Shared Goals, Shared Vision

As she grew older, Virginia Alice Cottey, the founder of the College, knew she must prepare for the future of her college. In 1926, she received an invitation to join the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She accepted although she felt she was perhaps too old to be a new member. The organization's educational purpose appealed to her, however, and she felt she could contribute some service from her many years of experience. After joining the P.E.O. Sisterhood, she realized that many P.E.O. goals and ideals were the same as hers. In fact both the College and the Sisterhood had chosen the same colors, yellow and white, and a similar flower, the daisy for Cottey and the marguerite for the Sisterhood.

At the 1927 convention in Oklahoma City, Cottey offered her college to the P.E.O. Sisterhood as a gift. With that acceptance, Cottey became the only nonsectarian college in the nation owned and supported by women, for women, a characteristic still true today. The 75-year partnership between Cottey College and the P.E.O. Sisterhood was celebrated in 2002 at the Sisterhood's biennial convention, held again in Oklahoma City.

The P.E.O. Sisterhood is a philanthropic educational organization whose goal is the support and advancement of women's education. The organization began as a college sorority at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, in 1869, and later voted to retain its English letters and off-campus chapters, changing from a college group to a community group. Today The P.E.O. Sisterhood has over 250,000 members, and is still dedicated to providing educational opportunities for women.

To learn more, visit their official Web site at www.peointernational.org.