Expansion/Coeducation (Steve Carey V. P. for Development file), 1969-1980
Scope and Contents
Most of the actions listed below are documented in this file:
1969: Commission on Women Students at Haverford (approved by Board of Managers Executive Committee, 12/69), to investigate all relevant aspects of 5 models, offer recommendations for discussion by the faculty, student body and administration—with close contact with BM. Report, 8/70 ("I realize how much time we spent trying to understand the mysteries of Bryn-Mawr-Haverford relationships. For me, the mystery remains. I don't understand how two institutions that have so much in common and that have so much to gain from cooperation have so much difficulty in simply getting along together." Ambler)—recommends coeducation (BM exchange doesn't answer the need), full coeducation best but maybe not financially feasible, no immediate pressure; effective cooperation with BM may do for the time being. 11/3 Coleman recommends against full coeducation, for cooperation with creating a more woman-friendly environment, including recruiting women as faculty and senior staff, reappraise in 2 years.
1970: Cohabitation
1971: Use and Distribution of Instructional Resources during period of expansion to student body from 457 to 700 students (55 to 72 faculty), 1962/63-70/71.
12/71 Committee on Coeducation and Expansion recommends in 4th draft of recommendation that women transfers be admitted; 5th and final draft rejects that, urges cooperative coeducation with Bryn Mawr (increase enrollment to 725). Accepted by Board.
1972-73: discussion continues—facts and figures arguing for expansion; BM upset. 11/73 administration recommends to Board of Managers 1000 from 735 student body, student faculty ratio 12:1 from 10:1, admission of women, continued coop w/ Bryn Mawr, 11/1/73
1/1974: Board decides goal of expansion to 1000 adding no more than 50/yr, 1 faculty for every 25 additional students, advance coeducation through greater cooperation w/ joint committee to implement.
………………… May 1976: Board reaffirms 1000 goal and review coeducation within the context of cooperation
9/76: Off the record meeting with top Board officers and administrators from Haverford & Bryn Mawr, followed by two off the record administrators' meetings
10/2/76: Bryn Mawr Board makes 11 point proposal to promote closer cooperation, including a ban on admitting women for 4 years
10/19/76: Hav administration agrees to much of BM proposal but not 4 year moratorium. And doesn't feel proposals solve Haverford Admission problem.
[Oct. 19, 1976] : Report on the Committee on Admissions Policy: study of all alternatives to admissions policy, especially with regard to women. Recommend admission of women.
11/76: Faculty by consensus go on record in favor of admitting women with Bryn Mawr cooperation at a high level.
12/10/76: Board approves admission of women through transfers, not freshman admission.
1/77: Coleman resigns
3/7/77 Carey to Schmitz on background of 76 decision—Haverford's frustration w/ Bryn Mawr
5/77 Haverford/Bryn Maw faculty agreement Proposal for Two-College Cooperation (see Cooperation Haverford-Bryn Maw 4/6/77)
2/78: Students support coed at Plenary; 5/78 faculty restate support for coed. Carey to Wood 12/5/78 on reasons for coed
5/11/79 Board authorizes admission of freshman women
Dates
- Creation: 1969-1980
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use.
Biographical / Historical
The issue on whether or not to expand the college began with the previous administration and carried into the Coleman presidency. Coleman faced financial challenges for which an increased student body was one solution. The question then arose whether there was a sufficient pool of qualified men to support the increase. In that context, Coleman began exploring the admission of women. The discussion eventually came to conclude that a male-only college was discriminatory.
Controversy centered less on retaining the all-male college than the harm coeducation might do to Bryn Mawr College, with the Bryn Mawr community aggressively campaigning against it. From 1971 to 1976 Haverford's announced intention was to slowly expand and pursue coeducation through increased efforts toward cooperation with Bryn Mawr, with the efforts toward cooperation (cross registrations and shared courses, as well as other strategies) meeting with mixed success. Although Haverford faculty was initially divided, by 1976 it fully supported coeducation, as did the administration.
Nevertheless the Haverford Board of Managers, in a controversial December 10, 1976, decision, determined to admit women as transfers only and to not include them in the freshman class, and it called for greater cooperative efforts with Bryn Mawr. Coleman, resigned, saying that he was "not the one to give the College the leadership it needs in carrying out the decisions of the Board of Managers."
A Haverford-Bryn Mawr Cooperation Committee was formed and issued a report in 1977. During the interim presidency sentiment for complete coeducation grew, and within the first year of Robert Stevens presidency the Board authorized the admission of freshmen women in May 1979.
Extent
16 folders (Memoranda, reports, correspondence, and other documents relating to the question of whether or not to expand the student body, the related issue of whether or not to admit women, and the efforts to expand cooperative programs with Bryn Mawr College; with some material on cohabitation, 1970..)
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