Overview

Type: Two-year, independent, liberal arts and sciences college for women. (To learn more about women's colleges and women's education, visit the Women's College Coalition.) Read the Mission and Goals of Cottey College.

Location: Nevada, Missouri (pop. 9,000), approximately 100 miles south of Kansas City. The campus occupies 14 buildings on 11 city blocks, and a 33-acre wooded recreational area with lodge. Get travel directions from Kansas City International Airport. (Students: for the bus schedule to and from Kansas City International Airport (MCI), select the link to view a PDF format.)

Heritage: Virginia Alice Cottey founded the College in 1884 with the firm belief that women deserved the same quality of education as men. When the founder became a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, she realized the organization paralleled her own goals and ideas about higher education for women.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood: Accepted the College as a gift from Virginia Alice Cottey in 1927, which made it the only nonsectarian college owned and supported by women. The P.E.O. Sisterhood, a philanthropic educational organization of over 250,000 members, is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for women.

The Missouri ACE Network: Cottey is a member of the Missouri American Council on Education (ACE) Network for the Office of Women in Higher Education (OWHE), and hosts the state Web site on its server. , Registrar, serves as the institutional representative, and Dr. Mary Kitterman, vice president for academic affairs, serves on the ACE Network Executive Board

Administration:
President: Judy Robinson Rogers, Ph.D.
Vice President for Academic Affairs: Mary Kitterman, Ph.D.
Chief Financial Officer: Mary Haggans
Dean of Enrollment Management: Rick Eber
Dean of Institutional Advancement: Wendy MacLaren
Dean of Student Life: Mari Anne Phillips, Ed.D.

Board of Trustees:

Janet Brown, Florida

Vice-Chair:

Karen Browne, Delaware

Chauncey Brummer, Arkansas

Don Cunningham, Missouri

Chair:

John Grider, Kentucky

Nancy Gwinn, Maryland

Secretary:

Susan Santoli, Alabama

Donna Shavlik, Colorado

Treasurer:

Julie Wilson, Oregon

Kathleen Wysong, Missouri

Ex-Officio members:

Barbara Andes, President, The P.E.O. Sisterhood

Elizabeth Garrels, First Vice President, The P.E.O. Sisterhood

A Cottey Education: Emphasizes high academic standards with unique opportunities for personal growth through residential, cultural and intellectual experiences. More than 8,900 alumnae live throughout the world.Cottey College does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment in, its program and activities on the basis of race, creed, national origin or handicap.

Events: Many outstanding cultural events, performances, lectures, workshops and recreational activities are offered without charge to students. To see the events on campus this semester, click here now.

Organizations: Students can be leaders in more than 40 organizations on campus representing academic areas, cultural and recreational interests or social, religious and volunteer activities.

Residence Halls: Three residence halls each house 100 to 150 students who live in apartment-style suites. Each suite accommodates 10 to 12 students, and includes single and double bedrooms, a living room, large bathroom and a kitchenette.

Services: The Office of Student Life provides leadership development, counseling services and a limited health clinic.

Student Body: Cottey's residential student population of 350 women typically represents 40 states, Canada and 10 to 14 countries.

Unique Features:

• Cottey offers an international experience to a European city for every second-year student in her fourth semester at the College. The trip takes place over the first week of spring break. In the spring of 2006, the second-year students traveled to London and in spring 2007 to Paris. Cottey paid the transportation and housing for every eligible student. For more information on the international experience, click on the link above, or contact the Office of by e-mail, or call toll-free 1-888-5-COTTEY.
• The Center for Women's Leadership offers outreach programs for women of the community and the College and hosts guest lecturers to enhance the educational opportunities for women.
• Summer Programs. Cottey offers a week-long experience for P.E.O.s, B.I.Ls, alumnae and friends of the College. Vacation College is an opportunity to take classes from Cottey faculty, live in the residence halls and experience Cottey first hand. Vacation College takes place in May. The Music and Dance Workshops are offered for girls in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades, for young women who wish to study music or dance intensively in a college environment. Exploring Careers in the Sciences is for girls in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades who have an interest in science. Both the Music and Dance Workshops and Exploring Careers in the Sciences are scheduled for mid-June each year. The specific dates are announced in January. For information on any of these programs, contact the Office of by e-mail or call 417-667-8181, ext. 2122. Applications for all three summer programs are available on the Summer Programs page.