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Nathaniel Hawthorne College

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Nathaniel Hawthorne College
Other name
Hawthorne College
TypePrivate
Active1962–1988
FounderKenneth McLaughlin
AffiliationFlorida Institute of Technology
Location
Antrim, New Hampshire
,
United States
Colors    Green, white, and gold
Sporting affiliations
ECAC Northeast
MascotHighlander

Nathaniel Hawthorne College, later Hawthorne College, was a nonprofit private liberal arts college in Antrim, New Hampshire. It opened in 1962. The college merged with the Florida Institute of Technology in 1982. It closed in 1988.

History

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Nathaniel Hawthorne College was a nonprofit private coeducational liberal arts college founded in 1962 by John Berrigan, Kenneth McLaughlin, and Joseph Whelton who purchased the property for the college.[1][2][3] McLaughlin served as the college's president.[4][5]

The college had 100 students for its first semester in September 1962.[6][7] Its enrollment was quickly boosted to as many as 700 students by men seeking to avoid the draft for the Vietnam War.[4] The college was accredited by the New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools in December 1971.[5] In 1971, it had 800 students.[5]

When the war ended, enrollment dropped to 500 students, and the college was forced to lay off some of its faculty.[4] McLaughlin decided that continuing as just a liberal arts college would bring about the college's extinction.[4] He was a noted "aviation enthusiast" and already owned a private airport.[4] In 1971, a curriculum in aviation was added.[3][2] By 1980, aviation was the college's mainstay, helping to keep it open and attracting some 65 percent of its students.[4] The college owned nineteen aircraft for the 315 enrollees in the program in the fall of 1979.[4] Of the 528 students enrolled that semester, fifteen percent were from foreign countries, including France, Greece, Japan, Venezuela, and several African countries.[4] As a result, the college began offering special English classes.[4]

In 1982, the college merged with the Florida Institute of Technology.[3] Its academic focus changed to aeronautics, business, and computer science.[3][8] It also shortened its name to Hawthorne College and was rechartered by the State of New Hampshire.[3]

The college's enrollment declined, and its operating debt increased to $400,000 a year ($1,133,568 in today's money).[6] In 1987, it had less than 300 students.[6] Time magazine noted that even with the inducement of flying lessons, Hawthorne had less than half the number of day students it needed to fill its freshman class.[9] With long-term debts over $4 million, the college declared bankruptcy in 1988 and began plans to liquidate its assets.[6] It graduated its last class in April 1988.[6] The college officially closed in 1988.[10][1]

After its closure, the college campus was bought by Maruzen Construction Company of Japan in 1990.[2] In 1992, Maruzen opened an aviation college similar to the later years of Hawthorne College, but this institution was short-lived.[2] The former college was then was owned by a Maharishi meditation school.[8] In 2014, it was purchased by the nonprofit Overseas United Education, which opened a Christian preparatory school called the Hawthorne Academy in the fall of 2017.[8]

The college's former airfield is now the Hawthorne–Feather Airpark, a privately owned public-use airport.

Campus

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The college was located on the former Flint Estate in North Branch, Antrim, New Hampshire.[2] It also included an airport near Atrium.[5] The campus consisted of 900 acres (360 ha) that overlooked the North Bridge River.[4][5] The campus expanded to include properties in three towns, twenty buildings, and a 50 acres (20 ha) airfield with a 3,500 feet (1,100 m) runway.[6]

In 1984, the surviving historic buildings of the Flint Estate were listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Academics

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Hawthorne College offered a B.A. and B.S. in a dozen areas of concentration, an A.S. two-yeard degree, a secreterial management assistant program, professional pilot training, and aviation administration.[11]

Student life

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The student yearbook was Janus.[12] The college had a chapter of Kappa Sigma fraternity from 1975 to 1982.[10] It also had a chapter of Alpha Eta Rho, a professional aviation fraternity. The college's marching band included bagpipes and highland dancers.[13]

Athletics

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The Hawthorne College mascot was the Highlander.[14] Its colors were green, white, and gold. In 1971, the college was a founding member of the Mayflower Conference.[15] From 1984 to 1988, the college was a member of the ECAC Northeast, an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division III.[16] Prior to that, it belonged to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics[17][18] and the New England Intercollegiate Association.[19]

The college had both a men's and women's basketball team.[20][21][22][23] It also had baseball,[19] men's lacrosse,[24] men's soccer,[25][26] skiing,[27] and cross country teams[28]. Its ice hockey team played in the 1983 NAIA Ice Hockey Championship semifinals.[17] The college played NCAA Division III hockey from 1984 to 1988.

