Reed College is a private, nonsectarian liberal arts and sciences college in Portland, Oregon. Unitarian minister Thomas Lamb Eliot urged Simeon and Amanda Reed, wealthy members of his congregation, to use part of their fortune to help the city of Portland. Simeon died in 1895, and Amanda died in 1904. Following Thomas’s advice and Simeon’s wishes, Amanda left instructions in her will to establish an institution of learning in memory of her husband. Reed College was founded in 1908. Classes at the school began in 1911.
Reed College grants the bachelor of arts degree. Each student is required to take a year-long interdisciplinary course in humanities, focusing on ancient Greece and Rome, and to write and defend a senior thesis. Students may choose an interdisciplinary major, such as American studies and international and comparative policy studies. Students can also participate in a graduate interdisciplinary program that leads to a master of arts degree in liberal studies. Well-known graduates include the poets Gary Snyder and Philip Whalen, who were friends and classmates at Reed.
The college’s website at https://www.reed.edu/ offers additional information.
