Sweet Briar College, the 114-year old private liberal arts college near Lynchburg, Virginia, will close its doors for good on August 25. Sweet Briar is a single-sex school that has exclusively educated women throughout its proud history. Current students will need to transfer; students who have been admitted for the fall will need to find another path. The school cites “insurmountable financial challenges” as the reason for ceasing operations.
Accomplished Sweet Briar College alumnae include (list from Wikipedia):
- Janet Lee Bouvier, mother of Jacqueline Lee Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
- Leah Busque, entrepreneur and founder of TaskRabbit
- Elaine Dundy, actor, journalist, novelist, biographer, and playwright
- Sally Miller Gearhart, educator and science fiction writer
- Molly Haskell, feminist film critic and author
- Diana Muldaur, actor and former president of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
- Jean Oliver Sartor, artist
- Mary Lee Settle, author
- Ann Taylor, National Public Radio newscaster (attended but did not graduate from SBC).
- Teresa Tomlinson, current mayor of Columbus, Georgia
