 The purpose of the school was for “the support of a female college, a school of fine arts, and a conservatory of music”.Lucy Ann Thornton Kidd, a widowed teacher from Mississippi, was selected to be the president of the College, becoming Lucy Ann Kidd-Key after marrying Bishop Joseph S. Key in 1892.During Kidd-Key's time as president of the college, the rules were very strict and emphasized the arts while Kidd-Key focused on maintaining the virtue of the women who attended her school.