Graduation Year
2000
Document Type
Senior Thesis
Degree
Bachelor of Arts
Primary Major
History
Thesis Advisor
Jordan Lieser, PhD
Abstract
This thesis examines the genesis and growth of Dominican College of San Rafael and explores this institution as a microcosm of California's transformation from a rough-and-tumble frontier territory to the most populous state in the union. Chapters I through III reveal the antecedents of the College, chapters IV and V look at the College foundation in 1889 and expansion through the twentieth century, while chapters VI and VII touch on the challenges facing California and the College since 1960. An overriding theme presented by this thesis is the pioneering role of the Dominican Sisters, a Catholic religious order, in helping to establish education for women in the Golden State. ii