Engraving of Simeon Reed, ca. early 1890s, whose will helped establish the college.
eed College was envisioned at its creation as an innovative experiment to restore relevancy to the liberal arts in an age dominated by science and industry. The expansion of the university model, with its emphasis on research and professional training, had made an anachronism of liberal arts colleges that traditionally provided training in character and scholarly ideals. Many had lost their bearings, aligning themselves with spectator sports, purchased degrees, and social climbers.
The time was ripe for a new kind of college that would look forward rather than backward, outward rather than inward, and prepare its graduates for the dimensions of an ever-widening modern world.