Stop 4 - Meadowlands

Meadowlands c.1920s

Meadowlands c.1930s

Meadowlands c. 1950s

Tour Highlights

• First college building purchased by Dominican Sisters for a residence hall in 1918 for an initial deposit of $10
• Built in 1888 for Michael deYoung (co-founder of the San Francisco Chronicle) as a family summer home known as, “Golden Meadows”
• 1923 the wing that houses Meadowlands Assembly Hall was built
• Notice the stained glass class shields; a tradition started in 1924
• The original dining room contains scenic murals and is called, The Hunt Room
• The original living room, now an office space is called, The Wicker Room
• Upper floors were originally used as a residence hall and the main floor contained a dining room, class rooms and a chapel in the original library
• The dog statue on the grounds was used to mark the grave site of the deYoung family dog and is now used as a graduating class mascot

Meadowlands c.1920s

Fireplace c.1930s

Hunt Room Mural

Student c.1960s - Wicker Room

Students c. 1930s

Meadowlands

Meadowlands has been the heart of Dominican College, and now the Dominican University of California, since 1918. Meadowlands was named after the Golden Meadows in which it resides. Meadowlands was purposely built with a open view of Mount Tamalpais, and 1.5 acres of cultivated garden and three acres of meadow lark. This was a $7,880 mansion initially made for San Francisco Chronicle publisher and philanthropist Michael H. de Young in 1888 to summer in. After humbly serving the de Young family for 30 years, Mr. de Young sold the building to the Dominican Sisters on March 4, 1918. Sister Thomas, Sister Catherine Marie, and Sister Patrick had a hunch something was under the plaster, so one day they took a chisel to the wall and discovered bright spot of color underneath. During Meadowlands’ 19th birthday party, a colorful mural depicting hounds, dogs, hunters, and gentlemen on horseback in top hats and scarlet coats chasing a fox around the walls was revealed to the guests. Meadowlands has housed countless generations of students since 1919. However, Meadowlands closed as a dormitory for three years between 1976 and 1979 to be open for the community as a Continuing Education Center. Special campus and community meetings, cultural events, and business, education, and professional overnight conferences were held during this time. Dominican quickly put the money to good use and started converting the dormitory into a state-of-the-art science center. By Summer of 2015, Meadowlands no longer accommodated for residents all together and instead housed the occupational therapy, nursing, and public health programs on campus. 35 offices, 11 cubicle work spaces, three smart classrooms, skill assessment laboratories equipped with simulation technology, pediatric occupational therapy (OT) laboratory, two instructional OT laboratories, and study spaces on all floors were incorporated into the new layout. Meadowlands has been a home, a community center, and a party venue, now it also serves as a foundation for learning, connecting, and creating infinite memories.

Nursing

Fall 1983, Dominican College admitted the first pre-nursing students to the new Baccalaureate Nursing Program in collaboration with St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco. The collaboration was due to the diploma program St. Luke’s hospital had. In the 1970’s, diploma programs were the traditional path a nursing student took. The program gave nursing students an immersive experiences that allowed them to sleep and a hands on training. However, Bachelors and Associate programs were becoming more popular and started to replace diploma programs.

The nursing program of 1983 and of today are similar in the same way; students preparing for the NCLEX, wearing uniforms, and visiting hospitals. The differences include the large variety of hospitals students now visits instead of St. Luke’s hospital. The blue scrubs instead of female students wearing pastel blue and white pinstripe aprons over white dresses, and male students wearing the same pattern but on a shirt. However, the symbolic white capping ceremony was discontinued for reasons unknown and students now take plenty of photos with their classmates wearing their matching scrubs and stethoscopes around their necks.