History of Lakeland College
Lakeland College traces its beginnings to German immigrants who traveled to North America and eventually to the Sheboygan area where they settled in 1847. Even as they struggled for food and shelter, these pioneers thought in terms of higher education for their children.
In 1862, they built Missionshaus (Mission House), a combined academy-college-seminary. The school provided training in the liberal arts followed by a traditional seminary curriculum, as most of the students were destined to become ministers. As the needs of students changed, Mission House gradually broadened its purpose. By the end of the century, enrollment was no longer limited to pre-theological students and the college had developed strong programs of study in a number of disciplines.
A talented, scholarly faculty set high standards for the college early in its existence, standards which have been maintained to this day. Known simply as Mission House for 95 years, the college adopted the name Lakeland in 1956. The era of Mission House had ended, but Lakeland College became heir to its campus, tradition, and educational mission.
Today Lakeland is an independent, private, liberal arts college affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The campus is 10 miles from Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and 60 miles north of Milwaukee.
Both the college’s undergraduate and graduate programs are fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. Lakeland’s teacher education program is accredited by the Teacher Education Accreditation Council (TEAC).
The ambition of Lakeland College is less to be large than to be effective; its aim is not to rank first in size, but to rank first in helping students realize their potential for intellectual growth. Valuing excellence above all else, Lakeland’s commitment is to enhance student access to educational resources, student closeness to faculty and staff mentors, and student success in both classrooms and careers.
The History of the William R. Kellett School of Adult Education
To meet the needs of a growing population of working adults, the college established its Lifelong Learning program, which was accredited in 1978 and is now known as the William R. Kellett School of Adult Education or the Evening, Weekend and Online Program. Lifelong Learning began with three off-campus locations. There are currently seven centers throughout the state of Wisconsin and Lakeland College Online. The Kellett School offers 14-week online and onsite courses during the fall and spring terms, 12-week courses during summer term, and 7-week online accelerated courses in all terms in addition to BlendEd® v1.0 and BlendEd® v2.0 courses leading to baccalaureate and graduate degrees.
While students in Lakeland College’s William R. Kellett School of Adult Education do not enjoy many of the benefits available to on-campus students, for example, participation in athletics and student government, they do receive a challenging, academically rigorous program of study.
The John Esch Library
Lakeland’s library is located at the center of the main campus and is open to all Lakeland College students. The library’s collection includes more than 68,000 books. The College also subscribes to over 300 academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. As a member of Eastern Shores Information Catalog (EASICAT), the College has additional local access to 1,000,000 items. Lakeland students have access to the following academic databases via lakeland.edu: Badgerlink, ProQuest, JSTOR, PsycINFO, NetLibrary, LexisNexis, the Oxford English Dictionary, and the American Chemical Society. Students receive a password each semester from their advisor that allows them to access all electronic databases.
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