History + Mission

History, Charter and Mission

Russell Sage College was founded in Troy, New York, in 1916 by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage and named in honor of her late husband, who had left her his considerable fortune. With Eliza Kellas, head of the Emma Willard School, Mrs. Sage was active in the women's suffrage movement; in founding the new College, they proposed to offer women the means of independence through the combination of broad education in the liberal arts with preparation for specific professional careers. Initially, the college operated under the charter of the Emma Willard School, granting its first baccalaureate degree in 1918 and graduating its first class in 1920. In 1927, the New York State Board of Regents granted a separate charter for Russell Sage College and reaffirmed the status of Emma Willard as a secondary school.

During World War II, an "emergency men's division" was created and in 1942 the first graduate degree was conferred. In 1949, an Albany Division was opened, offering two-year, four-year and graduate degrees under the charter of Russell Sage College and extending the College's mission to include the education of men on the second campus. The Sage Junior College of Albany received its own degree-granting powers in 1957. In 1995, the Sage Graduate School became authorized to grant degrees independently, the Sage Evening College became recognized as a separate administrative unit, and the institution was re-chartered by the Board of Regents of the state of New York as The Sage Colleges, often referred to for the sake of convenience as "Sage." The words "Russell Sage College" now refer only to the college for women. In 2001, the Sage Junior College of Albany and Sage Evening College were replaced by a single entity, Sage College of Albany.

Today, The Sage Colleges consists of:

• Russell Sage College, a comprehensive four-year college for women offering bachelor's degrees in the liberal arts and sciences as well as selected professional fields. Russell Sage bachelor's degrees typically lead to further study and more than 50% of graduates each year pursue advanced degrees. This College is integrally connected to the Sage Graduate School through accelerated bachelor's/master's programs.
• Sage College of Albany, a coeducational college of applied studies, offering associate and bachelor's degrees in a "two plus two" structure. This College prepares students for direct entry into the professional workplace at each degree level, with the future option of graduate study a possibility.
• Through its Sage After Work program, the Sage College of Albany offers bachelor's degree completion programs designed specifically for an audience of part-time, working adults.
• Sage Graduate School is a coeducational environment offering advanced study for professional practice and leadership through master's degrees and post-master's certification in a wide variety of applied disciplines. SGS serves both recent college graduates, including Russell Sage students in accelerated bachelor's/master's programs, and individuals already at work in their professions.

The motto of Russell Sage College, "To Be, To Know, To Do," also informs the educational purpose of The Sage Colleges, where the common effort is to translate learning into action and application, within a framework of the value that recognizes the obligation of educated persons to lead and serve their communities.

Read more about the history of The Sage Colleges in Horizons magazine.