A Historical Overview of the Haverford College Presidency
Haverford College, a private liberal arts college located in Haverford, Pennsylvania, has a rich history deeply intertwined with Quaker values and a commitment to academic excellence. Founded in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), the college has evolved from an all-male institution to a fully co-educational one, while maintaining its core principles of mutual trust, concern, integrity, and respect. This article explores the history of the presidency at Haverford College, highlighting key figures and their impact on the institution.
Early Years and Founding Principles
In the late 1820s, a group of Orthodox Quakers recognized the need for a central school to educate their children in advanced learning, as many were attending non-Quaker colleges like Yale and Brown. Their vision was to create a school that would "turn out well instructed, serious, reflecting and useful men." Thus, Haverford College was founded in 1833. For many years, it was known as The Haverford School, as the minimum age for students was 12.
Although many Friends from around the Northeast contributed to the initial funding, Haverford faced severe financial difficulties by the 1840s, leading to its closure in 1846. However, loyal alumni raised over $70,000 to reopen the school, and in 1848, Haverford reopened, admitting non-Quaker students.
Founders Hall, the first building constructed for the Haverford School, was completed in 1833. It served as a combined living, dining, and classroom space for students and faculty until 1877. While the interior has been modified over the years, the exterior has remained architecturally simple, with additions like Gest Hall in 1853 and Founders Great Hall in 1905.
The Honor System and Student Governance
In January 1897, the freshman class requested President Isaac Sharpless for the chance to have an honor system. Sharpless obtained the faculty’s agreement to allow “honor examinations,” exams without proctors. Though the class of 1901 voted against the Honor System, the class of 1902 chose to implement it again, and since 1898, every incoming class has embraced the Honor System. It is an integral part of life at Haverford, and every year at Spring Plenary, the student body decides whether or not to retain the Code for the next academic year.
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At first, the Honor System only covered midterms and finals, but it was eventually expanded to include all aspects of academic and social life; relationships between members of the community are based on a foundation of mutual respect and concern for each other.
Key Figures in Haverford's History
John R. Coleman: A President of the People
John R. Coleman, Haverford’s ninth president, served from 1967 to 1977, a period of significant social change and unrest. He arrived at a time when total enrollment stood at just 575. Coleman is remembered for earning the trust of students during turbulent times of change and protest, and for taking up the fight to make Haverford co-ed. Coleman insisted on being called "Jack" and opened the President’s House for teas and classes, fostering a close relationship with the student body.
A labor economist by training, Coleman embarked on a unique sabbatical in the spring semester of 1973, taking on blue-collar jobs such as a ditch digger in Atlanta, a dishwasher and short-order cook in Boston, and a trashman in Rockville, Md. To maintain authenticity, Coleman told no one of his experiments other than his eldest son, John Coleman ’75.
His experiences were chronicled in his book, Blue-Collar Journal, published in 1974, which became a sensation. The book explored the divide between academia and the lives of workers, and it was also a way, he told one interviewer, for him to break out of the “lockstep” of his own life. The book garnered attention in major newspapers and national notoriety for Coleman.
Coleman's actions were inspired by an incident on May 8, 1970, when construction workers attacked peace marchers in the Wall Street area in New York City. “I wanted to get away from the world of words and politics and parties-the things a president does,” he explained in that 1973 Times story. “As a college president you begin to take yourself very seriously and think you have power you don’t. You forget elementary things about people."
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His commitment to experiential learning predated the College’s Eighth Dimension (8D), an office started in 1978 to integrate experiential learning into the curricula and culture. In 2018, 8D was renamed the Marilou Allen Office of Service and Community Collaboration.
After stepping down from Haverford, Coleman continued to practice what he preached, working on prison reform and experiencing life as a prison guard and inmate. He also lived on the streets of New York for 10 days to address homelessness and served as an Auxiliary New York City Police captain and emergency medical technician.
Coleman regularly urged students to experience the whole world, to cross lines of class and race and occupation.
Wendy Raymond: Navigating Contemporary Challenges
Wendy Raymond has been president of Haverford College since 2019. In the fall of 2020, much of the student body went on strike, sparked by anger at the administration's response to the killing of Walter Wallace in Philadelphia. The strike later expanded into a broader protest over concerns of racial injustice at the college.
On May 7, 2025, Raymond testified at a hearing of the United States House Committee on Education and Workforce, where she was questioned regarding her handling of antisemitism on campus. During her testimony, Dr. Raymond was clear that antisemitism is not tolerated on the Haverford campus, and that it is always regrettable when hate is allowed to flourish in a space where education is the purpose. She also did her best to protect freedom of speech, the right of peaceful assembly, and academic freedom.
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Experiential Learning and Social Impact
Haverford College has long emphasized the importance of experiential learning and social impact. Jack Coleman’s example inspired students to take transformative time off to broaden their horizons.
David Hackett ’76, for instance, took a year off to intern with a member of Congress and at the Environmental Protection Agency. Steve Coleman also volunteered at the American Friends Service Committee and led a statewide effort to pass a resolution calling for a bilateral freeze on the nuclear arms race.
Today, Steve Colman’s organization leads greening initiatives across Washington, D.C., while supporting marginalized communities.
Diversity and Inclusion
Haverford College has made strides in promoting diversity and inclusion. The first Black student to graduate from Haverford, Osmond Pitter, a Jamaican Quaker, did so in 1926. The second (and first African-American to receive a bachelor's degree) was Paul B. Moses, class of 1951, who became an art history professor at the University of Chicago.
In 1971, Ghebre S. Mehreteab ’72 led the Black Students’ League in protesting the administration for what it argued was lack of support for Black Fords.
The college also offers themed housing options such as the Ira de A. Reid House, which seeks students active in the Black Students' League or members of the African Diaspora interested in the culture and politics of Africans, and La Casa Hispanica, which "supports the endeavors of students actively engaged in organizing programs concerned with the cultures and civilizations of the Spanish-speaking world".
Academic Excellence and Unique Programs
Haverford College offers Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees in 31 majors across humanities, social sciences and natural sciences disciplines. The college is committed to academic excellence and open inquiry, fostering a rigorous liberal arts education that broadens intellectual and personal growth.
Haverford's consortium relationship with Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore, and the University of Pennsylvania (the Quaker Consortium) greatly expands its course offerings. Haverford and Bryn Mawr have a particularly close relationship (the Bi-College Consortium), with over 2,000 students cross-registering between the two schools.
The college also boasts unique programs such as the Haverford College Arboretum, the oldest collegiate arboretum in the United States, and the Visual Culture, Arts, and Media facility (VCAM), which houses the Visual Studies Minor, the Haverford Innovations Program, and a Maker Arts Space.
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