Our History
The Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity, founded in 1869, immediately planned for the education of their young members for the teaching profession. In 1885 the State of Wisconsin granted the institution a charter as an academy and normal school. It achieved four-year college status in 1935 and conferred its first liberal arts degrees four years later. The college began admitting lay women on a regular basis in 1957 and became coeducational in 1969 to better meet the educational needs of the local area.
In 1972, the school incorporated separately from the religious community and obtained a long-term lease on the land and buildings. At that time the college changed its name from "Holy Family College" to "Silver Lake College of the Holy Family."
In 1986, Silver Lake College received approval from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools to grant a Master of Music Degree, Kodály emphasis. In 1988 the college received the agency's approval for its Master of Arts in Education degree with emphasis in teacher leadership or administrative leadership and in 1992 for a Master of Science in Management and Organizational Behavior.
The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools originally accredited Silver Lake College in 1959. The college has received continued accreditation in 1968, 1978, 1988, and 1998 extending to 2008. Its teacher education programs are approved by the Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction.