Notable people

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Alumni

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Faculty

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See also

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Further reading

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  • Shea, William F. Birth of a College. Antrim: Nathaniel Hawthorne College, 1966.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Closed Colleges and Universities". New Hampshire Department of Education. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  2. ^ a b c d e Brown, Ray (2011-12-05). "Nathaniel Hawthorne College (NH)". College History Garden. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  3. ^ a b c d e "History". Nathaniel Hawthorne College Alumni. Nathaniel Hawthorne College Yearbook. 1988. Archived from the original on December 31, 2018. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Winslow, Ron (1980-01-06). "A Fly-by-Day School, With Airport; A New England college finds its angel in the wild blue yonder" (PDF). The New York Times. p. 20. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Hawthorne College Accredited". Concord Monitor. 1971-12-15. p. 32. Retrieved 2026-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "For Sale: One College". United Press International Archives. October 22, 1988. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  7. ^ College and University. Vol. 38. American Association of Collegiate Registrars. 1963. p. 224 – via Google Books.
  8. ^ a b c Kessler, Abby (May 16, 2017). "Hawthorne Academy plans to host first academic class this fall". Monadnock Ledger-Transcript. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  9. ^ "Education: This University Wants YOU!". Time. 1978-05-29. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  10. ^ a b Carroll Lurding; Fran Becque, eds. (August 5, 2023). "Closed Institutions: Nathaniel Hawthorne College" (PDF). Almanac of Fraternities and Sororities. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved December 21, 2023 – via University Library: Student Life and Culture Archives.
  11. ^ "Hawtorned Makes You Career Ready..." The Montclair Times. 1974-01-17. p. 24. Retrieved 2026-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Nathaniel Hawthorne College 1975 Yearbook - Janus - Antrim, New Hampshire #1759302470". Worthpoint. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  13. ^ "Basketball Games Aid Heart Fund". Concord Monitor. 1963-02-14. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "SMU Huskies Retain Basketball Honors". The Times-Transcript. Moncton, Moncton Parish, New Brunswick, Canada. 1965-11-29. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Charter Members". The Rutland Daily Herald. 1998-06-30. p. 16. Retrieved 2026-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "NCAA - ECAC Northeast history and statistics". Hockey DB. Retrieved 2025-11-26.
  17. ^ a b "Hockey Championships". NAIA History and Records. Archived from the original on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2025-05-09.
  18. ^ "UNH Recovering, Hawthorne Unbeaten". Concord Monitor. 1974-12-19. p. 22. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ a b "MVP Awarded to Marcantonio". The Item of Millburn and Short Hills. 1971-05-27. p. 18. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Hawthorne Team Visits Bahamas". Nashua Telegraph. 1970-03-14. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Pittsfield Boy". The Berkshire Eagle. Pittsfield, Massachusetts ·. 1969-03-14. p. 19. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Around the State". The Star-Ledger. Newark, New Jersey. 1983-11-22. p. 58. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Monday's Games". Journal Tribune. Biddeford, Maine. 1981-02-14. p. 22. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Men's Lacrosse History vs Hawthorne College". Southern New Hampshire University. Retrieved 2026-05-08.
  25. ^ "Johnson's Eyes Tourney Berth, Record is 8-3-1". The Burlington Free Press. 1972-11-06. p. 22. Retrieved 2025-05-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Wesconn Wins Soccer Match". The News-Times. Danbury, Connecticut. 1974-09-22. p. 33. Retrieved 2026-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Castleton Team Open 6-Meet Card". The Rutland Daily Herald. 1969-01-30. p. 11. Retrieved 2026-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ "College Results". The Rutland Daily Herald. 1984-09-19. p. 19. Retrieved 2026-05-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ Reed, John C. (1974-01-01). "Charles W. Thomas (1903-1973)". Arctic. 27 (1): 88. doi:10.14430/arctic2858. ISSN 1923-1245.
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