Perhaps in the majority of higher education institutions, women’s issues no longer register as being a significant and important area of research. Perhaps the value of a women’s college is the culture of these institutions where women’s voices matter, where resources are focused on women and where issues related to women are always a part of the agenda. This in itself makes women’s colleges a fascinating topic of study. The aim of the study was to understand why Mount Holyoke College alumnae based in Hong Kong chose to attend Mount Holyoke, their experiences while at Mount Holyoke and how it has affected them in terms of further education and their careers. My research had several sub-themes and the literature reviewed was also in separate categories. I looked at the history of women’s colleges in the United States, as well as the changing patterns of enrollment and recent history of women’s colleges in the United States. Women’s colleges comprise a very small number of institutions in the United States and as many are liberal arts colleges, can be seen as a sub-group of liberal arts colleges. I therefore reviewed literature on liberal arts colleges as well to situate that in the broader picture of higher education in the United States. I could not neglect looking at women’s colleges around the world, as they are crucial in understanding the role women’s colleges in the United States have played. By framing my research using ‘centers’ and ‘peripheries’, I sought to explore some of the contributions that women’s colleges in the United States have played, whether as the ‘center’ or the ‘periphery’ institutions. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

This study presents a theory supporting single-gender, public institutions for women based on constitutional and legal history, educational theory, and feminist theory. Evidence from these areas suggest that single-gender, public institutions can be legally reviewed as constitutionally sound; that women can positively affect their situation in public life by learning the tools necessary to succeed in an educational environment without the added competition of men; and that once women experience leadership positions in college, they will understand how to gain access to channels of power. In order to reach the masses of women, this form of education must be offered as a choice in the public system of higher education so that all women, regardless of geographic or financial restrictions, can take advantage of a single-gender education. / Department of Secondary, Higher, and Foundations of Education

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This study identified and examined individual, group, institutional, and other factors and conditions associated with the founding and development of private higher education institutions designed to serve religious groups, women, black Americans, native Americans, and Hispanic Americans. A number of distinct influencing social conditions were identified. Distinctness was due to different group needs and circumstances during certain American historical periods. Common social conditions found included need for culturally sensitive institutions, pervasiveness of religious interests in founding attempts, social exclusion and discrimination, population growth and urbanization, democratic opportunity, federal government pervasiveness, and social consciousness change. Fifty-four specific factors associated with the founding and development of institutions were identified. Analysis revealed many complex interrelationships among social, individual, group, institutional and other miscellaneous factors and conditions existing in collegiate institution founding and development efforts. These factors created many variables that could affect the success of the institutions. Forty-two of the fifty-four factors were judged to be important elements for those contemporarily considering founding collegiate institutions. General conclusions: (1) Institutions best able to deal with the many complex factors were most likely to succeed. (2) The more support and (3) confidence institutions could generate, the better their chances for survival. (4) Institutional and community cohesion were important in achieving permanency. (5) Many institutions were created because of perceived socio-economic, political, cultural, and educational inequities. (6) Social groups addressed higher educational needs after increased awareness of their social conditions. (7) Sociocultural differences existed in group approaches to provision of higher education. (8) Regarding effectiveness in founding, groups ranked as follows; religious groups, women, black Americans, native Americans, and Hispanic Americans. (9) Religious denominations were very involved in founding efforts for three of the groups studied, minimally involved with native Americans, least involved with Hispanic Americans. (10) Religious affiliated institutions generally served socio-economic and religious needs of constituents; this was not evident with the Roman Catholic Church and Hispanic Americans. (11) Educated leadership was essential in founding efforts. (12) High dissatisfaction with existing institutions prompted private founding attempts.