 1964-1999
Box   4 Folder   10	Milwaukee College Endowment Association Scholarship Fund, 1999-2004
Box   4 Folder   11	Visiting Lecture Series, 1965-1970
	Milwaukee-Downer College
Box   4 Folder   12	Ellen C. Sabin Chair of Religious Education, 1936-1938
Box   4 Folder   13	Lucia R. Briggs Chair of English Literature Endowment, 1951-1964
Box   4 Folder   14	Milwaukee College Endowment Association Fund, 1947
Box   4 Folder   15	Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, College Endowment Association Scholarship, 2003-2004
Box   4 Folder   16	Milwaukee School of Engineering, College Endowment Association Scholarship, 2004
Accession 2014-032	Additions, 2000-2010 Abstract: Additions dating from 2000 to 2010 mainly consisting of meeting materials and reports, as well as a few program brochures. Physical Description: .2 cubic ft. (1 box)
Accession 2017-040	Additions, 2010-2018 Abstract: Additions consisting of public relations materials, steering committee materials, and website printouts. Records date from 2010 to 2018. Physical Description: .2 cubic ft. (1 box)