On Feb. 13, 1872, the Board of Trustees accepted a donation of $250,000 from Henry W. Sage. Sage was an avid supporter of gender equality in higher education, and the money was used to build a women’s dormitory, one of the first in the United States.
Though the first woman was admitted to Cornell in 1870, the University had not yet opened a dorm for females.
The construction of the Sage College for Women prompted increased female admission and enrollment. Construction was completed, and the building opened in 1875. This same year, Sage was elected president of the Board of Trustees.
Sage also built Sage Chapel, the first non-denominational building of worship at a U.S. university.
Sage College is currently known as Sage Hall and serves as home to the Johnson Graduate School of Management.