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The Colonial Nine founded 1636 - 1769
The first nine colleges/universities, named the Colonial Nine, are founded between 1636 - 1769, with Harvard University being the first. Of of the nine, eight were founded on the basis of Christianity and "the purpose of training students for the Christian ministry." The only college that was not specifically under church control when it was founded and did not include training students for the ministry in its charter was the College of Philadelphia. (Lynch, 2012a). -
New schools post Independence 1782 - 1791
At the time of colonial independence from England, not all of the new states had a college or university. Starting in 1782 through the rest of the century, Maryland, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Vermont opened institutions for their local citizens. (Geiger, 2011. Pgs 41-43). -
Dartmouth College Case
The Supreme Court rules that New Hampshire can’t alter the charter of Dartmouth, a private institution. This prevents government interference in private colleges and universities. (Geiger, 2011. Pgs. 45-46). -
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Founded
Rensselaer is the first technical school. (Brubacher & Rudy, 2008. Pg. 61). -
Yale Report
Yale publishes a report defending the classical subjects taught at colleges. The report states that the purpose of college is to “discipline the mind” and that everything else is secondary. The report essentially makes the point that all other education, such as practical education, should be taught at other kinds of schools. (Geiger, 2011. Pg. 47). -
Oberlin College Founded
Oberlin is the first college to admit women. (Brubacher & Rudy, 2008. Pg. 66). -
Wesleyan Female College Founded
Wesleyan is the first female college and first college to grant degrees to women. (Brubacher & Rudy, 2008. Pgs. 64-65). -
Morrill Act of 1862
The Morrill Act sold public lands to defer the cost of college in the United States. To be eligible for the funds you either had to start a new college or designate one to teach agriculture and mechanical arts. The colleges that received funds also had to provide military training. This led to the development of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program. (Doyle-Schechtman, n.d.). -
Morrill Act of 1890
The second Morrill Act is created to supply land grant colleges with a yearly cash subsidy. The Act included grants for black institutions and states that denied admission because of race were not eligible for funds. (Doyle-Schechtman, n.d.). -
Drexel University Founded
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Servicemen’s Readjustment Act (GI Bill)
The GI Bill allows “hundreds of thousands” of Americans to earn their degree regardless of race or gender as long as they were on active duty for at least 90 days and were not dishonorably discharged. (Mumper et al., 2011. Pg. 115). -
Brown vs. Board of Education
The Supreme Court rules that all segregation in public education is outlawed. This includes higher education. This ruling is heavily resisted in Alabama and Mississippi and the government has to apply force to get at least “token” compliance. (Brubacher & Rudy, 2008. Pg. 78). -
Civil Rights Act
This Act allows the government to cut off federal money to any college or university that discriminates based on “race, color, sex, or national origin.” (Brubacher & Rudy, 2008. Pgs. 78-79). -
Higher Education Act of 1965
This is the first financial aid program for public and private colleges, and individual students. (Brubacher & Rudy, 2008. Pg. 236). -
Higher Education Act of 1972
This provides grants to almost all higher education institutions with “no strings attached.” The Act provides assistance of $1,400 or less for any student who couldn’t afford college. The student loan program is renovated so the National Student Loan Association can purchase existing loans from banks. This allows banks to make more loans. (Brubacher & Rudy, 2008. Pg. 236). -
Higher Education Opportunity Act
This reauthorization of the Higher Education Act incorporated many of the Code of Conduct rules that were developed as a result of NY Attorney General Andrew Cuomo’s investigations on lender lists and inducements in the student loan industry. (Lynch, 2012b). -
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
This Act aims to stimulate the economy through investments in infrastructure, unemployment benefits, transportation, education, and healthcare. (HIMSS, 2009). -
Health Care & Education Reconciliation Act
As a result of this Act, “all new federal student loans will originate through the Direct Loan program, instead of through the federally-guaranteed student loan program.” (DPCC, 2010).
