Name

Thomas Corwin Mendenhall

Position

President of Smith College

Years Active

1959-1975

About Me

Thomas Corwin Mendenhall was the sixth president of Smith College. ¹ While Mendenhall’s presidency began during a “peaceful” time, his tenure as president saw tumultuous social movements outside and on-campus, such as, the civil right and Black Power movements, antiwar sentiments, and the contemporary feminist movement. ² During Mendenhall’s time at Smith, the college establish an Afro-American Studies department, the establishment of the Bridge Program, and helped abolish the college-wide academic requirements. ³ Mendenhall was also a key player in establishing the Five College Consortium. ⁴

Effect on the Ada Class

Thomas C. Mendenhall spurred the research and design of the Ada Comstock Scholars program, along with Alice Dickinson, the Dean of the College. Prior to the beginning of designing an official program in January 1974⁵, Mendenhall allowed the admission of “mature women” to the college with specific regulations that were established in 1968 with the help of Dean Phyllis Lehmann.⁶ Mendenhall appointed a subcommittee, the Subcommittee on Continuing Education, in January 1974, that reported to the Committee on Educational Policy, to study the “place of continuing education at Smith College.” [7. Ada Comstock Scholars, 1973-1975. Box 14, Folder 1. CA-MS-00032 and Office of the President Thomas Corwin Mendenhall Files. Smith College Archives, Smith College Special Collections, Northampton, Massachusetts.