Elisabeth Whiting Conrad was born in Kansas City, Missouri, on November 15, 1886. She attended a number of schools and eventually earned B.A. and M.A. degrees from the University of Wisconsin. After teaching and being named Dean of Women at Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, she went back to the University of Wisconsin for her Ph.D. in 1917. In 1919 Conrad helped establish a Department of Physical Education for Women and a Women's Building on the Ohio State University campus, and represented that institution at the World Christian Student Federation Conference in Peking, China. There she discussed women's issues, such as coeducation, higher education, and industrial education with Chinese leaders. Conrad became the Dean of Women at Michigan State University in 1928. She also taught classes in literature and phonetics and discussed how to maintain high academic standards and "surround the students with beauty." Conrad Hall, built in 1964, is named in her honor.
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