1952 Endicott Junior College Yearbook "The Mingotide"

Endicott College was founded in 1939 by Dr. Eleanor Tupper and her husband, the Reverend Dr. George O. Bierkoe, who shared the vision of creating a college to educate women for greater independence and an enhanced position in the workplace. This was a radical idea in the days near the end of the Depression and just before America’s entry into World War II, yet despite its unconventional nature, the dream took hold and flourished during the war and the years beyond.
The College was issued its first charter by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 1939 and graduated its first class, a group of just 20 students, in 1941. In 1944, it was officially approved by the Commonwealth for the granting of Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees. Eight years later in 1952, Endicott was accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. In 1988 the College earned four-year status and graduated its first baccalaureate class in 1990.