Russell Sage College

RSC was founded in 1916 by Margaret Olivia Slocum Sage , a suffragist , as a "school of practical arts." She named the college after her husband, Russell , who was an American financier, railroad executive and Congressman from New York. With Eliza Kellas , head of the Emma Willard School , Mrs. Sage was active in the women's suffrage movement; in founding the new college, they proposed to offer women the means of independence through the combination of broad education in the liberal arts with preparation for specific professional careers. Initially, the college operated under the charter of the Emma Willard School, granting its first baccalaureate degree in 1918 and graduating its first class in 1920. In 1927, the New York State Board of Regents granted a separate charter for Russell Sage College and reaffirmed the status of Emma Willard as a secondary school. During World War II , an "emergency men's division" was created, and in 1942 the first graduate degree was conferred. In 1949, an Albany Division was opened, offering two-year, four-year and graduate degrees under the charter of Russell Sage College and extending the college's mission to include the education of men on the second campus. Sage Junior College of Albany received its own degree-granting powers in 1957. In 1995, Sage Graduate School became authorized to grant degrees independently, Sage Evening College became recognized as a separate administrative unit, and the institution was re-chartered by the Board of Regents of the state of New York as The Sage Colleges, often referred to for the sake of convenience as "Sage." The words Russell Sage College refer only to the college for women. In 2001, Sage Junior College of Albany and Sage Evening College were replaced by a single entity, Sage College of Albany .

With a charter change effective July 1, 2020 and beginning with that year's fall semester, Russell Sage College, Sage College of Albany, and Sage Graduate Schools united under a single name, also Russell Sage College, one college with two co-educational campuses in Albany and Troy, New York. In April 2025, it was announced that Russell Sage College would merge with Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in a gradual process that is planned to be completed by Fall 2027. [ 5 ]

Russell Sage College Sign Bush Center Robison Common Russell Sage Hall French House Gurley Memorial Hall James Wheelock Clark Library Buchman Pavilion The self-contained 10-acre (4.0 ha) campus is located in the historic district of Troy, New York with 19th-century brownstone residences, Victorian gates, formal courtyards and walled gardens. This campus is on two blocks and is a safe campus with no recent reported crime in the area. Nearby are a bowling lane, numerous antique and jewelry stores, a public library, and several independent coffee shops. There is easy access to public transportation for students. The campus had been the home to the New York State Theatre Institute (NYSTI), which utilized the Schacht Fine Arts Center, but due to a lack of funding, NYSTI shut down at the end of 2010. The college filled the void with the Theatre Institute at Sage which has continued since then. Residence halls and houses Several of the brownstones are now used for student housing in place of traditional dormitories . Two international houses, French House and Spanish House, are for students studying or speaking those languages. It requires an application process that you are either majoring in either one of those languages or are taking a course in either language to live in it. It is suggested you have a 3.0 gpa to be selected. German House was once counted among these but currently no longer requires that the students speak the language. This dorm is mostly filled with some juniors and seniors with one or two sophomores. Wool House is for students in the honors program . In order to apply to live in Wool House, you must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher, community service credits, and participate in campus activities. Applications are accepted based on qualifications and then seniority since there are limited housing options within Wool House. Other dorm houses include McMurray, Spicer and Gale. These three are combined as one dorm and are collectively referred to as MSG.

The front main sitting room was restored in the early 1990s for the filming of The Age of Innocence . These dorms are named for the people who formerly owned them. First-year students live in the Kellas and Slocum Halls. The lounges in these were restored with new furniture and plasma screen TVs in 2008. In the fall 2008 and the spring of 2009, the third floor of Kellas was opened to upperclassmen who wished to reside in the hall. In the fall of 2009, Kellas is expected to be first-years only and Slocum is expected to open its door for the first time in a few years. McKinstry Hall is located above the McKinstry dining hall. These are also first-year dorms but like Slocum Hall, but due to financial reasons and small amount of enrollment they have not been lived in for quite a few years. They are used occasionally throughout the year for special activities and events. Slocum usually house transfer students just like Sage Hall does. Upperclassman halls include Sage Hall, Manning Hall, and Rickets Hall. Sage Hall, featuring an elevator and back door that opens into Buchman, formerly housed the Troy Female Seminary, which is the only dormitory without a kitchen in the basement. Manning Hall is mostly graduates and seniors and single rooms. This (Manning) dorm features an elevator and air conditioning and also houses one of the Resident Director apartments. Rickets is only for graduate students but if there are more graduate students living on campus than expected then they are most likely housed in Manning Hall. Please note students can also live off campus.