Miss
Swart's numerous accomplishments at the Oshkosh Normal School brought
her great notoriety in Wisconsin education circles. And this fame brought
her numerous accolades. The Wisconsin State Teachers' Association chose
Miss Swart for the position of president in 1897. The University of Wisconsin,
in June 1906, awarded Swart by giving her an honorary Master of Arts
degree, making her one of a few women to be honored in this manner at
the time. In 1919, because of her place among the top educators in the
state, she was chosen to become the first Dean of Women at the Oshkosh
Normal School. Miss Swart was also a prominent figure in women's clubs
such as the Daughters of the American Revolution, the League of Women
Voters and the Twentieth Century Club.
Miss
Swart's reputation and skills brought her additional job offers as well.
In the winter of 1894 Miss Swart was offered the position of Advisor of
Women at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, with a residency in Chadborne
Hall there. Citing personal, family reasons, Swart declined the offer
and remained in Oshkosh. Despite the competition for her, Rose Swart was
taken away from Oshkosh Normal for just one year, 1897, by a better offer
from an academy in St. Paul. The following year Oshkosh Normal made an
adequate advance in wages to bring Miss Swart back to this school.
click image to enlarge
Swart
explains some of her achievements in her own words in 1921.
