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The American College & University
Rudolph text Events in this timeline have been selected, in part, based on an understanding of the major eras and historical events that have shaped American higher education, as outlined in Rudolph, F. (1962). The American College & University: A History. Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press. -
Harvard College (Puritans)
Harvard College Historical Facts Massachusetts General Court passes the legislative act founding Harvard College (Puritans). -
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Reformation Colleges
Timespan categories adapted from Altbach, P., Berdahl, R. & Gumport, P. (2005). American higher Education in the twenty-first century: Social, political, and economic challenges. Second Edition. Baltimore, MD: The John Hopkins University Press. -
William and Mary (Church of England)
William and Mary History William and Mary founded by royal charter in Virginia. -
Yale College (Puritans)
Yale History The Collegiate School in Connecticut, to later be known as Yale College, founded in response to theological drift at Harvard College. -
Exemption from taxes and miltary service
Yale charter Yale students relieved of their tax obligation and military service. -
First distance education course
Distance Education First distance education course emerges out of Boston, with instruction delivered via postal mail. -
Math introduced as an entrance requirement
In addition to competency in Latin and Greek, arithmetic is made an entrance requirement at Yale. -
Princeton founded (nonsectarian)
No religious tests The College of New Jersey at Princeton is founded- promises no religious tests. -
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Colonial Colleges
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Columbia (Church of England)
Columbia History King's College, later to be known as Columbia, founded by the Church of England but with a promise of no religious tests. -
University of Pennsylvania (non-sectarian)
UPenn History College of Philadelphia, later to be known as University of Pennsylvania, founded. -
Brown University (Baptist)
Brown History College of Rhode Island at Providence, later to be known as Brown University, founded with a promise to have no religious requirements for admission (in addition to no religious tests of faculty). -
Beginning of the American Revolution
American Revolution "Shot heard around the world" begins the American war for indepence. -
Rutgers University (Dutch Reformed)
Rutgers History Queen's College, later to be known as Rutgers University, founded. -
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1 in 1000 Americans
By end of colonial era, approximately 1:1000 American colonists had attended college at some point in their lives (compared to 60:1000 currently enrolled in FA14 alone). -
Annual Day of Prayer
Day of Prayer The first Continental Congress calls for a National Day of Prayer and Fasting as a precursor to the National Day of Prayer to be later established by President Truman (1952). -
First American college fraternity
PBK First American college fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa, is established at William and Mary. -
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Republican Education
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Jeffersonian curriculum
Change at W&M Thomas Jefferson introduces a set of legislative proposals that would have eliminated professorships in divinity at William & Mary. -
First public university
UNC University of North Carolina chartered as the first American public university. -
College growth
Between 1782-1802, nineteen colleges (which still exist today) were chartered, more than twice as many as had been founded in the previous 150 years. -
UVM and the War of 1812
UVM & War of 1812 University of Vermont closed in order to house American soldiers during the War of 1812. -
University of Virginia
UVA History University of Virginia founded by Thomas Jefferson, offering a broad and diverse range of studies and centered upon a library as opposed to a church. -
Dartmouth v. Woodward
Dartmouth v. Woodward Supreme Court decision in Dartmouth vs. Woodward limits the power of the state to interfere with privately chartered institutions. -
Period: to
Classical Colleges
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Rebellion at Harvard
Harvard Rebellion Over half of the graduating class of Harvard expelled before commencement as a result of the "Great Rebellion of 1823." -
University System
Modern university system pioneered at University of Virgina, when the Virignia Board of Visitors adopted plans to divide the University into eight separate "schools." -
Yale Report of 1828
Yale Report of the Faculty The famous “Yale Report” articulates a compelling defense for a liberal education. -
Denominational freedom at Harvard
Harvard announces that students could go to any church on Sunday that they or their parents choose. -
Dish of Trout Duel
Trout Duel Two students duel over a "dish of trout" at South Carolina College, leaving one dead and the other severly injured. -
First female baccalaureates
Oberlin History Oberlin College the first to graduate female students with baccalaureate degrees. -
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Transition from antebellum to postbellum age
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Rise of College Sports
Harvard-Yale Regatta Inter-collegiate sports established when crews from Harvard and Yale challenge one another to a rowing race. -
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Morrill Land-Grant Act
Morrill Land-Grant Act Morrill Act dramatically increases access to public higher education by designating land for states to create institutions focuses on agriculture and mechanics. -
Religious exercises voluntary at Harvard
Harvard makes all religious exercises, such as chapel attendance, voluntary. -
2nd Morrill Act
2nd Morrill Act Second Morrill Act dramatically increases access to education for African-American students. -
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Growth of Higher Education
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College Entrance Examination Board
College Entrance Examination Board College Entrance Examination Board introduced at Columbia University by representatives of twelve colleges and universities. -
First junior college founded
Joliet Junior College Joliet Junior College, the nation’s first public community college, is founded. -
NCAA
History of the NCAA Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States established (later renamed the NCAA). -
American Association of University Professors
AAUP American Association of University Professors established. -
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American Council on Education
American Council on Education American Council on Education (ACE) established. -
First credit courses offered via radio
Radio courses The University of Nebraska’s WFAV started offering credit courses via radio. -
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Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944
GI Bill The first of a series of “GI Bills” passed to provide federal financial aid for education to veterans. -
Female enrollment during WWII
WWII Reversal of gender gap Due to World War II’s impact on male enrollment, women temporarily outnumber men in higher education for the first time (after war ends, they will remain a minority in higher education until 1979). -
Period: to
Academic Revolution
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College enrollment surges after GI bill
College enrollment surges by over half a million students in less than five years as a result of veterans attending under the provisions of the GI Bill. -
Truman Commission Report
Truman Commission Report Higher Education for American Democracy (Truman Commission Report), one of the first presidential commissions to examine the state of American Higher Education, calls for a network of public community colleges. -
First African-American graduate of Naval Academy
First African-American graduate of Naval Academy Wesley A. Brown becomes the first African American to graduate from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. -
Brown v. the Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education U.S. Supreme Court desegregates higher education in the Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka decision. -
African-American college students sit at a white's only lunch counter
Greensboro sit-in Four African American college students begin a sit-in at a “whites-only” lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina. -
Dixon v. Alabama
In Loco Parentis Dixon v. Alabama decision determines that students at public institutions of higher education have constitutional right to due process in dismissal cases. -
Integration of Ole Miss
Integration of Ole Miss After an intense legal battle, James Meredith is granted admission as the first African American to attend the University of Mississippi. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Civil Rights Act Congress passes the Civil Rights Act of 1964. -
College attendance rates among high school graduates now tops 50 percent.
