Bancroft Beatley (1933-1955)

Portrait of Bancroft Beatley, 1941.

Bancroft Beatley, 1894-1992, received his B.A., M.S., and Ph.D. from Harvard College and served in the U.S. military during World War I. He joined the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 1920 and remained there until 1933, when he was named President of Simmons College at the age of 38.

Beatley's presidency is often seen as a time of stability—a period when the direction and ideas introduced by President Lefavour were brought to maturity. The Class of 1937 wrote that Beatley "brought to Simmons youth, vigor, and enthusiasm coupled with progressive educational views particularly well-adapted to a progressive institution such as Simmons." While forward-thinking, Beatley did not stray from the original vision laid out by John Simmons, which sought to lead women to an "independent livelihood" through professional education. Rather, in the midst of World War II, Beatley adapted Simmons' goal to meet the wartime needs of the country. Beatley expressed his pride in the College community's accomplishments during World War II, and his belief in its mission with these words: 

During the war, Simmons organized several programs for training war workers, and many of our grads served as nurses, dietitians, map makers, librarians, scientists, and social workers in the various Women's Services. My faith in the validity of the Simmons programs of general and professional education has been strengthened... More G.I. women have elected [Simmons] as the place in which to complete their education than have sought any other independent women's college. 

Even after the war ended, Beatley continued to strengthen the training and education of Simmons students for the greater public benefit. Amidst a tide of gradually expanding professional and personal opportunities for women, Simmons graduates increasingly entered the workforce and sought to fulfill John Simmons' original vision of an educated and independent woman on a public and professional scale.