Swarthmore College

Swarthmore College provides learners of diverse backgrounds a transformative liberal arts education grounded in rigorous intellectual inquiry and empowers all who share in our community to flourish and contribute to a better world. We commit to t d contribute to a better world. We commit to this mission by: Offering a robust, liberal arts curriculum connecting the arts, humanities, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences, and interdisciplinary programs Fostering innovative research and creative production and encouraging collaboration among faculty, students, and staff Building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive residential community that enriches our experiences and expands our worldviews Stewarding our resources through intentional daily and long-term sustainability practices, honoring our location on the ancestral land of the Lenni Lenape people. Learn more about the College's Land Acknowledgement Creating opportunities for education and growth among faculty, students, staff, and alumni by sharing in the multitude of talents of the College community, exploring the beauty of our natural environment, and actively engaging in the rich cultural diversity of our region and our world Committing to peace, equity, and social responsibility, rooted in our founding as a co-educational Quaker institution Spanning every discipline of knowledge and thought, the liberal arts are the perfect education for the intellectually curious. This education empowers students to choose their direction by giving them the best possible grounding—no matter what they want to do. Students at a liberal arts college like Swarthmore can explore the humanities and sciences while enjoying easy access to professors, research opportunities, and a wealth of resources. By teaching students how to learn, a Swarthmore liberal arts education gives students lifelong professional flexibility. Students generally spend their first two years exploring, taking courses in a range of disciplines across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. As they gain a feel for the various disciplines, students encounter new ways of thinking and looking at the world. This broadens their abilities, forces them to adopt different approaches to understanding, and trains their minds to be agile. Once they have a strong sense of their interests and abilities, they select a major—their focus of study for the last two years. Students at liberal arts colleges have easier access to professors, research opportunities, and other resources. They aren’t constrained by the many administrative layers of larger institutions. This often results in richer, more active learning—and prepares students more fully for employment. The liberal arts offer what is arguably the most practical education available. They ensure that students don’t narrowly specialize early in college, committing to a knowledge base that might not be relevant tomorrow. Explore the College’s history by scrolling left or right to move through the timeline. Most events contain links to more information. Select the “plus” sign to zoom in and see more events per year, or choose the “minus” sign to zoom out and see fewer. For "An Onward Spirit": A Brief History, we relied most heavily on the staff and resources of the Friends Historical Library, Richard Walton's Swarthmore College: An Informal History (1986), and past issues of The Halcyon, The Phoenix, and the Swarthmore College Bulletin. The name comes from the first College planning meeting held in 1860 by founder Martha Tyson and her husband, Nathan, for a large group of Baltimore Friends. According to their daughter Isabella, the meeting produced “an onward spirit” that was carried to the Baltimore Yearly Meeting a few weeks later. Friends at that meeting shared their enthusiasm for a school for the higher education of Quaker children and decided to bring the message to similar meetings in Philadelphia and New York. ...view more