Innovation and quality.
Founded in 1855, Elmira Female College was the first college in the world
to grant a baccalaureate degree to women, equal to those granted to men. Elmira College is known as the "mother of women's
colleges." (Elmira became co-educational in 1969.) Simeon Benjamin, known as "The Founder," was instrumental in the College's
location in Elmira, the growing commercial and cultural center of the Finger Lakes region.