Two-Year Colleges for Women and Minorities

Enabling Access to the Baccalaureate

Barbara K. Townsend, Barbara K. Townsend, Barbara K. Townsend

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2002
• ISBN:
  9781135579470
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Éducation
• Subtopic: Éducation générale

Two-year colleges are often the most financially, geographically, and academically accessible means of higher education for ethnic minorities and women. This book examines five types of two-year special focus schools.

CHAPTER 1
Collective and Distinctive Patterns of Two-Year Special-Focus Colleges

Barbara K.Townsend

Within the constellation of approximately 1,500 American non profit two-year colleges are clusters of schools that enroll women students only or primarily enroll black, Hispanic, or Native American students. These clusters include women’s colleges, historically black and predominantly black colleges, tribal colleges and predominantly Native American colleges, and predominantly Hispanic institutions. Some of these colleges are also church-affiliated schools, where commitment to a particular Christian denomination guides service to the distinctive student body. As of 1996–1997, 97 institutions or about 7 percent of two-year schools enrolled women students only or had a student body numerically dominated by black, Hispanic, or Native Americans students (50 percent or more of the student enrollment).

These colleges comprise an intriguing and little studied phenomenon within higher education. Like most two-year schools, they expand educational access to non traditional students. What differentiates these colleges from most two-year colleges is a focus on non white students or on women only. Called special-focus colleges in this book, many of these distinctive institutions strive to create a climate conducive to the academic success of their particular racial or ethnic student body or their all-female student body. Some of the colleges have even established a curriculum and use pedagogy designed specifically for their students. Although there are limited data about the outcomes of these schools, what evidence there is indicates that many have been quite successful in advancing their students’ educational achievement. Coeducational, predominantly white institutions have much to gain from understanding what these special-focus colleges are and how they facilitate students’ academic attainment.

This chapter profiles each of the four types of special-focus schools: (1) women’s colleges, (2) historically black colleges and predominantly black institutions, (3) tribal colleges and predominantly Native American schools, and (4) predominantly Hispanic-serving institutions. The chapter also glances at approximately 150 other two-year schools whose student body is between 25 percent and 49 percent black, Hispanic, or Native American. These schools, known as black-serving, Hispanic-serving, and Native American-serving institutions,¹ deserve recognition because in them the isolating, stress-filled effect of being a minority is “less exaggerated” (Kanter, 1977, p. 209; see also Hurtado, 1994) in these schools than in colleges where almost all the students are white. Since church-affiliation has been a critical factor in the development of special-focus colleges, the chapter also includes a description of the few remaining church-affiliated special-focus colleges. How all these schools fit within the development of American higher education is then described. The chapter concludes with speculations about the future of each type of special-focus college.

WOMEN’S COLLEGES AND PREDOMINANTLY FEMALE SCHOOLS

As of 1996–1997 there were 83 women’s colleges, of which eight were two-year colleges. Collectively, these institutions (see Table 1.1) enrolled over 1,700 students in 1996–1997. Enrollments ranged from a low of 24 students at Assumption College for Sisters (a training institution for nuns) to a high of 459 in Peace College. Except for Assumption College, where 60 percent of its students were Asian or Pacific Islanders in 1996–1997, and Lexington College, where 50 percent of the students were nonwhite, two-year women’s colleges have a predominantly white student body.

The ranks of two-year women’s colleges have shifted somewhat since 1996–1997, with some colleges leaving and one entering. Among those leaving is St. Mary’s College, which was founded in 1842 and established its junior college program in 1927. In 1996–1997 it only enrolled 142 women in its junior college program, so it closed this program and continues as a high school for girls. Leaders of the two Aquinas Colleges, both sponsored by the Congregation of Sisters of Saint Joseph, decided in 1997 to consolidate into one institution in order to save administrative costs. Peace College has changed into a four-year college, and Fisher College will become coeducational in fall 1998 and also establish a four-year degree program in management. However, Harcum College, a women’s college that became coeducational in the 1970s, decided in 1997 to return to serving women students only. Thus, as of fall 1998, there will be only five women’s two-year schools: Assumption College for Sisters, which is only for Catholic sisters; Aquinas College, with its two campuses; Cottey College; Harcum College; and Lexington College.

Table 1.1. Single-Sex Two-Year Schools in 1996–1997

Although two-year colleges for men are not examined in this book, as of 1996–1997, there were five two-year colleges for men only, enrolling over 750 students (see Table 1.1). Enrollments ranged from a low of 24 students at Deep Springs College in Deep Springs, California, to a high of 254 at the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades in Media, Pennsylvania. Don Bosco Technical Institute, open only to graduates of Don Bosco Technical High School, is a predominantly Hispanic institution: in 1996–1997:66 percent of its students were Hispanic. The Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades, established in 1888, is the oldest, and the specialized Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, established in 1972, is the newest.

HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES, PREDOMINANTLY BLACK COLLEGES, AND BLACK-SERVING INSTITUTIONS

Several types of two-year institutions have a sizable enrollment of black students. The most obvious are the two-year historically black colleges, institutions established before 1965 as segregated schools. Another type is integrated institutions, including colleges which once primarily or only enrolled white students but now have a student body that is at least 50 percent black. This second type is labeled predominantly black institutions, to differentiate them from historically black colleges. Finally, there are black-serving institutions, where black students constitute between 25 to 49 percent of the students.

Established during the time when education was segregated in the south, two-year historically black colleges are clustered in the Southeast.² As of 1996–1997, there were nine two-year historically black colleges created before 1954, the year when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregation in education was unconstitutional. Five more schools are also classified as historically black colleges even though they were created after 1954, because they were established in states which continued to maintain segregated schools (see Table 1.2). These five colleges include t...