Life
Harvard Law Became Coed 60 Years Ago. But What About Other Institutions of Higher Learning?
Harvard Law is hosting a very special celebration this weekend to mark the 60th anniversary of admitting female students. Which sounds nice until you consider that Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in North America and yet women didn't attend their law school until the 1950s. Makes you wonder how everyone else stacks up, yes?
Image: Wikipedia
Harvard Law is hosting a very special celebration this weekend to mark the 60th anniversary of admitting female students. Which sounds nice until you consider that Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in North America and yet women didn't attend their law school until the 1950s. Makes you wonder how everyone else stacks up, yes?
Image: Wikipedia
Harvard
It turns out Harvard Law was even behind the university's undergraduate school, which began allowing female students from Radcliffe University to attend classes in 1879, and finally made all classes coed after taking charge of Radcliffe in the 1940s. But still, I think we can do better.
Image: Fotolia
Princeton
Though Princeton partnered with Evelyn College to allow women access to Princeton classes in 1887, Evelyn closed in 1893. Undaunted, Princeton still did not admit women until 1973. That's right. We sent a man to the moon before parents could send their daughters to Princeton. But it's okay, because they brag about women working in "unofficial positions" during that time.
Image: Wikipedia
Franklin and Marshall College
Franklin College (now known as Franklin and Marshall College) in Pennsylvania was the first US institution of higher learning to admit women. Women made up almost half of their original class in 1787. Unfortunately the school restructured due to financial troubles and became an all-male institution for a time until readmitting women in the 1960s.
Image: Wikipedia
The University of Iowa
The University of Iowa was the first public university in the US to admit women when it opened in 1847. Notice that date is almost a full century before Harvard became officially coed. Now was that really so hard?
Image: Wikipedia
Wesleyan College
Not to be confused with Wesleyan University, Wesleyan College was founded in Macon, Georgia in 1836 and was the first college charted to grant full degrees to women. And by first, we mean first in the world. Not too shabby.
Image: Wikipedia
Columbia
By the time Columbia began admitting women, Ronald Reagan was president. That's right, the undergraduate program at the New York Ivy didn't start admitting women until 1983. To be fair, women had been attending classes since the 19th century, and women had been admitted to the various graduate programs, and they did award the first PhD given to a woman in the US way back in 1886, but still guys. I mean 1983? Really? Really?
Image: Fotolia
