History of Withrow College

Descendents of Margaret & Frank Withrow visiting Withrow College in 2023

Withrow College is a Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) accredited institution that is affiliated with the University for Development Studies (UDS) in Tamale, Ghana.

Withrow College was established with the support of family members and friends who believed in this unique project – that is, the creation of a public and allied health science-based tertiary institution in Ghana. The College is named after Drs. Frank and Margaret Withrow of Washington, DC, USA, the adopted parents of the founder. Without their support and mentoring, this institution may not have become a reality.

Community engagement, development of leadership skills, practical training of students and graduates, and the expectation of excellence are the components of the uniqueness of Withrow College. We believe community engagement empowers good citizenship and creates the enabling environment to help communities move up the development scale. Withrow College admits qualified students without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, national origin, citizenship status, disability, military status, veteran status, prior criminal convictions, genetic information, genetic predisposition, domestic violence victim, or any other basis prohibited by law. Withrow College expects students and members of the campus community to honor and uphold individuals’ right to their safety in their personal identity and the expression of that identity within the bounds of both the law and mutual respect for individual differences inherent to the College community.

About The Withrows

Margaret & Frank Withrow

Margaret Schram Withrow, PhD
Margaret was a Corpsman in the US Navy during World War II. She earned a B.Sc. in Occupational Therapy at Washington University in St. Louis. She earned a Master's Degree in Education of the Deaf from Washington University. She earned a Ph.D. in Educational Technology from the Catholic University of Washington, DC. Margaret was married to Dr. Frank B. Withrow for 52 years. They had one son and three daughters. They served as AFS parents to Nsiah from Ghana and Blanca from Honduras. They were also foster parents to a deaf son and an aphasic daughter. Dr. Withrow pioneered research with 3D computer graphics to teach language to deaf students and the development of multi-media training materials. One of her last research projects was the design and development of materials to train senior Navy medical personnel that worked as the chief medical officer on small ships such as submarines and destroyers. In retirement, she worked as a volunteer at the Smithsonian Museum restoring artifacts. She was well loved and respected by her family and coworkers.

Frank Burdon Withrow, PhD
Frank was a weather forecaster in the US Marines in World War II. He received his B.Sc. in Education of the Deaf, an MSc in Speech and Hearing, and a Ph.D. in Audiology from Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. He taught deaf and speech-disabled students. He was the Chief Speech Pathologist at Washington University Medical School. His research was on immediate visual memory spans and he designed and developed an electrophysiological test for hearing in infants. He became the Director of Research and Clinical Services in the Department of Children and Family Services for the State of Illinois. His research included the development of video and computer programs. He was U.S. President Johnson's Executive Director for the President's Committee for the Handicapped. He was the U.S. federal government program manager for Sesame Street and 53 other Public Television series. He was the Director of Development for the NASA Classroom of the Future. He has written several books and articles. The Consortium on School Networking has named an annual teacher award after him. His last assignment was as the Co-Principal Investigator on a NASA project exploring the uses of social media in the teaching of high school science.

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