Public institutions of higher education enroll twice as many students as private institutions. College attendance rates among high school graduates now tops 50 percent. -
Higher Education Act of 1965
HOA 1965 Congress passes the Higher Education Act which, among other things, would regulate higher education accreditation. -
First official gay student organization
First official LGBT student organization Columbia University grants the first official campus charter to a gay student organization. -
Beginning of the internet
ARPANET U.S. Department of Defense establishes ARPANET, the precursor to the internet. -
Public college enrollment
Public colleges and universities now enroll three times as many students as private institutions. -
Kent State Massacre
Kent State Massacre Four students at Kent State are killed by National Guard protesting Vietnam War. -
First African-American President of a Major University
First African-American President of a Major University Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. elected as president of Michigan State University and becomes the first African-American president of a major university. -
Military Selective Service Act
Selective Service Act The Military Selective Service Act ends the policy of student deferment for the draft. -
Creation of Title IX
Title IX Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and creation of “Title IX.” -
Rehabilitation Act (Section 504)
Section 504 The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) establishes protections for persons with disabilities enrolled at a college or university. -
Carnegie Classification system introduced.
Carnegie Classification Carnegie Classification system introduced. -
College and university enrollment tops 10 million students.
College and university enrollment tops 10 million students. -
Congress passes FERPA
FERPA Congress passes the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). -
Naval Academy begins admitting women
Navy Women The United States Naval Academy at Annapolis begins admitting women. -
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Modernization of Higher Education
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First female president of major university
Hannah Gray Hanna Gray elected as president of the University of Chicago and becomes the first woman to lead a major university. -
Women now majority in higher education
Women now represent the majority of students enrolled at institutions of higher education. -
Department of Education created
Department of Education The U.S. Department of Education is created. -
U.S. News & World Report publishes first college ranking
College Ranking U.S. News & World Report publishes its first rankings of higher education institutions -
Last Ivy begins admitting women
Women at Columbia The last Ivy League institution, Columbia University, begins to enroll women as undergraduates. -
Average costs at private institutions top $10k/yr.
Average tuition, room, and board for all private institutions tops $10,000 for the first time. -
Americans with Disabilities Act
Americans with Disabilities Act Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides further protections for persons with disabilities who wish to apply or are enrolled at an institution of higher education. -
Clery Act
Clery Act Student Right–to–Know and Campus Security Act (Clery) passed, requiring colleges and universities to disclose statistics about crimes that occur on their campuses. -
First publicly-traded higher education institution
UPhoenix University of Phoenix becomes the first publicly-traded, for-profit institution of higher eduction. -
First curriculum offered entirely online
CALCampus CALCampus introduces first curriculum offered entirely online. -
United States v. Virginia
VMI & 14th Amendment United States v. Virginia Supreme Court decision determines that the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) violated fourteenth amendment of the US Constitution by denying regular admission to women. -
Council for Higher Education Accreditation established.
CHEA The Council for Higher Education Accreditation is established as the recognizing body for accrediting organizations. -
Costs at private institutions tops $20K/yr.
Average tuition, room, and board at private colleges and universities tops $20,000. -
First regionally accredited fully-online university
JIU Jones International University is the first “virtual university” to receive regional accreditation. -
Higher ed enrollment tops 15 millions students annually
15 million students are enrolled in colleges and universities in the United States. -
California Dream Act signed into law
http://www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/cal_grant_dream_act_faqs.pdf California Dream Act signed into law, granting in-state tuition and other financial aid benefits to undocumented immigrant students meeting certain conditions. -
MOOCS begin emerging
MOOCs Massive open online course (MOOCS) began emerging. -
Campus SaVE passed to curb sexual assaults
Campus SaVE Campus SaVE Act passed in response to sexual assault epidemic on college and university campuses. -
Federal College Score Card Announced
College Score Card Obama administration announces first federal “college scorecard" to rank effectiveness of colleges and universities. -
Higher ed enrollment tops 20 million students annually
Over 20 million students studying annually at American institutions of higher education.
