Chatham University

History

Founded as the "Pennsylvania Female College" on December 11, 1869, by Reverend William Trimble Beatty (the father of opera singer Louise Homer), it was located in the Berry mansion on Woodland Road off Fifth Avenue in the neighborhood of Shadyside. Shadyside Campus today is composed of buildings and grounds from a number of former private mansions. The college was renamed "Pennsylvania College for Women" in 1890, and "Chatham College" in 1955. The latter name was to honor William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, after whom the city of Pittsburgh is named.

The school gained university status from the Pennsylvania Department of Education on April 23, 2007, and publicly announced its new status on May 1, 2007, changing its name to Chatham University.

With elements designed for the original Andrew Mellon estate by the Olmsted Brothers, the 39 acre Shadyside Campus was designated an arboretum in 1998 by the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta.

In 2005 the university expanded its programs to include online advanced degree programs (bachelors, masters, doctoral) through the School of Continuing Education, later the School for Continuing and Professional Studies. Two years later, Chatham's MFA in Creative Writing program was named one of the top five Innovative/Unique Programs by The Atlantic Monthly.

Chatham received some national attention in 2014 when it announced that it was engaging in a period of study "considering admitting men for the first time in that college's history," resulting in "reactions of surprise and anger" from its alumnae. Undergraduate men began attending in 2015.

After the departure of Rhonda Phillips as president, it was announced that Chatham's provost and vice president of academic affairs, Lisa Lambert, would be appointed as the interim president starting June 1, 2025. In October 2025, Lambert was appointed as Chatham's 21st president.

Chatham maintains a connection to its roots as a women's college with the Women's Institute, which celebrated 10 years in 2025.

Campuses

Chatham's original Shadyside Campus is part of historic Woodland Road. The Shadyside Campus also includes the Chatham Eastside building, which serves as the home for the health science and interior architecture programs.

The university's new 388 acre Eden Hall Campus is located north of the city of Pittsburgh in Richland Township, Pennsylvania; it is the home of Chatham's Falk School of Sustainability & Environment. Programs at Eden Hall Campus include a Bachelors in Sustainability, a Masters of Sustainability, an MA in Food Studies, and dual degrees in Masters of Sustainability or MA in Food Studies + Masters in Business Administration. The Eden Hall Campus was donated to Chatham University by the Eden Hall Foundation on May 1, 2008. In 2011, the university engaged the architectural team of Berkebile Nelson Immenschuh McDowell (BNIM) of Kansas City, Mo. and the landscape design firm Andropogon Associates of Philadelphia to lead the master planning process. The first phase of development was designed by the firm Mithun, was completed in 2016, and won an award for sustainable development.

In 2013, the Falk Foundation made its largest and final grant to the School of Sustainability & the Environment for the completion of the Eden Hall Campus. The grant was also the largest grant in the history of Chatham University.{{cite press release| author= | title=Chatham University Receives $15 Million Gift From the Falk Foundation | url= https://www.chatham.edu/news/index.php/2013/10/chatham-news/chatham-university-receives-15-million-gift-from-the-falk-foundation

Accreditation

Chatham University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Athletics

thumb|left|upright|Chatham athletics wordmark Chatham University teams, also known as the Cougars, participate as a member of the NCAA Division III. The Cougars are a member of the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC). Chatham has both Men's and Women's varsity teams in basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, softball, squash, swimming & diving, track & field, volleyball, and Co-ed sideline cheerleading. Men's and women's ice hockey play in the United Collegiate Hockey Conference.

The women's ice hockey team was the first NCAA women's ice hockey team in Pennsylvania.

Chatham athletics announced in November 2024 that they will be adding a Co-ed competitive cheerleading team for the 2025-2026 season.

The college mascot was previously Pennsy the Seal. The cougar mascot was adopted in 1992 and was named Carson in honor of alumna Rachel Carson in 2011. In 2023, 55.6% of students participating in a non-binding referendum held by the student government voted to reinstate Pennsy the Seal as the college mascot. The vote did not affect the college mascot. In a later April 2025 referendum, 60% of students who participated voted in favor of reinstating Pennsy the Seal.

Notable alumni

• Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C.
• Brian Broome, writer
• Kipp Dawson, activist and coal miner
• Rachel Carson, biologist and zoologist
• Catherine Chisholm Cushing, playwright
• Meredith Dixon, member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
• Kathie L. Olsen, former deputy director of the National Science Foundation
• Elaine Scarry, author and Walter M. Cabot Professor of Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value at Harvard University
• Lea Wait, author of mystery novels and children's books
• Lesley Brooks Wells, United States district judge
• Mildred Weston, author and composer
• Margaret Scully Zimmele, artist

References

References

1. (November 1, 2021). "NCES IPEDS Data Center: Chatham University". U. S. Department of Education.
2. https://www.pulse.chatham.edu/blog-announcements/lisa-lambert-appointed-chatham-universitys-president
3. "Chatham University Student Life". U.S. News & World Report.
4. (March 31, 2011). "Athletics' mascot gets a new name". chatham.edu.
5. "Archived copy".
6. "Chatham Quick Facts".
7. [http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=ascead;cc=ascead;q1=chatham%20university;rgn=main;view=text;didno=US-PPiU-dar192508 William Pitt Family Papers, 1757-1804], DAR.1925.08, [[The Darlington Collection]], Special Collections Department, University of Pittsburgh
8. Grant, Tim. (2007-05-01). "Chatham gains university status". [[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]].
9. Delaney, Edward J.. (2007). "The Best of the Best".
10. Schackner, Bill. (2014-02-18). "Chatham University considers enrolling men as undergraduate students | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette".
11. Schackner, Bill. (2014-02-19). "Coed possibility concerns Chatham alumnae | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette".
12. Perrine, Shannon. (2015-08-26). "First male undergrads arrive at historically all-female Chatham University".
13. (2025-04-28). "Chatham University Names Lisa Lambert Interim President; President Rhonda Phillips to Depart for New Role".
14. https://www.pulse.chatham.edu/blog-announcements/lisa-lambert-appointed-chatham-universitys-president
15. "10 Years of the Chatham Women's Institute".
16. link. (2009-04-21)
17. "Chatham University Eden Hall Campus - Mithun". Mithun.
18. (2017-04-20). "Eden Hall Campus receives American Institute of Architects Award for Sustainable Design Excellence". Chatham News.
19. LaRussa, Tony. (2013-10-10). "Chatham gets $15M by Falk Foundation to help build Richland facility". Trib Total Media.
20. "Middle States Commission on Higher Education".
21. (2023-04-12). "Results from the recent CSG elections".
22. Gallogly, Sarah. (2025-04-22). "April CSG Brief: Election results, guest speakers and tuition credit limit change - News".
23. (January 2, 2015). "Muriel Bowser sworn in as D.C. mayor; pledges to make city healthier, safer". The Washington Post.
24. "Yes I Said Yes I Will Yes: Brian Broome '17 {{!}} Chatham University".