Named one of “America’s Best Colleges” by U.S News & World Report

About Cazenovia College
History
Cazenovia College traces its birth to 1824, when it was founded as the Genesee
Conference Seminary, the second Methodist seminary to be established in the United
States. It opened with eight students in what had been the Madison County Courthouse.
Although sponsored by the Methodists, the seminary was nonsectarian, and its
trustees were a mixture of clergy and laymen. Financial support came not only from
church members but also from forward-thinking local residents who recognized the
seminary‘s beneficial effect on employment, the general economy and the cultural life of
the village. The community‘s continuing interest in the seminary and the College cannot
be overestimated.
The seminary was a pioneer in coeducation. From the beginning it welcomed both
men and women who wanted to prepare for college or complete their education in
Cazenovia. Within two years there were 145 students.
Distinguished alumni include Jesse Truesdell Peck, a founder and first president of
the board of trustees at Syracuse University; Charles Dudley Warner, editor of the
Hartford (Conn.) Courant and close friend of Mark Twain; and Leland Stanford, who
founded and endowed Stanford University of California, served as a United States
senator and governor of California, and was president of the Central Pacific Railroad.
Over the years the seminary changed its name several times, first to the Seminary
of the Genesee and Oneida Conferences, later to the Oneida Conference Seminary, then
to the Central New York Conference Seminary. In 1873 it became Cazenovia Seminary.
Between 1904 and 1931 the institution also functioned as a secondary school for young
people in the township, an arrangement that ended when Cazenovia Central High
School was built.
In the 1940s, facing constantly decreasing enrollment, the trustees decided to add a
junior college. This change was not pleasing to the Methodists. They withdrew church
sponsorship in 1942, and community leaders stepped in to form a new non-churchrelated
board for Cazenovia Junior College.
When the College received accreditation in 1961 from the Middle States
Association of Colleges and Schools, it dropped the ―Junior‖ and became Cazenovia
College for Women. In 1982 the trustees voted to return to coeducation, aiming for
one-third male enrollment; and the College‘s name was shortened. By 1983 there were
men back on campus. In November 1988, the New York State Board of Regents
awarded Cazenovia College the right to offer bachelor‘s degrees. Cazenovia College‘s
accreditation and licensing may be examined by contacting the Office of the President at
315.655.7000.
Campus Resources
Cazenovia College is located in the historic village of Cazenovia, a small and secure
community. The main campus is two blocks east of Cazenovia Lake and within walking
distance of most shops, restaurants and inns.
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