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Women's colleges in the United States initially began development during the early part of the 19th century. There are approximately sixty active women's colleges in the U.S. Background See main article: Timeline of women's colleges in the United States Women's colleges were primarly founded during the early 19th century. According to Irene Harwarth, Mindi Maline, and Elizabeth DeBra, "women's colleges were founded during the mid- and late-19th century in response to a need for advanced education for women at a time when they were not admitted to most institutions of higher education." • While there were a few coeducational colleges (such as Oberlin College founded in 1833, Antioch College in 1853, and Bates College in 1855), most colleges and universities of high standing at that time were exclusively for men. In 1886, H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, a coordinate college of Tulane University, was founded as the first coordinate women's college in the United States. Historically black colleges See main article Historically black colleges and universities Bennett College and Spelman College are historically black women's colleges which were both developed during the later half of the 19th century (although Bennett did not become a women's college until 1926). Bennett has been described as the Vassar of the South and Spelman as the Radcliffe College of historically black colleges. Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou have recently offered public support to Bennett College. • Seven Sister colleges See main article Seven Sisters colleges Colleges for women were founded in the Northern United States during the early and mid 19th century. Seven of them (Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Vassar College, Wellesley College, Radcliffe College, Bryn Mawr College and Barnard College) were grouped under the title of The Seven Sisters in 1927. Seven Sisters of the South See main article Seven Sisters of the South A number of colleges were also founded for women in the Southern United States during the mid to late 19th century. While ill-defined, different combinations of the following colleges have been given the title, The Seven Sisters of the South: Agnes Scott College, Sweet Briar College, Hollins University, Randolph-Macon Woman's College, Converse College, Goucher College, Spelman College, Bennett College, Salem College and Mary Baldwin College. Adopt coeducation One debate which developed from the period of the 1960s - 1990s (the time of second wave feminism) revolved around the question of coeducation. During this time, many of the most prominent American men's colleges, including multiple Ivy League institutions, became co-ed. Some women's colleges also responded by becoming coeducational, such as the Seven Sister Radcliffe College, which followed Tulane University and H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College's example (mentioned above) and merged with Harvard University. In addition, another Seven Sister college, Vassar College, declined an offer to merge with Yale University and instead became coeducational in 1969. Sarah Lawrence College declined an offer to merge with Princeton University and became coeducational in 1969. Connecticut College also became co-ed during the late 1960s. Remain womens college Other schools responded to the tenets of second-wave feminism by maintaining their single-sex status. Since 1900, the seven sister college, Barnard College has been affiliated with Columbia University, but it continues to be independently governed. In 1983, Columbia College began admitting women after a decade of failed negotiations with Barnard for a merger along the lines of Harvard and Radcliffe. Of the original Seven Sisters, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Barnard College, Bryn Mawr College, and Wellesley College are still women's colleges. In 1990, Mills College's tentative decision to become co-ed was met with so much resistance from students and alumnae that the proposal was dropped. Adopt coeducation In 2005 Wells College adopted coeducation, a move which re-opened public discourse over women's colleges. Both Randolph-Macon Woman's College and Regis College announced in 2006 that they plan to move to coeducation beginning in Fall 2007. Remain womens college Sweet Briar College announced in 2005 and Hollins University and Agnes Scott College in 2006 that they plan to remain women's colleges.••• Commentary from presidents of womens colleges A number of college presidents have recently written articles on the subject of women's colleges in response to an editorial written by the interim president of Randolph-Macon Women's College, Virginia Worden. Worden's article was published in the Washington Post on 17 September 2006 and discusses the reasons behind the decision for Randolph-Macon Women's College to adopt coeducation.• Agnes Scott College President, Elizabeth Kiss, responds in an article published in 2006 that "women’s colleges are extraordinary incubators of achievement."• Columbia College President, Caroline Whitson, argues in a 17 October 2006 article for The State that women's colleges produce leaders. • Mills College President, Janet L. Holmgren, offers another perspective in an 11 October 2006 article for the San Jose Mercury News. Referring to the period in 1990 when Mills almost adopted coeducation but decided against it, she argues that it is necessary to maintain women's colleges. • Simmons College President, Susan Scrimshaw, argues in an 4 October 2006 article for The Boston Globe that women's colleges continue to be relevant.• Sweet Briar College President, Elisabeth Muhlenfeld, and Hollins University President, Nancy Gray, wrote in a 14 September 2006 article for The Roanoke Times in response to the intial news that Randolph Macon Women's College would be adopting coeducation that "Women's colleges must be an option." • Rankings In 2006, The Washington Monthly ranked three women's colleges, Bryn Mawr, Wellesley, and Mount Holyoke in the top six of all liberal arts colleges in the United States.•, • The Washington Monthly is an alternative college guide to U.S. News and World Report. See also Footnotes See also | |||||||
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