Finch College

Finch College was a baccalaureate women's college located in Manhattan, New York City, in the U.S. state of New York.  It began as a private secondary school for girls and later developed as a liberal arts college.  Finch closed in 1976.

Founding
Finch was founded in 1900 as The Finch School by Jessica Finch ( Garretson, later Cosgrave; 1871–1949), an alumna of Barnard College and New York University. She was a prominent women's rights activist and Socialist.

Finch believed that the education she had received at Barnard College had not prepared her for a vocational life, so she decided to open a school to emphasize practical education.  She developed a curriculum that was strongly based on both the liberal arts and hands-on learning, with special emphasis on workshops and studio art lessons.

Showing her desire to mix the theoretical with the practical, Finch hired a diverse faculty for the school.  In addition to faculty from nearby Columbia University, Finch hired actors, fashion designers, politicians, poets, musicians, and other individuals working in the New York City area.

Location
Finch was located in Manhattan's Upper East Side, an area of wealthy residents and one of the most expensive real estate districts in the United States.  Nearby women's colleges included Marymount Manhattan College and Hunter College, both of which became coed in the cultural shift of the 1960s.  The college's campus consisted of a grouping of townhouses on East 78th Street, between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue.

The Finch campus housed several resources for the public, including the Finch College Museum of Art and the Little Lenox Theatre.

Since Finch College closed in 1976, most of its former campus has been used by the Ramaz School, a Modern Orthodox Jewish preparatory school.

Development as college
After decades as a preparatory school, Finch was developed to offer a four-year college curriculum. In 1952, Finch became a Bachelor's degree-granting college, offering the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in most liberal arts fields. Finch was noted for its international focus and diversity among learning levels.  Many students came from abroad, often from high-income areas. In 1960, the college launched the Finch Intercontinental Study Plan, which became a noted study abroad program.  They also offered special tuition assistance and tutoring to students from minority and lower-class backgrounds.

In its later years, the college was best known for its strong art program.  Several noted artists taught courses or displayed at the college, including Edmond Casarella and Hedda Sterne.  Finch established the Finch College Museum of Art in 1959.  It published more than 100 books on art, especially art history.

Closure
By 1970, Finch, like most other women's colleges, was struggling to attract students against the competition of the coeducation movement that began in the 1960s.  It had fewer than 400 students and applications declined in the period following the Vietnam War. Many families sought more diverse schools. 

Although Finch had maintained one of the most expensive tuition rates in the country, reflecting its traditional status as a school for young women from wealthy backgrounds, the college's endowment was low.  It was not successful in attracting federal funding to support tuition for lower-income students, nor could it merge with another college.

In 1975, Finch's president, Rodney O. Felder, announced his intent to close the college. Finch formally closed the next year, passing its records to Marymount Manhattan College.

Alumnae
In 1993, the Finch College Alumnae Association (FCAA) was founded in order to preserve the college's history and provide fellowship for alumnae. In addition to traditional alumni services, the FCAA Foundation offers scholarships to students transferring from community colleges in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to baccalaureate institutions.

Notable alumnae

 Nancy Azara, NYC artist, sculpture and collage
 Stephanie Brody-Lederman, painter, book artist, and sculptor
 Anne Cox Chambers, primary owner of Cox Enterprises
 Lois Chiles, actor and former fashion model
 Marjorie Content, photographer and bookstore owner
 Francine LeFrak, businessperson and philanthropist
 Tricia Nixon Cox, daughter of U.S. President Richard Nixon
 Arlene Francis, actress, radio and television talk show host, and panelist on Whats My Line?
 Kathleen Cavendish, Marchioness of Hartington, sister of U.S. President John F. Kennedy
 Suzanne Hoyt, equestrian
 Caroline Howard Hume, philanthropist and art collector
 Marion Jorgensen, civic leader and philanthropist
 Connie Kemmerer, businessperson and philanthropist
 Joan Whitney Kramer, singer/songwriter
 Gloria Hatrick McLean, wife of Jimmy Stewart
 Suzanne Pleshette, actor and co-star of The Bob Newhart Show
 Isabella Rossellini, Italian actress, model, author, and daughter of actress Ingrid Bergman and film director Roberto Rossellini
 Grace Slick, rock musician, member of the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship (transferred to University of Miami after two years)
 Janet L. Wolff, advertising executive

See also
 List of current and historical women's universities and colleges

References

External links
 Finch College Alumnae Association

Category:Defunct universities and colleges in New York (state)
Category:Universities and colleges in New York City
Category:Educational institutions established in 1900
Category:Educational institutions disestablished in 1976
Category:1900 establishments in New York (state)
Category:1976 disestablishments in New York (state)